Pay as you go (PAYG) withholding records

You need to keep the following information and records to support the PAYG withholding amounts you include in the PAYG tax withheld section of your business activity statement (BAS).

Information your records need to show

Examples of types of records

The amounts you withheld from payments to employees and directors: 

  • salary, wages, commissions, bonuses and allowances paid to employees
  • remuneration to company directors
  • retirement payments, termination of employment payments, annuities and benefit or compensation payments.
  • Tax file number declarations and Withholding declarations, including withholding variation notices, you obtain from employees. 
  • Worker payment records. 
  • Copies of contracts you have with contractors. 
  • Records of wages, allowances and other payments made to workers. 
  • Copies of payments and reports provided to the ATO, including annual reports of amounts you have withheld. 
  • Calculations of PAYG amounts. 
  • Payment receipts – for payment of BAS. 
  • Single Touch Payroll (STP) reports. 
  • Records of payments made to all payees. 
  • Payment summaries or income statements. 
  • Voluntary agreements. 
  • Superannuation records.

The amounts you withheld from interest, dividend and royalty payments to foreign residents.

A receipt, remittance advice or similar document containing: 

  • your business name, ABN and branch number – if applicable 
  • your payee's name 
  • your payee's address 
  • the period in which the payments were made 
  • the total amount of gross payment, including the market value of non-cash benefits 
  • the total amount of tax withheld 
  • the wording 'For information about your privacy, go to ato.gov.au/privacy' 
  • your payee's ABN or TFN – if known.

How long you need to keep PAYG withholding records

You need to keep these records for 5 years, starting from when you prepared or obtained the records, or when you completed the transactions the records relate to, whichever is later.

You should keep records long enough to cover the period of review (also known as the amendment period) for an assessment that uses information from the record.

Record keeping

Steps Progress

Record keeping overview

10 mins

Tasks and tips

6 mins

Starting your business records

2 mins

Digital record keeping

5 mins

Manual or paper record keeping

2 mins

Banking records

2 mins

Income records

3 mins

Accounting for private use of assets

9 mins

Motor vehicle deductions records

2 mins

Home-based business deductions records

1 mins

Other deductions records

1 mins

Stock and asset records

5 mins

GST records

1 mins

Employee records

7 mins

Car fringe benefits records

1 mins

Expense payment FBT records

2 mins

Contractor records

2 mins

Sharing economy records

1 mins

Cryptocurrency records

1 mins

Records for other taxes

5 mins

Sole trader structure records

4 mins

Partnership structure records

3 mins

Company structure records

3 mins

Trust structure records

1 mins

Changing your business structure records

1 mins

Selling or closing your business records

2 mins

Related courses

1 mins

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