Your payslip is more than a pay notification — it is the official record of what you were paid, how it was calculated, and what was deducted. If something is wrong with your pay, your payslip is the first place to find it. If you ever need to dispute underpayment or check that your superannuation is being paid correctly, your payslip is the document you will need. Checking it every pay period takes a few minutes and protects you from problems that can be hard to fix later.
As a labour hire worker, your employer is the labour hire provider — not the business where you work day to day. That means payslips come from the provider, and any payroll questions go to them, not to the site you are working at. This article explains what your payslip must include, how to read each section, and what to do if something does not look right.
If you are looking for your first labour hire role or want to understand how the industry works, Programmed’s staffing services page is a good starting point.
Key takeaways
- Itemised payslips are a legal requirement under the Fair Work Act — if you are not receiving one every pay period, that is a problem you should raise with your provider.
- Your payslip should show the rate applied to each type of hours worked — ordinary time, overtime, and any penalty rates. If it just shows a lump sum, ask for a breakdown.
- Superannuation must appear on your payslip and must actually be paid into your fund — being listed on a payslip does not confirm it has been paid.
What must appear on a payslip by law
Under the Fair Work Act and the Fair Work Regulations, every Australian employer must provide an itemised payslip within one working day of paying wages. The payslip must include:
- The employer’s name and ABN.
- Your name.
- The pay period (the start and end dates of the period you are being paid for).
- The date of payment.
- Gross pay (total before tax and deductions).
- Net pay (what is deposited into your account after deductions).
- The number of ordinary hours worked and the rate paid for those hours.
- Any overtime hours and the rate paid.
- Any allowances paid (e.g., tool allowance, site allowance, travel allowance).
- Any bonuses or loadings (e.g., casual loading, leave loading).
- Any deductions — the amount and reason (e.g., income tax, salary sacrifice, voluntary deductions).
- Superannuation contributions — the amount and the name of the fund.
If your payslip is missing any of these items, or if it shows only a total payment without the breakdown, raise it with your provider’s payroll team. A payslip that does not allow you to verify your pay is not compliant.
Reading each section of your payslip
Gross pay versus net pay: gross pay is everything you earned before any money was taken out. Net pay is what actually arrives in your bank account. The difference is made up of deductions — most commonly income tax (Pay As You Go withholding), but potentially also salary sacrifice contributions to superannuation or a novated lease, and any voluntary deductions you have authorised.
Deductions: a deduction is an amount taken from your gross pay before you receive it. Tax is the most common deduction and is not optional — your employer is legally required to withhold it. Salary sacrifice deductions are voluntary arrangements you enter into. If there is a deduction on your payslip you do not recognise or did not agree to, query it immediately.
Superannuation: your payslip should show the superannuation amount and the fund it is being paid to. Note that superannuation shown on a payslip as a “liability” or “accrual” has been calculated but may not have been paid to your fund yet — employers pay super quarterly at minimum, not necessarily every pay cycle. To confirm your super is actually being received, check your fund account directly. If super is not appearing in your fund after 3–4 months of employment, contact the ATO or your fund.
Award rates and penalty rates: how to check yours
Your payslip should show the rate of pay applied to each category of hours. Common categories:
- Ordinary time rate: your base hourly rate for standard hours worked on a weekday.
- Time-and-a-half (150%): typically applies to overtime beyond ordinary hours, and in many awards to work on Saturdays or the first few hours of overtime.
- Double time (200%): typically applies to Sundays, public holidays, and extended overtime hours under many awards.
- Casual loading: if you are a casual employee, your ordinary time rate should include a 25% loading on top of the base rate. This loading is in lieu of annual leave, sick leave, and other entitlements that permanent employees receive.
To check whether the rates on your payslip are correct, look up your award on the Fair Work Ombudsman website (fairwork.gov.au). The Pay and Conditions Tool there lets you enter your award, classification, and hours to calculate what you should be paid. If the rate on your payslip is lower than the award minimum, raise it with your provider. For more on how to understand what you should be earning, see our article on how to get a labour hire job and what to expect on pay.
Leave loading: what it is and who gets it
Leave loading is an additional payment on top of your base rate when you take annual leave. Under most modern awards, permanent employees are entitled to annual leave loading of 17.5% on top of their ordinary rate when they are on annual leave. This is separate from your regular pay rate.
If you are a casual employee, you do not accrue annual leave and therefore do not receive leave loading when you take time off — but your casual loading (25%) is partly compensation for that. If you are employed as a permanent (full-time or part-time) through a labour hire provider, you accrue annual leave at 4 weeks per year, and leave loading should appear on your payslip when you take that leave.
For a full breakdown of the difference between casual and permanent entitlements in labour hire, see our article on casual and labour hire entitlements.
What to do if something looks wrong
Start with your provider. Contact your consultant or the provider’s payroll team and ask for an explanation of any line items you do not understand or amounts that look incorrect. Provide specific details — which pay period, which line on the payslip, what you expected versus what you received. Most payroll issues are genuine errors and can be fixed in the next pay run.
If you raise the issue and it is not resolved, or if you believe you are being systematically underpaid, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman. They offer a free advisory service (1300 724 342) and an anonymous tip-off line. You can also lodge a complaint online and the Ombudsman can investigate. There is no cost to you and your employer cannot legally take action against you for making a complaint.
Related reading
W44-02: Casual and Labour Hire Entitlements: Super, Leave Loading and What You’re Owed
Related services
Staffing Services — find work through Programmed’s national network of employers in trades, industrial, and professional roles.
Managed Skilled Workforce — for employers who want structured workforce delivery with compliant payroll practices and transparent pay reporting.
FAQ
My payslip just shows one total pay figure with no breakdown. Is that legal?
No. The Fair Work Act requires itemised payslips that show ordinary hours and rate, any overtime or penalty rates, allowances, and deductions separately. A single lump-sum figure does not allow you to verify whether you have been paid correctly. Ask your provider for an itemised payslip. If they refuse or cannot provide one, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.
I worked a Saturday but my payslip only shows ordinary time rate. Is that right?
It depends on your award or agreement and whether Saturday falls within your ordinary rostered hours. Under many awards, work on Saturday attracts a penalty rate — commonly time-and-a-half for the first few hours and double time after that. Check your award on the Fair Work Ombudsman website. If your award requires a Saturday penalty and your payslip shows ordinary time, raise it with your provider’s payroll team.
How do I know if my superannuation is actually being paid?
Log in to your superannuation fund’s online portal and check the contributions received. Super is not always paid every pay cycle — employers can pay quarterly. If you have been working for three to four months and no super has arrived in your fund, contact your employer first. If they cannot confirm payment, contact the ATO — you can report unpaid super online and the ATO will investigate. Unpaid super is a serious compliance issue and the ATO has powers to recover it.
Can my employer deduct money from my pay without my permission?
No. Other than legally required deductions (income tax), an employer can only deduct from your pay if you have agreed in writing and the deduction is principally for your benefit — for example, a voluntary salary sacrifice arrangement. Unauthorised deductions are unlawful under the Fair Work Act. If you see a deduction on your payslip that you did not authorise, query it immediately and contact the Fair Work Ombudsman if it is not resolved.
Next step
Check your next payslip against the items listed in this article. If anything is missing, unclear, or looks incorrect, contact your provider’s payroll team with the specific details. If you need more information about how labour hire works and what you are entitled to, take a look at the related articles below or visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
Read more about how labour hire works for jobseekers.
General information only: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legislation varies by state and territory — consult a qualified employment lawyer or Fair Work adviser for guidance specific to your situation.
