The amount of tax you have to pay is determined by the state and territory where your business operates. Each state and territory has different rates and thresholds to consider for payroll tax, and you may not have to pay in more than one state or territory if you operate nationally.
As a business owner, it’s important you understand the tax laws for the regions that you operate in. We have put together a handy employer guide about payroll tax in the Northern Territory (NT).
The wages an employer pays their employees are used to calculate payroll tax. In the NT, employers (or groups of employers) with wages of $1.5 million or more per year or $125,000 or more per month must pay payroll tax. For the 2021-22 financial year, the NT payroll tax rate was 5.5%.
It is easy! Applications to register for payroll tax can be made online using the Integrated Revenue Application facility (INTRA). You can also email the NT Revenue Office (TRO) or contact them via phone or mail.
After registering for payroll tax, you will receive an automatic response and will be notified if your application has been approved (the NT Government website suggests this can take up to 14 days).
You may not need to register to pay payroll tax if your business is a charity, religious institution, a non-profit and non-government school or college, public hospital, non-profit private hospital, or a local NT government body.
Employers in the NT have 7 days after the end of the month to lodge and pay payroll tax. If this happens on a weekend or holiday, you have until the following business day to pay for this. The annual reconciliation of any payroll tax must be completed by 21 July.
Wages is defined by the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act of 1986 as any income that an individual earns. As a business owner, know that the total wages that you pay are taxable. This includes:
Some items can be exempt from payroll tax such as workers compensation, defence force payments, redundancy, maternity, paternity and adoption leave, paid parental leave scheme and volunteer emergency workers. You can find out more here.
In the NT, you are legally required to pay payroll tax when your total wages exceed $125,000 per month. You can lodge your return online through the INTRA system, the same system you used to register. It’s easy to use and efficient.
If you need help managing your accounting system and payroll tax in the Northern Territory, QuickBooks Accounting Software can help.
QuickBooks Payroll - powered by Employment Hero is ATO approved and comes with inbuilt Single Touch Payroll compliance.
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