PAYG (Pay As You Go)
Paying tax through the year rather than in one lump.
PAYG is the ATO’s way of collecting income tax gradually through the year. PAYG withholding is tax an employer holds back from wages; PAYG instalments are prepayments a business or investor makes towards its own income tax, usually via the BAS, so there’s no big bill at year-end.
The two are easy to mix up because they share a name and both land on a BAS. Withholding is tax you hold back from someone else — an employee, or a supplier who did not quote an ABN. Instalments are tax you pay in advance on your own income, and the ATO usually works the amount out from your last return.
Worked example
A sole trader who owed $8,000 last year might be asked for four quarterly instalments of about $2,000. Each one is credited against the final bill, so if the year’s tax comes to $9,000, the $8,000 already paid leaves $1,000 owing rather than the whole amount at once.
Common mistake
Treating an instalment as a separate tax on top of income tax. It is the same tax paid earlier — every instalment is credited against the year’s assessment, and the notice at year-end is the balance, not a second bill.
Grounded in ATO guidance. Figures last checked . General information, not tax advice.
Related terms
BAS (Business Activity Statement)
The form GST-registered businesses use to report GST and PAYG.
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Australia’s flat 10% tax on most goods and services.
Marginal tax rate
The tax rate on your next dollar of income.
GST turnover ($75,000 threshold)
The gross income figure that triggers GST registration.
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