Definition
PAYG is the Australian Tax Office’s two-part collection regime. PAYG Withholding is income tax that employers withhold from employee wages and remit to the ATO. PAYG Instalments are the business’s own income-tax pre-payments made through the BAS or IAS based on a percentage or amount notified by the ATO. The two parts share the “PAYG” name but cover different taxes and have different mechanics.
What PAYG means in practice
For an Australian bookkeeper, PAYG appears in two places on every quarterly BAS. The PAYG Withholding section (W1 total gross wages, W2 total tax withheld, plus extra labels for specific withholdings like contractor payments without ABN) reports the employee-side withholding. The PAYG Instalments section (T7 or T8 depending on method) reports the business’s own income-tax pre-payment.
Since the introduction of Single Touch Payroll, the W1 and W2 BAS labels have become largely informational rather than primary. The ATO already has the gross-wages and tax-withheld data in real time from each pay run via STP. The BAS still includes the labels for continuity, but bookkeepers no longer need to reconcile W1/W2 carefully against the payroll system because the ATO is reading the STP data directly.
A practical example: an AU consultancy with AUD 600,000 turnover for Q1 2026-27 (Jul-Sep 2026). PAYG Withholding for the quarter: AUD 15,000 (already reported via STP at each pay run). PAYG Instalment from the ATO’s notice: AUD 5,000 (Method 1 fixed amount). Total PAYG on the BAS: AUD 20,000. Plus AUD 52,000 of net GST (from the GST section), total BAS payable: AUD 72,000, due 28 October 2026.
How PAYG works by country
Australia
PAYG Withholding: employer-collected income tax withheld at each pay. Reported via STP at each pay run. Historically also summarised on the BAS in W1 (total gross wages), W2 (total tax withheld), W3 (tax withheld from amounts paid to other businesses without quoting ABN), W4 (tax withheld where no TFN quoted), and W5 (total of W2, W3, W4). PAYG Instalments: the business’s own income tax pre-paid through the BAS or IAS based on a percentage or amount notified by the ATO. Calculated under Method 1 (fixed instalment amount notified by the ATO) or Method 2 (instalment rate times year-to-date business income).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom does not use PAYG. The equivalent for employer withholding is PAYE (Pay As You Earn) under RTI submission. UK businesses pre-pay corporation tax via quarterly instalments for large companies (taxable profits over 1.5 million); smaller companies pay 9 months and 1 day after year-end.
Canada
Canada does not use PAYG. Source deductions cover employer withholding (CPP, EI, federal and provincial income tax). Corporate income tax instalments are paid monthly based on prior-year tax for most corporations, or quarterly for Canadian-controlled private corporations meeting specific tests.
New Zealand
New Zealand does not use PAYG. PAYE covers employer withholding under the payday filing regime. Provisional tax covers business pre-payments in three instalments (August, January, May for standard balance dates), calculated under the standard method (prior year tax + 5%) or the estimation method.
Singapore
Singapore has no PAYG-equivalent for residents (annual personal tax with no withholding). Corporate tax instalments are made via Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) due within 3 months of year-end; if ECI is filed on time and the company has been compliant historically, IRAS often grants instalment payment plans (up to 10 instalments).
Related terms
PAYG covers both withholding and instalments:
- BAS is the AU return that carries both PAYG components.
- Single Touch Payroll is the real-time framework that now drives PAYG Withholding reporting.
- Payroll is the broader process that PAYG Withholding sits inside.
- PAYE is the UK and NZ equivalent of PAYG Withholding.
- Mileage allowance interacts with PAYG when employer reimbursements exceed the ATO cents-per-km rate.
See also
For the BAS return that reports both PAYG components, see the BAS entry. For the real-time payroll reporting framework, see Single Touch Payroll.
FAQ
See the answered questions above for PAYG Withholding vs PAYG Instalments, the STP impact on W1/W2 labels, and instalment calculation methods.