EOFY 2025: Your HR Compliance Checklist

aka the stuff you really don’t want Fair Work knocking on your door about

Well, well, well… look who made it through another financial year. You’ve survived budget blowouts, staff tantrums, and at least one awkward resignation. Go you! But before you pop the champagne or “accidentally” lose reception in Bali, let’s talk about the one thing more terrifying than tax time: HR compliance.

Why? Because when it comes to people stuff, ignorance isn’t bliss. It’s bloody expensive.

So, here’s your EOFY 2025 HR Compliance Checklist. It’s sharp, it’s savage, and it’ll save your bacon if the Fair Work fairy comes knocking.

1. Contracts: Still using the one your cousin’s mate drafted in 2017?

Stop it.

Employment contracts are not a “set and forget” situation. The Fair Work Act has had more facelifts than a Real Housewife, and if your contracts don’t reflect current entitlements, classifications or casual conversion rules, you’re at risk.

Checklist:

• Do you have written contracts for all employees (yes, even the “just helping out” ones)?
• Do they reflect current pay rates, award coverage and status (FT/PT/casual)?
• Are you clear on probation, notice periods, and termination terms?

If not, time to freshen up. We’ve got templates that won’t land you in legal hot water.

2. Awards: “I thought we were award-free” is not a defence

Spoiler: you’re probably not.

Unless your team are all CEOs or somehow operating in an alternate dimension, chances are at least some of them are covered by a modern award. Misclassification = backpay = big ouch.

Checklist:

• Have you checked the award coverage for each role?
• Are your pay rates above minimum (and do they stay above once you add penalties and allowances)?
• Are your salaried staff being audited for BOOT (Better Off Overall Test)? Because Fair Work sure as hell will be.

3. Payroll compliance: Because if you’re paying people wrong, it will come back to bite you.

Wage theft isn’t just a headline. It’s a criminal offence in Australia.

(Yes. Criminal. As in, orange jumpsuit vibes.)

Checklist:

• Are you tracking hours, breaks and overtime properly?
• Are superannuation and leave accruals accurate?
• Are payslips compliant and issued on time?

Bonus tip: “My bookkeeper handles that” won’t fly if they stuff it up. As the employer, the buck stops with you.

4. Leave records: “I think she’s got about 8 weeks accrued?” is not a system

Annual leave. Sick leave. Long service. Parental. Community service. It’s not just alphabet soup. It’s a compliance nightmare if you’re not tracking it right.

Checklist:

• Is every type of leave clearly recorded and up to date?
• Do employees know how to apply for it?
• Are you approving leave in line with your policy?

And if your “policy” lives in someone’s inbox from 2019, we need to talk.

5. Policies & procedures: More than just a dusty PDF on your intranet

Think of your HR policies as your safety net. When something goes pear-shaped, they’re the first thing you’ll wish you had in writing. And no, “we’re a small business” doesn’t mean you get a free pass.

Checklist:

• Have you got key policies in place? (Think code of conduct, leave, grievance, performance, WHS, bullying and harassment)
• Do your employees know where to find them?
• Have they been reviewed in the last 12 months?

Hint: policies are like milk. They do go off.

6. Training: Yes, your team has to do it.

Workplace training isn’t optional. Especially when it comes to safety, bullying, and harassment. If someone makes a complaint and you can’t show you trained them? You’re toast.

Checklist:

• Have you delivered compliance training this year?
• Is it documented?
• Have managers been trained in performance management and Respect@Work?

If the answer is no, get booking. We do this for a living, and we promise we make it less boring than most.

7. Record keeping: Because if it’s not written down, it didn’t happen

Fair Work loves a good paper trail. So do we.

Checklist:

• Can you show proof of contracts, pay slips, leave, performance conversations and termination documents?
• Are you storing records securely for the required timeframe?
• Do you have a system in place for regular HR audits?

Final thoughts (and your friendly HR slap)

EOFY is the perfect time to clean the house, review what’s working, and fix what’s not. You don’t have to overhaul your HR overnight, but you do have to get the basics right.

Need help with your HR compliance audit? We keep it simple, straight-talking and Fair Work-proof. You bring chaos. We’ll bring the checklist.

Let’s make 2026 the year your HR is finally sorted.