Tax & payroll in Australian Capital Territory

Pay ACT payroll tax when threshold met

ACT: 6.85% rate on Australian wages above the $2M tax-free threshold (FY26).

ACT payroll tax (≥$2M threshold, 6.85%)

ACT payroll tax on monthly + annual cycle.

Comply with SIS Act trustee covenants

Super fund trustees owe statutory covenants of care, skill, diligence, best financial interests, and prudent investment.

Lodge an annual SMSF audit before lodging the SMSF Annual Return

Self-managed super funds must be audited by an ASIC-registered auditor each year.

Maintain SMSF compliance with the sole purpose test (s 62)

SMSFs must be maintained for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits.

Withhold PAYG from employee and contractor payments

Employers must withhold tax from wages, certain contractor payments + report via STP / BAS.

Pay company PAYG/GST/SG or face Director Penalty Notice (DPN)

Directors personally liable for unpaid company PAYG, GST + SG via DPN regime.

Comply with the TASA Code of Professional Conduct

Tax practitioners must observe honesty, competence, confidentiality, PI insurance, and (from 2025) expanded breach reporting.

Apply for and maintain an Australian Business Number

Entities carrying on an enterprise in Australia must have an ABN to operate (or face PAYG withholding at 47%).

Pay superannuation on every payday (Payday Super)

From 1 July 2026, super must reach the employee's fund within 7 business days of each payday.

Lodge Business Activity Statements at assigned frequency

GST-registered entities must lodge a BAS monthly, quarterly or annually as the ATO assigns.

Annual YFYS performance test (MySuper + Choice)

APRA annual performance test for MySuper products + (from 2024) Trustee Directed Products.

TASA Code Determinations from 1 August 2024

Tax practitioner code reformed via Code Determinations — false + misleading statements + supervision + breach reporting.

Make trustee resolutions for trust distributions by 30 June

Discretionary trust trustees must validly resolve to distribute trust income before the end of the FY.

Stronger Member Outcomes — APRA SPS 515

RSE licensees must annually assess member-outcomes performance + take action.

DGR annual self-review (from 1 July 2024)

ACNC-registered DGRs must complete annual self-review.

Crypto Asset Secondary Service Provider (CASSPr) licensing reforms

Treasury consultation 2024 on bespoke crypto licensing — separate from AFSL.

Thin capitalisation rules (Div 820 ITAA 1997)

Limits debt deductions for thinly-capitalised entities, reformed from 1 July 2023.

Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) for producers + wholesalers

WET at 29% on wine wholesale value; rebate scheme up to $350K per producer.

Register for GST when GST turnover meets the threshold

Register within 21 days when GST turnover reaches $75K (or $150K for NFPs, or any amount for ride-share/taxis).

Lodge an FBT return and pay FBT by 21 May

Employers who provided fringe benefits in the FBT year (1 April – 31 March) must lodge by 21 May.

Maintain TPB registration (tax/BAS agents)

Tax agents and BAS agents must be registered with the TPB and comply with the Code of Professional Conduct.

Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) — implementation 2026-2027

AU adopts the OECD CARF for crypto reporting; reporting expected from 2027, first international exchange ~2028 (per Dec 2025 MYEFO).

MySuper authorisation for default super products

Default super contributions can only flow to APRA-authorised MySuper products.

Apply for a Tax File Number for new entities and partnerships

Companies, trusts and partnerships need a TFN to file tax returns and claim TFN exemptions.

Register R&D activities for the R&D Tax Incentive

Companies must register R&D activities with AusIndustry within 10 months of the end of the income year.

Comply with SPS 530 (Investment Governance) for APRA-regulated super funds

RSE licensees must have a documented investment governance framework.

Process super contributions and rollovers via SuperStream

All super contributions and rollovers must use SuperStream-compliant data + payment standards.

Maintain transfer pricing documentation (Subdivision 815-D)

Multinational groups must keep contemporaneous transfer pricing documentation per Subdivision 815-D ITAA 1997.

Lodge Country-by-Country Report (CbC) for significant global entities

Multinationals with global income >EUR 750M must lodge CbC Report annually.

Report under Single Touch Payroll Phase 2

Disaggregated payroll reporting to the ATO via STP-enabled software.

Stablecoin payments licensing — Treasury reforms (in scoping)

Treasury reforms scoping payment stablecoin licensing under PSP regime.