There’s a new kid on the block for sending things around Australia – sendle.com. It costs ever so slightly more than temando.com or going direct through Couriers Please by buying many satchels at a time, but it’s definitely cheaper than Australia Post. It’s also door to door.

While the driver at Couriers Please knows me and knows where to leave a satchel or parcel if I’m not home (I have an “authority to leave” with them), sendle.com is another option for one-off or infrequent freight, and has good rates if you send lots of parcels. Their website also looks easier to use than temando.com.

Lately Australia Post’s services have degraded to such an extent that it’s almost not worth using them. If a parcel or satchel is less than 500 grams and won’t fit in my mailbox (most won’t), I’m still forced to go to the post office to pick it up. Often, it’s not available at the receiving post office until the next morning because of recent Australia Post changes.

Anything over 500 grams gets delivered by the Australia Post contractors (who are lovely), but if I’m not home and it requires a signature, I’m still forced to go stand in a line at the post office. That’s not cost or time effective! Neither is standing in a line to post something, which is more expensive than having something picked up by another service.

Used to be that everything, signature required or not, was delivered to my door by Australia Post. Too much has changed, and the service is no longer a premium one, despite paying premium prices.

From the sendle.com website:

Simple flat rates help you save on sending all over Australia.

Order in seconds with no contracts, minimum orders or waiting in line.

Track your parcels, view history, save your details, custom integrations and more.

Give them a try if you’re not happy with your current service!

 

The national minimum wage increases by 2.5% from 1st July, 2015.

This increase applies to employees who aren’t covered by an award or agreement and also applies to juniors, trainees, apprentices, employees with a disability and to piece rates. Most employees are covered by a modern award. Check FairWork Award Finder if in doubt

The new national minimum wage will be $656.90 per week or $17.29 per hour.

FairWork says you can’t get two separate pay rates for the one pay period. Therefore, if a wage increase applies to an employee on the 1st of July then it covers the first full pay period after that date.

In other words, if they are being paid for a fortnight that covers one week in June and one week in July, the employer needs to pay at the old rate for the fortnight straddling June and July, and to apply the wage increase from the first full pay period commencing after the 1st of July.

Immediate Deduction for Assets up to $20,000 Becomes Law

Hello Lovely People!

A quick reminder for you in case you need to do some planning…

June 30th means a stocktake for some businesses. Whether you sell wholesale, have a retail store or even a cafe or nightclub, any goods that go into making Sales need to be accounted for – you will need to do a stocktake on Tuesday.

Hopefully your accountant will thank me for reminding you!

Have a great weekend!

Here’s an awesome checklist of things you can do to keep your business running smoothly  – things to discuss with your accountant, things you may need others to do, and more things for you to consider. Pick what you need and go!

“Good business practices will help ensure your business is well run. A well-run business will help place your business in the best possible position to respond to whatever trading conditions you face, and help you move your business in the direction you want it to go.” CPA Australia

Your accountant will usually send both of us a list of documents required to do your business tax. Most notably you’ll need bank & credit card statements covering 30/6/15. Why not grab them in July and upload into Xero’s files section? If you’re not sure how, call me!

From 1 July 2014, employers with more than 20 employees had to start transitioning to submitting superannuation payments electronically, through a clearing house.

The final deadline for these 20+ employers to pay electronically is 1 July 2015.

If you have less than 20 employees, you can pay electronically now, but the deadline to meet those SuperStream requirement is 1 July 2016.

If you use a Xero plan with more than 10 employees, you can activate the Auto Super in Payroll and you’ll be SuperStream complaint. It’s fast and easy to lodge your employe super this way. Ask me!

It’s fast approaching June 30th and End of Year reporting for Payroll.

Every employee must be sent a Payment Summary (Group Certificate) by 15th July. Then by mid-August, these need to be reported to the ATO.

Both processes can be done in Xero, but before that’s done (usually I will complete for you), please ensure that your employee’s details are up-to-date.

Once Payment Summaries are published for each employee and emailed to them (or printed and mailed), the required electronic reporting can be done to the ATO through Xero.

If I process your payroll, I will ensure both processes are done by the due dates.

Having information at hand when you add an employee to Xero can save you a lot of time. Decide beforehand if you’re going email payslips, instigate Auto Super via Xero, allow employees access to their records and so on. Good planning can save time and  money.

What you’ll need includes (but isn’t limited to) the following:

• Tax File Number Declaration
• Super Choice Form
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Bank Details for EFT Payments
• Emergency Information, which can be added as a note (last tab of Employee record)
• Start Date
• Employment Type (Full/Part Time, Casual)
• Classification*

The more information you can enter, the better.

Think about handing out an employment pack that includes all the legal forms that need to be filled in before an employee starts work, along with forms for other information like bank account, emergency information and so on.

*Classification – Employees under an award scheme will be covered by a modern award classification. If you record a classification, it will be included on the payslips.