Staff affected by UniSQ payroll error frustrated by lack of accountability

Dozens of staff have received a letter from the university saying it wasn’t paying the appropriate amount of tax on their behalf. While they are angry about the debt, they are more frustrated by the lack of apology.

The University of Southern Queensland said it was underpaying tax contributions to 41 staff members.

The University of Southern Queensland has blamed an ‘accounting error’ for the underpayment of tax contributions to staff.

A letter was sent to dozens of university staff last week informing them of the error, but lacked an apology.

It stated that there was an error in the way the university’s payroll team calculated periodic PAYG payments, from July to October 2024.

The letter goes on to suggest that the affected staff ask for extra tax to be withheld to cover the debt, or contact the Australian Taxation Office.

The error comes after it was revealed UniSQ had underpaid superannuation payments to unconfirmed casual and part-time workers, amounting to between $400 to $21,000 for each impacted employee.

One employee, who spoke to The Chronicle on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing her job, said staff were increasingly frustrated with how the university was run.

“It is just another process that has lapsed and it is getting to the point of being the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” she said.

It is understood the error affected staff who also study at UniSQ and who were enrolled in the Study Assistance Program, which provides financial help to support their studies.

“It is frustrating because now I am left to go to the ATO for their mistake,” the staff member said.

“Given that amount of tax that should have been paid, there doesn’t seem to be an apology.

“The university’s letter is pretty dismissive, it says ‘there was an error and it is now my responsibility to fix it.”

National Tertiary Education Union organiser and UniSQ Associate Professor Andrea Lamont-Mills, said the error came in the midst of the cost of living crisis to which students and part-time staff were acutely exposed.

“We are a high education institution, we are supposed to be better than this,” she said.

A UniSQ spokesman declined to comment whether the uni had offered an apology to its staff.

“A system error was identified that resulted in the university not withholding the appropriate amount of tax on periodical payments for 41 staff members between 24 July and 2 October 2024, amounting to $67,560,” he said.

“UniSQ immediately rectified the error and self-reported to the ATO.

“The University has been assisting impacted staff to rectify the issue with the ATO.