Forms You Will Need For A New Employee In Australia

Forms You Will Need For A New Employee In Australia

We’ve compiled a list of the common forms you’ll need for a new employee in Australia. The list covers most employees but please keep in mind there will be some roles and circumstances where other specialised forms will be required.

Updated 21 July 2023

1

What taxation forms are required for new employees?

Australian employers are required to withhold tax from an employee’s pay. To help you determine how much tax to withhold you will need your new employee to complete a Tax File Number declaration. The form can be filled out on paper or online. You can find out more about the Tax File Number declaration form on the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website.

Taxation forms required for new employees
Superannuation information for new employees

2

What superannuation information do you need to collect for new employees?

In addition to withholding tax from employee pay packets, Australian employers are also required to pay a portion of an employee’s salary into a superannuation fund. To determine which fund to pay super contributions into, both the employer and employee must complete a Superannuation standard choice form. You can find a copy of the form on the ATO website. There is a paper and online version of the form.

3

Are there any Fair Work forms?

A Fair Work Information Statement must be provided to all new employees in Australia. This statement provides your new hire with information about conditions of employment in Australia. There is also a Casual Employment Information Statement that must also be provided to casual employees.

Fair Work forms
Other forms

4

What other forms are needed?

There are record keeping requirements for Australian employers. Because of this, employers need to establish information about new employees. To help you collect the information you’ll need from your new employee, you may use one or a number of forms. Typical examples include:

  • Personal contact details
  • Emergency contact details
  • Bank account

5

Do I need to create an employment agreement for new hires?

While not technically a form, you will need an agreement that sets out the terms of employment for your new employee. Agreements must meet the minimum requirements of the Fair Work act. You can find more information on the Fair Work website.

If you need help creating an employment agreement, business.gov.au has an employment contract tool. According to their website you can “Build your own employment contract, for an employee under Australia’s Fair Work System, that is tailored to your business needs”.

If you need further advice or your new hire falls into the category that the employment contract tool is not suitable for, consider using the services of an employment lawyer.

Employment agreement for new hires
What else to consider for new hires

6

What else should I consider for new hires?

There is more to taking on a new employee beyond filling out tax, super, payroll and other forms. According to research poor onboarding is a major reason why 20% of all new hire turnover occurs within the first 45 days of employment. To avoid this costly problem employers need to get their new hires off to a productive start by effectively onboarding them into their organisation.

What is onboarding? It’s a series of steps that an employee, their manager and others complete to help the new hire integrate successfully into an organisation and be successful in their role. Want to know more? We’ve created a comprehensive onboarding checklist that is free to download.

The Australian government has an up to date guide on taking on new employees. If you are a new employer, we highly recommend reading this guide.

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Superannuation Step

More New Hire Onboarding Resources

We’ve created a number of new hire onboarding resources including checklists, templates, research and more. We hope you like them.