Hiring your first employee in Australia: the checklist

Putting on your first employee is a milestone - and a pile of one-off admin. Do it in this order and it's a day of setup, not a month of surprises.

Before you advertise

• Work out the true cost. Base or award rate, plus casual loading or leave, super, workers comp premiums and payroll software. The Fair Work pay and wages hub has the current minimums.
• Find your award. Most local-business roles fall under an award (hospitality, retail, hair and beauty, and so on), which sets minimum rates, penalties and rostering rules.
• Register as an employer with the ATO for PAYG withholding, and get payroll software that reports through Single Touch Payroll - business.gov.au's first-employee guide walks through it.
• Take out workers compensation insurance with your state or territory scheme. This must be in place before the first shift.

When you hire

• Confirm their right to work in Australia, and any age rules that apply in your state for young workers.
• Give them the Fair Work Information Statement (plus the casual statement for casuals), and collect their TFN declaration and super details.
• Put the basics in writing: employment type, hours or roster pattern, rate, and probation if you're using one.
• Check the credentials the role needs - RSA to serve alcohol, food handling training, a Working with Children Check where relevant.

After they start

• Pay super every quarter at the latest, and keep time and wage records for seven years.
• Give payslips within one working day of payday - payroll software does this for you.
• Diarise 1 July: award rates, the national minimum wage and the super guarantee rate all tend to move at the start of the financial year.

The hiring itself is the easy part when the applicants are nearby. Post your first ad on My Local Jobs - flat-fee, no subscriptions, and applications come from people who live close enough to be reliable.