PAYG withholding vs PAYG instalments
One is tax you hold back for others; one is prepaying your own.
PAYG withholding is tax you hold back from someone else’s pay — your employees’ wages — and send to the ATO on their behalf. PAYG instalments are prepayments towards your own income tax, usually paid through your BAS. Same three letters, two completely different obligations.
Worked example
A sole trader with no staff typically has no PAYG withholding at all, but may still get put onto PAYG instalments once their business income is large enough that the ATO wants it prepaid quarterly.
Common mistake
Assuming being “on PAYG” means your tax is handled. Instalments are estimates — if your year ends up bigger than the estimate, there’s still a balance to pay at lodgment.
Grounded in ATO guidance. Figures last checked . General information, not tax advice.
Related terms
PAYG (Pay As You Go)
Paying tax through the year rather than in one lump.
BAS (Business Activity Statement)
The form GST-registered businesses use to report GST and PAYG.
Sole trader tax rate
There isn’t one — you’re taxed at personal marginal rates.
Tax deduction vs tax offset
A deduction lowers income taxed; an offset lowers tax owed.
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