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Two venues, one roster mistake. How to check your hospitality payroll
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Overview
When staff work across two venues, a total-hours figure can hide a missed penalty rate or overtime payment. Follow one shift from the timesheet to the payslip and the ATO report.
Check which rules cover the shift
A supervisor covers Saturday dinner at your second venue. One roster shows the shift, another shows the break, and payroll receives a total of eight hours. That total leaves out the details you need to check what the employee earned. Start with one real shift and follow it all the way to the payslip.
Confirm the legal employer, applicable award or enterprise agreement, the employee’s duties, classification and employment type. A standalone café, a hotel restaurant and a fast-food outlet can have different award coverage. Use the current pay guide for the dates worked and check any overtime, penalties, breaks and allowances that apply.
Compare the roster with actual start, finish and break times. If one employer runs both venues, bring the employee’s hours together before testing overtime under the applicable instrument. If different entities employ the person, first establish the employment arrangement. Two trading names tell you very little about who employs the team.
Follow the amount through to Single Touch Payroll
Single Touch Payroll (STP) reports payroll information to the ATO. An accepted submission confirms that data went through. You still need to check the pay calculation and how components such as overtime and allowances were classified. Compare the timesheet, payslip, bank payment and STP record for that same employee.
Give venue managers one way to approve shift changes and record who corrected a timesheet. For an award interpretation that needs a ruling or legal advice, involve a workplace specialist.
