The Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy was introduced to support funding for a range of mental health services in Victoria.
The Levy will be implemented as a payroll tax surcharge on certain businesses commencing from 1 January 2022.
Who has to pay the levy?
An employer will be liable for the Levy on the portion of taxable wages in Victoria where their Australia-wide taxable wages are above the following thresholds:
- the first threshold of $10 million per annum or $833,333 per month
- the second threshold of $100 million per annum or $8,333,333 per month
For businesses that are part of a payroll tax group, Australia-wide wages are determined at the group level.
How much is the levy?
The Levy is imposed at the following rates:
- 0.5% of the portion of Victorian taxable wages above $10 million
- Additional 0.5% of the portion of Victorian taxable wages above $100 million (i.e., a total Levy of 1.0%)
If a business does not employ for a full financial year, the applicable thresholds are adjusted in proportion to the number of days they did employ during the year.
Where a business employs in multiple jurisdictions and their Australia-wide wages exceed the Levy thresholds noted above, the Levy threshold will be adjusted based on the ratio of taxable wages in Victoria to total taxable wages Australia-wide.
For the transitional period (1 January 2022 to 30 June 2022), the respective thresholds are $5 million and $50 million.
All existing payroll tax exemptions including for private schools, hospitals, charities, local councils, and wages paid for parental and volunteer leave will continue to apply for the purposes of the Levy.
What are the registration and lodgement requirements?
Businesses do not need to separately register or lodge separate returns for the Levy. Their payroll tax returns lodged via PTX Express will automatically incorporate the Levy.
What are the next steps?
If you are unsure about whether the Levy will apply to your business, or how it might apply, please contact your Pitcher Partners representative to assist with your query. Our team will be pleased to assist and help you gain a better understanding of the application of the Levy.
