Linq HR - Blogs (Information) #Leave EntitlementsLinq HR - Blogs (Information) #Leave Entitlementshttps://www.linqhr.com/blogs/tag/leave-entitlementsWed, 29 Apr 2026 20:12:50 +1000http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[EOFY HR & Payroll Essentials for Australian Businesses]]>https://www.linqhr.com/blogs/post/eofy-hr-payroll-essentials-for-australian-businessesAs 30 June approaches, its the perfect time for Australian companies to ensure their Human Resources and payroll processes are compliant, accurate, and up to date.]]>
As 30 June approaches, its the perfect time for Australian companies to ensure their Human Resources and payroll processes are compliant, accurate, and up to date. 

Accurate HR processes and payroll data are the minimum standard required to build and maintain trust with your workforce.

Here is an End of Financial Year summary of key actions you need on your checklist, from payment deadlines through to performance reviews.

1. Payroll Reconciliation & Finalisation
  • Reconcile payroll transactions: Cross check wages, allowances, bonuses, deductions, tax withholdings and superannuation contributions for the full year. Identify and rectify discrepancies now, not later (Billzy, 2024; Pay Cat, 2025).
  • Finalise Single Touch Payroll (STP) : Lodge the STP finalisation declaration with the ATO by 14 July (or the relevant deadline for your lodgement category) (Pay Cat, 2025).
  • Generate payment summaries (if required) : For employees not reported via STP (such as terminated staff), issue appropriate payment summaries by 14 July (Pay Cat, 2025).

2. Superannuation Obligations
  • Super guarantee compliance: Ensure all super contributions for the financial year are paid and reported. Payments must be made by 28 June to count for the year (Billzy, 2024).
  • Update superannuation rates: The super guarantee (SG) rate will increase to 12% on 1 July 2025. The 12% rate will need to be applied for all salary and wages paid to eligible workers on and after 1 July. This is even if some or all of the pay period it relates to is before 1 July. This is the final scheduled increase. (ATO, 2025)

3. Awards, Minimum Wage & Classification Updates
  • Apply award rate updates: Review Fair Work Commission determinations for your industry , incorporate any award and classification changes or minimum wage increases effective from 1 July (Employment Hero, 2025; HRM Online, 2024).
  • Update HR systems: Ensure salary histories, award conditions, pay rates and processes are current before the new financial year (Employment Hero, 2025; Pay Cat, 2025).

4. Employee Data & Records Management
  • Verify employee records: Confirm all staff details—names, addresses, Tax File Numbers, super fund ABNs/USIs, visa status are accurate in HR/payroll systems (Pay Cat, 2025; Liquid HR, 2024).
  • Assess leave and other entitlements: Reconcile annual leave, long service leave, bonuses, FBTed benefits, salary sacrifice and other accruals (Employment Hero, 2025).
  • Close employee records: Finalise details for staff who departed during the year, ensuring proper treatment under STP & TFN legislation (Employment Hero, 2025).

5. HR Policy, Compliance & Documentation
  • Review HR policies: Audit and update workplace policies and procedures (e.g. workplace safety, expense policies, leave, discipline, termination) to reflect legislative changes (HRM Online, 2024; Liquid HR, 2024).
  • Renew agreements and contracts: Issue revised policies, agreements or contracts for the new year, and have them acknowledged or signed off digitally, if possible. (Employment Hero, 2025).
  • Enterprise Agreements : Start planning for Enterprise Agreement bargaining including notifying employees if an Enterprise Bargaining agreement is coming due for renewal.
  • Performance reviews & planning: Finalise annual performance assessments, set development goals and calibrate for FY26 (Liquid HR, 2024; Employment Hero, 2025).

6. Reporting & Strategic Planning
  • ATO reporting: Lodge PAYG withholding and taxable payments annual reports where applicable, plus complete STP finalisation (Pay Cat, 2025; Billzy, 2024).
  • WGEA snapshot: Prepare employee data for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) report, including workforce composition, classifications, remuneration and leave (Employment Hero, 2025).
  • Workforce planning: Analyse hiring trends, staffing needs and organisational structure for the upcoming year (Employment Hero, 2025; Liquid HR, 2024).

Your End-of-Year Action Plan

FocusActionDeadline
Payroll reconciliationCross check all payroll elements30 June
STP finalisationLodge year end STP declaration14 July
Payment summariesIssue where STP not applicable14 July
Super guaranteePay and report super28 June
Award/minimum wageApply updates effective 1 JulyBefore 1 July
Employee recordsVerify TFNs, visas, leave balances30 June
HR policies & docsReview and distribute updatesBefore 1 July
Performance reviews Complete and set goals30 June
WGEA & ATO reportingPrepare lodgements/reportsATO/WGEA due
Workforce planningPlan hires & budget for FY26Pre‑July


Why These Steps Matter

These tasks are more than deadlines as they support:
  • Compliance & risk management: Avoid penalties with accurate STP, super and tax lodgements.
  • Employee trust & transparency: Timely summaries, leave balances, and clear policies foster positive culture.
  • Strategic agility: Performance reviews, workforce planning and award updates position you ahead of FY26.
  • Organisational readiness: Clean data ensures smooth audits, loans, insurances and financial decision making.

