ATO Income Statement and PAYG Payment Summary Explained

Updated 2026-10-04 · Reviewed against official government sources

An income statement is the end-of-year summary of your pay, tax withheld and super that your employer reports to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll (STP). You view it in ATO online services through myGov or the ATO app. It replaced the paper PAYG payment summary for employers who report through STP, which the ATO says should now be every employer unless it has a deferral or exemption. With 2025–26 returns being lodged now, the most important thing to check is the "Tax ready" status. Lodging before it shows can mean amending your return later. This guide explains what is on the statement, the key July dates, how to find it, and what to do if it is wrong or missing.

What is a PAYG payment summary, and what replaced it?

A PAYG payment summary is a document from your payer showing how much they paid you in the financial year and how much tax they withheld. Employers that do not report through STP must still give one to each worker by 14 July, even if nothing was withheld. Single Touch Payroll became mandatory from 1 July 2018 for employers with 20 or more employees and from 1 July 2019 for smaller employers. It changed the process: the employer's payroll software sends your pay, PAYG withholding and super information to the ATO each payday.

For amounts reported and finalised through STP, the employer does not have to give you a payment summary. You get an income statement in ATO online services instead. Payment summaries are still needed for amounts an employer does not report through STP. For example, an employer that pays an employment termination payment outside STP must give a PAYG payment summary – employment termination payment (NAT 70868) within 14 days of the payment.

What "Tax ready" means and the dates that matter

Your income statement shows year-to-date figures all year, but they are not final until your employer finalises its STP data. That finalisation is a declaration that its reporting for the year is complete, and it changes the status to "Tax ready".

Date	What happens
30 June	Income year ends. Pay is counted in the year it is actually paid, so wages earned in June but paid on or after 1 July belong to the next year.
14 July	Deadline for most employers to finalise STP data, and for non-STP employers to issue payment summaries.
Late July	Most pre-fill data (employers, banks, government agencies, health funds) is available in myTax.
31 July	If your income statement is still not tax ready, the ATO says to speak to your employer.
31 October	Due date to lodge your own tax return. Most registered tax agents have a lodgment program with later dates. If you are using an agent for the first time or changing agents, contact them before 31 October.

How to find your income statement in myGov

You need a myGov account linked to the ATO. Then:

Through myGov: sign in, select ATO online services, then Employment, then Income statement.
Through the ATO app: log in to ATO online services in the app, select Employment, then choose the income year.
Through a tax agent: your agent can see the same information in their software or in Online services for agents, and also has to wait for the Tax ready status.
The ATO sends a notification to your myGov inbox when all your income statements are tax ready.

What is on an income statement

The statement shows your year-to-date salary and wages, the tax withheld, and super for each employer. It can also show reportable employer super contributions (RESC), which are extra employer contributions such as salary-sacrificed super. If you lodge with myTax, the ATO pre-fills your return with this information, but you still need to check it.

Tax withheld is a prepayment, not your final tax. Your notice of assessment compares it with your real liability. For example, a resident paid $85,000 in equal fortnightly amounts during 2025–26, with the tax-free threshold claimed, had about $18,044 withheld. Their 2025–26 income tax and Medicare levy, before any deductions, is $17,988. Work-related deductions, other income, a HELP debt or the Medicare levy surcharge then push the result one way or the other.

Should you lodge before your income statement is tax ready?

The ATO recommends waiting. Your employer may finalise the statement with different amounts, and if you have already lodged, you may need to amend your return and could owe more tax. If you lodge early anyway, you must check every pre-filled amount yourself and confirm it is correct.

If you have more than one employer, you will have more than one statement, or a mix of income statements and payment summaries. Check that every one is included in your return. If you get both an income statement and a payment summary from the same employer, ask them which one to use, as the amounts may differ.

Income statement wrong, missing or never tax ready

Wrong figures: contact the employer. They can usually correct an STP report, and the change flows through to your statement.
Compulsory super shown as RESC: super guarantee and award super should not appear as reportable employer super contributions. Only extra amounts, such as salary sacrifice, belong there. Ask the employer to fix it before you lodge, or lodge an amendment if you already have.
Employer cannot finalise: they must give you a payment summary instead. If the business has closed, estimate your income and tax withheld from payslips and bank records and include the estimates in your return.
Lost payment summary: ask the employer for a copy or a letter with the figures, use myTax pre-fill, or estimate from payslips. You no longer need a statutory declaration.
Found it after lodging: if the amounts differ from what you lodged, request an amendment.

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Frequently asked questions

Is an income statement the same as a PAYG payment summary?

They contain the same information: gross pay, tax withheld and super. An income statement is reported through Single Touch Payroll and viewed in myGov. A payment summary is a document the employer gives you, and it is now needed only for amounts not finalised through STP.

When will my income statement be tax ready?

Most employers have until 14 July to finalise their STP data. If it is still not tax ready after 31 July, speak to your employer.

Can I get a PAYG payment summary if my employer uses STP?

They do not have to give you one. Your income statement in ATO online services replaces it. You can print the details from myGov if a lender or agency needs proof of income.

What if I have two jobs?

You will have an income statement or payment summary from each employer. All of them must be included in your return. myTax pre-fills them, but you still need to check each one.

Sources

Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.