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Create a New Pay Item

Pay items define the individual components of an employee's pay — earnings, deductions, superannuation contributions, and leave entitlements. You must create pay items before they can be used in a pay run.

Steps to Create a Pay Item​

  1. Navigate to Payroll > Pay Items.
  2. Click the Add Pay Item button.
  3. Select the pay item type:
    • Earnings — wages, overtime, allowances, bonuses, commissions.
    • Deduction — salary sacrifice, union fees, child support, workplace giving.
    • Superannuation — employer SG, salary sacrifice super, additional employer contributions.
    • Leave — annual leave, personal/carer's leave, long service leave.
  4. Enter the pay item name (e.g. "Ordinary Hours", "Travel Allowance").
  5. Set the calculation type:
    • Hours x Rate — for time-based earnings.
    • Fixed Amount — for flat-dollar amounts per pay period.
    • Percentage — for percentage-based calculations (e.g. super as % of OTE).
  6. Configure tax and super settings. See Tax and Super Settings for Pay Items.
  7. Select the ATO reporting category to ensure correct STP classification.
  8. Click Save.

Default Pay Items​

Myaccountant automatically creates standard pay items when you set up payroll:

  • Ordinary Hours
  • PAYG Withholding
  • Superannuation Guarantee
  • Annual Leave
  • Personal/Carer's Leave

You can modify these defaults under Update Existing Pay Items.