Final Tips for a Smooth EOFY
  • Start early: Begin reconciliations and policy reviews across April–June (Employment Hero, 2025).
  • Use checklists/tools: Build your own tailored end of year checklist so no important deadlines or activities are missed.
  • Engage specialists: Collaborate with payroll or HR consultants, or tax agents, to verify compliance (Billzy, 2024).
 
EOFY is more than finalising finances, it’s about powering your HR operations into the next year. By reconciling payroll, updating classifications, refreshing policies, reporting accurately, and planning strategically, your business will enter FY26 ready and resilient.

📩 Contact Linq HR today to explore tailored support for your employee relations and workplace management.

      🌐 Visit: www.linqhr.com

📞 Call: 1300234566

References

Aurion. 2025. EOFY Payroll 2025 Checklist. Available at: https://aurion.com/eofy-checklist](https://aurion.com/eofy-checklist) 


Billzy. 2024. End of Financial Year Payroll Guide for Businesses in Australia 2024.  Available at: https://www.billize.ai/learn/end-of-financial-year-payroll-guide-australia-2024 

Employment Hero. 2025. HR Platform: End of Financial Year (EOFY) Tasks. Available at: https://help.employmenthero.com/hc/en-au/articles/12658026755599-HR-Platform-End-of-Financial-Year-EOFY-Tasks 

HRM Online. 2024. HR’s Guide to Preparing for the EOFY. ] Available at: https://www.hrmonline.com.au/section/featured/hrs-guide-to-preparing-for-the-eofy/ 

Liquid HR. 2024. HR Considerations for End of Financial Year. Available at: https://liquidhr.com.au/hr-considerations-for-end-of-financial-year/

Pay Cat. 2025. End of Financial Year Tips and Tricks for More Efficient Payroll. Available at: https://www.paycat.com.au/blog/end-of-financial-year-tips 

Payroller. 2023. EOFY Checklist: Key End of Financial Year Tasks for SMBs. Available at: https://payroller.com.au/end-of-financial-year/eofy-checklist/ 
]]>Thu, 19 Jun 2025 10:56:39 +1000<![CDATA[Top 3 Challenges Faced by HR Teams When Sourcing New Vendors]]>https://www.linqhr.com/blogs/post/top-3-challenges-faced-by-hr-teams-when-sourcing-new-vendorsWith the upcoming Government’s jobs and skills summit its probably as good a time as ever to think about our employee’s leave entitlements and their purpose.]]>
The rapid growth of the HR tech and outsourcing industry means there are many options to choose from. The HR tech market’s growth for instance, is projected to grow from $24 billion in 2021 to $35 billion in 2028.

Unfortunately, an ever-expanding HR marketplace doesn’t make things easier when it comes to choosing the right vendor.

Whether you’re hiring external recruiters or looking for the best HCM system, the process of identifying and screening vendors is challenging, and can be a major distraction from the everyday responsibilities of HR.

Top Vendor Sourcing Challenges for HR Professionals

Although HR can readily define the company’s needs, successfully identifying and engaging vendors remains a challenge.

Here are some of the top challenges which have the biggest business impact.

1. Lost Hours Identifying Vendors

Researching different vendors takes a lot of time and effort. It could take you days or even weeks going through vendor websites and brochures comparing product features. 

There’s also the time spent researching customer reviews on websites like G2, searching for market providers which match your industry needs or geographical spread or asking for recommendations from colleagues.

While there are no shortcuts to this—unless you outsource the process, the biggest issue here is that this time could be spent on critical HR activities such as employer branding and identifying workplace training needs.

2. Challenges Conducting Vendor Analysis

After filtering your initial list of potential vendors, it’s time to assess their suitability. Ultimately, qualifying HR vendors comes down to vetting them on the basis of factors like:

Service Quality – can they provide the service better than what you can deliver internally? Are their services truly best in class? Do they maintain high service levels?

Track record and consistent delivery – does the vendor deliver consistently across different companies and industries seamlessly?  Can you verify their track record with current clients?

HR Expertise – is their sales focus stronger than their HR knowledge? Do they have strong HR processes supporting their services? Do they stay current with or lead in HR expertise?

Value -  does the vendor provide overall value? Will your Line Managers and Finance be satisfied with the value of services being purchased? Will the vendor provide the expected impact? Will employees ultimately benefit?

