Consider changing your income tax payments for 2021–22

Some people may wish to change their income tax payments for 2021–22 to account for the number of fortnightly pays.

There will be a change in the number of fortnightly pays for many Queensland Government employees paid through Queensland Shared Services for the 2021–22 financial year. Therefore, you may wish to increase or decrease (if you have previously increased) your fortnightly tax payments to account for the change.

Why would I need to change my tax payment?

Income tax for each pay is calculated on 26 fortnightly pays during a financial year. When a financial year has 27 pays, you can end up owing the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) money when submitting an end-of-financial-year tax return.

Alternatively, if you previously received 27 fortnightly pays and increased your tax payments, you may be paying too much tax and may wish to cancel this increase.

To make changes to your fortnightly tax payment, log in to the QSS Self Service Centre and complete the Queensland Shared Services Change my fortnightly tax payment form.

Who will be affected by 27 fortnightly pays?

In 2021–22, the following Queensland Government employees will receive 27 fortnightly pays:

• Queensland Ambulance Service operational employees
• Queensland Fire and Emergency Services operational employees

Last financial year, Queensland Government employees in other agencies received 27 fortnightly pays and were notified of the possible shortfall, and how to increase their fortnightly tax payments to avoid this.

These employees will receive 26 pays in 2021-22 and may choose to cancel the increase in payments if they requested this change in 2020–21.

How do I calculate the increase?

The Australian Taxation Office has developed a simple table to help you calculate the additional amount of tax you need to pay.

See When there are 27 pays in a financial year on the ATO's Fortnightly tax table page (you might need to scroll to the bottom of the page) for more information.

You can also get advice from the ATO, your super fund or a financial advisor to understand how changing your fortnightly tax payment will affect your financial circumstances.

Will the additional pay impact my superannuation payments?

If you pay additional superannuation payments, you may need to check with your super fund to confirm you won't exceed your annual limit.

When do I need to submit my form?

Submit the Change my fortnightly tax payment form by Friday 18 June 2021 and we can apply your changes form the first pay of the 2021–22 financial year pay.

At other times, allow up to 15 business days for QSS to process this request.

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