Managing your employees

Before hiring employees, make sure you know your obligations, rights and responsibilities. This includes requirements for each new employee, like:

• tax
• superannuation
• leave and conditions
• pay and awards
• record keeping
• visas.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has information to help you understand the workplace rights and obligations you need to meet as an employer. This includes free online courses.

Learn more about workplace rights and obligations

Make sure your staff are getting what they’re entitled to. You can find minimum pay rates and employment conditions in the relevant award agreement. Awards set minimum wages for staff based on the type of work they’re doing and the industry they’re in.

Not all staff are covered by an award or an agreement. But all Australian employees are entitled to minimum wage and the National Employment Standards. This is a starting point to calculate your employees’ wages.

Work out what wages you need to pay

Payroll tax is a State and Territory tax on wages that employers pay employees. Not all businesses have to pay payroll tax. Any tax is calculated based on the amount of wages you pay employees Australia-wide per month.

For employers in the ACT, you have to pay payroll tax only if your total taxable wages, or the total taxable wages of the group of employers you belong to, exceed the payroll tax threshold. The monthly payroll tax threshold in the ACT is $166,666.66, or $2 million per year.

Find out more from the ACT Revenue Office

Business owners must pay eligible employees the superannuation guarantee. You need to pay the super guarantee for:

• all employees aged 18 years or older
• employees under 18 if they work more than 30 hours per week.

The super guarantee means you must pay an amount equal to 12% of your employee’s salary or wages into their superannuation fund. This is indexed annually from 1 July 2025.

The super guarantee is paid in addition to your employee’s salary or wages – you can’t deduct it from their pay.

Calculate the superannuation guarantee

Types of leave

There are different leave types your staff may be entitled to, including:

• annual leave (for all staff except casual staff)
• maternity and parental leave for all staff in Australia
• sick and carer’s leave for staff (excluding casual and contractors)
• family and domestic violence leave for all staff.

Learn more about the different leave types

ACT portable long service leave

Portable long service leave lets workers switch employers within their industry scheme without losing their long service leave.

In the ACT, there are portable long service leave schemes for the:

• construction industry
• community sector
• security industry
• services industry.

Employers in these industries must register with ACT Leave, report their employee's service and pay a levy.

When worker's claim long service leave, they lodge a claim with ACT Leave. ACT Leave pays the benefit, not the employer. The schemes also allow self-employed workers register for long service.

New industries to join the Services Industry Scheme in 2026

New industries entering the Services Industry Scheme from 1 July 2026 are:

• accommodation and food services, including hospitality
• hairdressing and beauty services.

For employers

Employers must register with ACT Leave by 30 June 2026.

Use the eligibility assessment tool to see if you need to register.

1. Register: submit a registration form. It takes about 5 minutes.
2. Stay informed: ACT Leave will contact you with details about registering employees, reporting service, and paying the levy.
3. First payment: your first quarterly return and levy payment is due on 31 October 2026.

Learn more about portable long service leave

Sometimes, employees have problems at work. These might be about their:

• pay
• tasks
• work environment
• company rules
• how they’re treated by others.

It’s important to listen and deal with these complaints properly. Your employee can make a formal or informal complaint. It's important to take these seriously and deal with them immediately.

There are several ways to manage employee complaints. Here are some simple steps your business could follow:

1. Listen and understand

Start by listening to what your employee has to say. Ask questions to understand the issue clearly. You might need to visit their work area or talk to others. Always let your employee know if you plan to speak to others, as it may not be appropriate. Keep things private and respectful.

2. Know the rules

Check if any laws or workplace agreements apply to the complaint. For example, if it’s about pay, you’ll need to follow the Fair Work Act and make sure you're meeting any rules around the national minimum wage or any awards.

3. Work together on a solution

Speak with your employee about what they want to happen. Think about different ways to solve the problem while following the law. Try to resolve the complaint internally before getting advice from an external body like the Fair Work Ombudsman or Fair Work Commission.

4. Make a plan

Once you agree on a solution, put it in writing and speak with your employee. If the issue affects others, write and speak to them about the plan to resolve the issue. If you can’t agree, you might need help from an external body like the Fair Work Ombudsman or Fair Work Commission.

5. Check back and improve

Learn more about resolving employee complaints

Many workplace issues can be resolved quickly and informally if you discuss them with your employees.

The Fair Work Ombudsman developed a course to help business owners discuss workplace issues when they arise.

It includes:

• information about how to handle a difficult conversation
• tips to help you prepare, manage your emotions and reach a positive outcome
• interactive scenarios to help you practice your conversation skills
• downloadable resources and links to more information.

Take the course

As a business owner, you need to create a workplace that is free from discrimination.

Protected attributes

In the ACT it's against the law to treat someone unfavourably due to their characteristics.

These characteristics are known as protected attributes. They include:

• race
• disability
• sex
• gender identity
• age
• religious conviction
• carer's responsibilities
• pregnancy or breastfeeding
• homelessness
• being unemployed.

Direct or indirect discrimination

Discrimination against protected characteristics is not allowed whether it's direct or indirect.

Direct discrimination happens when someone is unfairly treated due to their attributes. Indirect discrimination happens when a rule or policy that's applied to everyone had an unfair effect on those with a protected attribute.

There are some exceptions where discrimination is allowed. For example, if it caused unjustifiable hardship to a small business to make changes for people with a protected attribute. You would need to find out more if an exception is applicable.

Discrimination free workplace

As a business owner you need to ensure you create a workplace that is free from discrimination and harassment.

You also need to ensure that you and your employees don't discriminate against your clients or customers. Make sure you understand what your responsibilities are as a business owner around discrimination.

You can stop someone entering your business or refuse to serve them. You can only do this if you don’t breach anti-discrimination laws. You need to understand when you can refuse service and when you can't.

Contact the ACT Human Rights Commission for more

As an ACT employer you must have a current ACT workers’ compensation policy with an approved insurer. You must keep this policy up-to-date.

Make sure your business and your staff are protected with the right Workplace Health and Safety procedures. This will help minimise the risk of injury in the workplace.

Find out about ACT workers' compensation

To dismiss staff, you need to give notice if they’re full-time or part-time. You don’t need to give notice to casual or fixed contract staff. You also don't need to give notice if you're dismissing them for serious misconduct. The minimum notice you need to give your staff will depend on their award, contract or agreement.

Learn more about employee dismissal