Every July the same thing happens. The old year gets finalised in a hurry, the first pay run of the new year goes out on last year’s settings, and a small error - a rate, a threshold, a lapsed registration - quietly repeats itself 26 times before anyone notices in June. The new-financial-year payroll reset is the hour of housekeeping that prevents that. Here is the version for 2026–27, in the order the deadlines fall.
By 14 July: finalise 2025–26 in STP
Single Touch Payroll finalisation tells the ATO that each employee’s 2025–26 income statement is complete, which is what lets them lodge their tax return. The due date is 14 July. Before you press finalise, reconcile three totals for the year: gross wages per the general ledger, PAYG withheld per your activity statements, and super per the clearing house. If the three do not tie out, the finalisation will carry the error into 26 individual tax returns. Fix it first, then finalise.
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July: the 4.75% award increase
The Fair Work Commission’s 2026 Annual Wage Review lifted modern award minimum rates by 4.75%, with larger increases at the lowest classifications. The national minimum wage is now $1,004.90 a week ($26.44 an hour). The increase applies from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July - so a fortnightly cycle that began on 29 June changes from the following cycle, not mid-period. Update every award-based rate, every allowance that is expressed as a percentage of the base rate, and any above-award employee whose contract promises a margin over the award. Back-pay is far cheaper to avoid than to calculate.
1 July: the super settings
The super guarantee rate is 12% and has been since 1 July 2025 - the reset here is less about the rate and more about the basis. From 1 July 2026 super is calculated on Qualifying Earnings and paid per payday under Payday Super. Confirm the calculation basis in your software, confirm the rate on every employee record including anyone added since June, and confirm the clearing house that replaced the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House is connected and tested.
21 and 28 July: state payroll tax annual reconciliations
If you are registered for payroll tax, the annual return reconciles the monthly or quarterly instalments you paid during the year against your actual taxable wages. It is due on 21 July in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, and on 28 July in New South Wales and South Australia. Queensland in particular will not extend its date. For multi-state employers the reconciliation is also where interstate wages are apportioned and where grouping with related entities has to be declared - the two areas where we see the most expensive amendments later.
Two checks before you lodge: that your total wages across all states agree to the STP finalisation you did a week earlier, and that any contractor payments that fall inside a state’s definition of wages have been included. Our payroll tax calculator gives a quick sense-check of the annual liability by state.
July: the compliance calendar for the year ahead
Put the year’s obligations in the diary now, with an owner against each. The minimum set for most employers: monthly IAS on the 21st; quarterly BAS on 28 October, 28 February (a Sunday in 2027 - so Monday 1 March), 28 April and 28 July; TPAR on 28 August if you are in building, cleaning, courier, road freight, IT or security services; STP finalisation again on 14 July 2027. The full list, including the registered-agent extended dates, is on our Tax 2026 calendar.
Workers’ compensation and the rest of the July pile
Each state’s workers’ compensation scheme asks for an annual wages declaration around this time of year so premiums can be calculated - the dates and portals differ by state, and the estimate you give drives next year’s premium. Use the same wages figure you reconciled for payroll tax. While you have the numbers open, update the PAYG withholding tables in your software if it has not done so automatically, and check that any employee who changed from part-time to full-time, or took on a new allowance, has an updated record and not a manual override that will reset next pay.
Why this matters more than it used to
Two things have raised the cost of getting payroll slightly wrong. Payday Super means a super shortfall is visible to the ATO within days, not at the end of a quarter, and the Super Guarantee Charge that follows is not deductible. And since 1 July 2025, interest the ATO charges on late payments is no longer deductible either - so a late BAS or late instalment now costs full price. The reset is an hour. The alternative compounds.
The one-page reset
- Reconcile wages, PAYG withheld and super for 2025–26; finalise STP by 14 July.
- Apply the 4.75% award increase (and the larger C13/C14 changes) from the first full pay period on or after 1 July.
- Confirm 12% super on every employee record, QE basis enabled, clearing house connected and tested.
- Lodge payroll tax annual returns: 21 July (QLD, VIC, WA) and 28 July (NSW, SA).
- Submit workers’ compensation wage declarations using the same reconciled wages.
- Diarise every 2026–27 obligation with a named owner.
If the list is longer than the time you have, the honest answer is that this is a task for whoever runs your payroll - and if that is us, it is already done.
References: ATO - STP finalisation, PAYG withholding, super guarantee and Payday Super guidance; Fair Work Commission - Annual Wage Review 2026 decision; Queensland Revenue Office, Revenue NSW, SRO Victoria, RevenueSA and RevenueWA - payroll tax annual return due dates. Current at 14 August 2026.
This information is general in nature and does not constitute personal financial or tax advice. Please contact us to discuss your individual circumstances. Tax laws are subject to change; information on this page reflects legislation in effect as of August 2026.