Over the past few weeks the Department of Commerce has been conducting a proactive compliance campaign about employers record keeping obligations. Keeping employment records is a key business requirement that many small business employers get wrong. All state system employers are legally required to keep employment records that detail time worked, leave taken and pay received by employees.

Information about record keeping is available on the Record keeping requirements page.

Six new record keeping templates have been developed to help small business employers meet their legal obligations for time and record keeping and keep accurate employee leave records. These templates are:

• Time and wages record template
• Payslip template
• Employment details template
• Annual leave template
• Sick and carer's leave record template
• Long service leave template

Employers must keep all employment records for at least seven years after they are made for both current and past employees. Records relating to long service leave must be kept during the period of employment and for seven years from the date employment ends.

Small business employers can be fined up to $5,000 by the Industrial Magistrates Court for not keeping employment records or for keeping inadequate or fraudulent records.

Wageline can help

  Wageline can answer your questions about record keeping requirements.