Payroll tax questions and answers—OSRconnect

Do I have to submit a separate June return?

No. You no longer have to lodge a separate return for June. Wages you would normally include in your June periodic return must now be reported in your annual return.

Our lodging an annual return lesson shows you how.

Note: If you have already paid your liability for the period ending 30 June separate from your annual return, contact us on 1300 300 734  before completing your annual return.

Can I lodge my periodic return before the end of each period?

Yes. You can lodge your return and make your payment through OSRconnect as soon as you finalise your payroll for the period.

Your periodic return is due 7 days after the end of the return period. For example, a return for the month of January is due by 7 February.

Do I have to provide periodic wage figures?

No, you do not need to tell us the actual wages paid for the period of your return. However, you must give us a breakdown of your payment into primary tax and assessed interest (if applicable). If you pay electronically, you must use OSRconnect to advise these details.

You only need to give us wage figures in the following circumstances:

• in your annual return (due by 21 July each year)
• where you have a change of status and need to complete a final return
• if we request these details.

Do I still need to advise you of my fixed periodic deduction?

No. From 1 July 2009, you no longer need to advise us of your fixed periodic deduction. However, you need to calculate your fixed periodic deduction, generally, at the start of each financial year and deduct that amount from your wages in each return period during the year.

Use the fixed periodic deduction calculator on our website to work out your fixed periodic deduction amount for the current financial year.

You should keep a record of your fixed periodic deduction on file.

Can I pay my payroll tax return through OSRconnect?

Yes. The simplest way to pay your payroll tax return is through OSRconnect. Before you complete your return, you need to nominate a bank account to pay from. Our nominate a bank account lesson shows you how.

If you pay electronically, you must lodge your periodic return in OSRconnect before paying your liability amount.

How do I find my payment reference codes for this financial year?

Your payment reference code (now reduced to 12 digits) will be generated by OSRconnect after you have completed your online lodgement.

Can I set a direct debit to come out of my account on a future date?

Yes. You can select the date on which the funds are to be debited from your account through OSRconnect. When choosing the date, make sure that your payment will reach us before the return due date to avoid unpaid tax interest (UTI).

Can I save a draft of my periodic or annual return?

Yes. If you select the Save draft button on the lodgement form, your details will be saved, even if you log out of the system.

Your information will remain in draft form until you complete and submit your return. You can re-open your return from the Task Overview tab.

Note: You must re-open and submit your return before you can pay. Our save and re-open a payroll tax return lesson shows you how.

Does OSRconnect include inbuilt calculators?

Yes. You can either enter your pre-calculated periodic liability or annual liability amount, or use OSRconnect to calculate the amount of payroll tax you owe.

Will OSRconnect calculate my apprentice/trainee rebate?

Yes. If you enter any apprentice or trainee wages for the period into the periodic return form in OSRconnect, it will calculate the rebate entitlement. This amount will be deducted from your periodic liability amount. You may then pay the revised liability amount using the payment reference code generated by the system.

The apprentice/trainee rebate will be limited to the 2009–10 financial year.

Why am I only getting blank pages when I use the print option?

We are aware that this issue is being experienced by some clients. To print your return or lodgement confirmation screen, click your right mouse button, then select the 'print' option from the list presented.

Alternatively, press 'Ctrl' and 'P'.

How can I see my liability before submitting my return?

Once you have completed all mandatory fields in the OSRconnect form, select the Check form data button. This function checks the form for you and performs all calculations.

Once you are satisfied that all details and calculations are correct, you can lodge your return.

I'm sure I submitted my return, but the system shows it as overdue. Why?

We have noticed that some clients have saved their return as a draft, but have not submitted it.

To avoid lodging your return late and being charged UTI, you should check your Task Overview screen in OSRconnect (this is the first screen that displays when you log in to the system). If there is a 'Yes' in the Draft column on the right side of the screen, click on it to open your return. Once you have finalised your return, select Submit to lodge it with us.