3. Finalising Contracts and Vendor Engagement

Negotiating HR vendor contracts is arguably the most challenging part of the process due to the cost-related risks involved. Keen on maximising revenue, vendors can lead you into signing contracts which make the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) or charges for underutilised services way higher than it should have been.

As a general rule, if you don’t have a skilled negotiator in your team, make sure you involve Finance. Even if Finance isn’t skilled in negotiations, they can easily spot loopholes and clauses which have the potential of leading to unnecessary costs.

When preparing to engage the new vendor its important to agree on expectations upfront before work starts. Ideally this would be in the form of measurable performance standards or at least an agreed description of outcomes expected over the first 3-12 months. Ensure the vendor has all the necessary information and access to staff in your organisation they need to start successfully.

Do You Need Help Sourcing New HR Vendors?

Using our experience in the HR marketplace we can save you valuable time finding the right HR vendor for your organisation.

If you’re searching for a new HR vendor, just reach out to us by calling 1300234566 or filling this enquiry form.


]]>Tue, 30 Aug 2022 08:00:00 +1000<![CDATA[Maybe its time to Rethink the Modern Day mix of Employee Leave Entitlements?]]>https://www.linqhr.com/blogs/post/employee-leave-entitlementsWith the upcoming Government’s jobs and skills summit its probably as good a time as ever to think about our employee’s leave entitlements and their purpose.]]>
Given the recent Australian Government’s jobs and skills summit its probably as good a time as ever to think about our employee’s leave entitlements and their purpose.

When I first started in Employee Relations my mentor (long time Employee Relations specialist) told me I needed to understand the fundamentals behind each leave type. Being a bit younger back then the whole story of Long Service Leave (LSL) originally being set around the time it took for a holiday break, including a ship ride to visit the UK or Europe, wasn’t that interesting to be honest.  LSL seemed just as distant as getting access one day to my locked up preserved superannuation.

Then there was the reason for casuals. Paid a premium to offset the benefits received by permanent employees as their employment ended each time they finished work on a particular day. 

Today new types of leave are steadily emerging or already available including Family Violence leave, Life Leave, Gender Affirmation Leave, Grandparents Leave, and even Pawternity Leave to support our furry friends. These all have real intentions and reasons behind why they exist.

From a HR/People perspective so many leave entitlements can be difficult to manage. It can be confusing for supervision as well.  

Leave entitlements in total seem to be gradually increasing. Although I understand they are only entitlements and not all fully granted without a need to take. Is this making employment potentially more expensive or is it a talent attraction for those forward thinking companies? Should the old leave types like Long Service Leave be replaced with more contemporary and relevant leave types to recognise today's employee and company needs?

Whatever the answer ends up being, it won't be decided anytime soon but I think we are at the start of a journey towards redefining the modern day mix of leave entitlements for a changing workforce.

Linq HR are specialists in HR Consulting, Career and Vendor Selection. Ph 1300234566.


]]>Wed, 03 Aug 2022 13:52:25 +1000<![CDATA[Why are my Employees Constantly being Headhunted?]]>https://www.linqhr.com/blogs/post/employee-leave-entitlements1With the upcoming Government’s jobs and skills summit its probably as good a time as ever to think about our employee’s leave entitlements and their purpose.]]>

As a manager and leader of people you constantly have multiple things to focus on. 


It can be busy and distracting at the same time depending on your challenges and workload.


Your employees seem happy and performing okay. No real issues have been raised.


Then you are shocked when they start to resign. Particularly when your best employees leave first.


Here are a few questions to consider to prevent your employees from being tempted by a Headhunter;


Leadership Style - are you approachable, do you set achievable targets, do you let employees bring their best selves to work. Do employees respect or just tolerate you as their leader?


Engagement -  is there a high level of employee engagement? This is the level of enthusiasm and connection employees have with the organisation. High levels of engagement make it difficult for employees to be headhunted as their commitment to stay is high.


Employer Value Proposition (EVP) - Your EVP is the culmination of all your company's offerings in things such as compensation and career development which balances out what an employee brings to you. Is your EVP in balance with employee expectations?


Mobility - are employees able to transfer across the organisation in support of their career growth? Or do they have to leave to move ahead.


Performance - Is  non-performance actively managed so that employee contributions are evenly distributed based on effort, skills and abilities?


Flexibility - are employees who can effectively do their roles remotely allowed the opportunity and trusted to work away from the traditional workplace? 


Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - Does your company operate in the best interests of society and the environment and its efforts are genuine and visible. 


Addressing these questions will help your employees be less tempted in moving when approached by a Headhunter. Particularly your best talent.


Linq HR are specialists in HR Consulting, Career and Vendor Selection.


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