If you are an employer looking to correct past unpaid superannuation guarantee (SG) amounts, you now have a six-month window until 7 September 2020 to apply for SG amnesty. Up until early September, employers will be able to disclose, lodge and pay unpaid SG amounts for their employees.

Employers are encouraged to apply for SG amnesty to get their obligations up to date. You can also claim deductions and not incur administration charges or penalties during this amnesty.

To be eligible for the SG amnesty, employers must declare and pay their SG shortfalls and interest charges. Payments made during the amnesty can later be claimed as tax deductions and payment plans can also be arranged to better accommodate for employers, including those which can:

• Have flexible payment terms and amounts which the ATO will adjust as an employer’s circumstances changes.
• Extend the payment plan to beyond 7 September 2020. However, keep in mind that only payments made before or on 7 September 2020 will be tax-deductible.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ATO will also be amending refund returns as quickly as possible for employers who lodged an SG charge statement between 24 May 2018 and 6 March 2020.

To apply for the SG amnesty:

• Lodge an approved SG amnesty form with the ATO for each quarter by 11:59pm on 7 September 2020.
• Check your amounts are correct and that there are no errors on the form.
• Complete the declaration to confirm that you are applying for the SG amnesty
• Save the form as a .xls file.

After correctly submitting your form, the ATO will contact you with which of your quarters are eligible for the SG amnesty.