Payroll compliance checklist for CFOs: ask for evidence, not reassurance

Published by SESAY · 2026-10-07 · General Australian payroll guidance

What to understand first

A green payroll dashboard means little unless someone can explain what was checked. Build an evidence pack around employee terms, pay calculations, approvals, statutory reporting and unresolved exceptions. Fair Work record-keeping obligations provide the foundation; the governance approach below is a practical management recommendation.

Practical checks

• Assign an accountable owner to each control and a backup.
• Ask for a sample of approved changes traced through the pay run.
• Review overdue exceptions by value, employee impact and age.
• Require evidence of payment and reporting reconciliations, not only a signed checklist.

Fictional example

A fictional 180-person business reports that payroll is always on time. Its CFO asks for three recent promotions and discovers one approved increase missing from the pay file. The team checks the full population of similar changes rather than assuming the sample was the only error. Timeliness remains a useful measure, but no longer stands in for accuracy.

Your next step

At the next finance meeting, select one payroll risk and ask the control owner to demonstrate the evidence from the latest completed cycle. Record gaps, remediation dates and who will verify closure. A review should improve the process, not discourage staff from raising mistakes.

How SESAY can help

SESAY can help establish an evidence-based review pack, exception register and escalation responsibilities across payroll, HR and Finance. Agree the reporting scope and decision rights at onboarding.

Official sources

• Fair Work — Record-keeping

Sources researched 2026-10-07. Examples are fictional and use stated assumptions. Confirm current rules and your circumstances before acting. This is general information, not individual tax or legal advice. SESAY is independent of the regulators linked here.