Employment Verification Reports

• About Employment Verification Reports (EVR)
• How EVRs are issued
• The role of employers: completing and returning EVRs
• Our authority to obtain this information
• Frequently asked questions about Employment Verification Reports

About Employment Verification Reports

Many people are currently receiving partial payments from us because they have been given the opportunity of part-time, temporary or casual work.

Our Business Hotline helps you to verify their earnings, ensuring they are paid the correct amount.

How EVRs are Issued

The Australian Tax Office regularly matches information taken from Employment Declaration Forms (EDFs) and the Prescribed Payments System (PPS) and Reportable Payments System (RPS) against our records to see if information relates to anyone receiving a payment from us. If a match is found then we will check that person's employment income.

We often need to verify information with third parties such as employers, landlords, and State and Territory authorities if other review methods are used, including:

• mail reviews,
• office interviews, or
• reviews conducted because of 'tip offs'.

The role of employers: completing and returning EVRs

EVRs should be completed and returned within 21 days. We appreciate the cooperation of employers in providing information on the EVR.

To return the completed form you should:

• send it back in the supplied reply paid envelope, or
• fax it directly to us on 13 2115.

We recommend that you keep a copy of the EVR for your own records.

Our authority to obtain this information

Our authority to obtain customer information about customers is given under section 192 of the Social Security Administration Act 1999. We use this information to ensure that customers are paid correctly.

Frequently asked questions about the EVRs

What if the person has not been employed by me?

If you have never employed or paid the person please note this on the last page of the report and return it to us.

What if the person has been employed and paid through an employment agency?

EVRs should be completed by the organisation or business that directly paid the person in question. If the person worked for you but was paid by another organisation, please note this on the last page of the report, together with the name and address of that organisation, and return it to us. We will send a new letter to that organisation.

What if the person has been paid as a (sub) contractor and not as an employee?

If the person has been paid as a (sub) contractor and not as an employee you can:

• write on the last page of the report that the person is not an employee but a (sub) contractor, and return it to us. We will then send you a new letter that applies specifically to contractors.
• complete the questions in the report with a note explaining that the person was not an employee but was a (sub) contractor and return it to us. Ignore the questions that don't apply to contractors, such as the question relating to workers compensation.

What is the time frame for the question in relation to "workers compensation"?

This question relates to the total period of employment.

Can I just provide a copy of the person's payment summary?

Our payments are usually made on a fortnightly basis and the amounts a customer gets can be affected by their declared income for each payment period. As a payment summary only provides the amount of total earnings for the financial year, we cannot use it to verify earnings for specific payment periods.

Who can sign the EVR?

The employer or a pay officer who has the employer's authorisation to provide and verify this information.