Quick answer
The group certificate you remember is now an income statement. If your employer reports through Single Touch Payroll, you can view it by signing in to myGov, selecting the ATO, then choosing Employment and Income statements. Wait for the status to read Tax ready, then save a copy. Employers outside the system still issue a payment summary.
Key points
- The ATO describes the income statement as the equivalent of a payment summary, which many people still call a group certificate.
- You find it in myGov: ATO, then Employment, then Income statements.
- A statement marked Tax ready has been finalised by your employer for the year.
- Employers not yet reporting through Single Touch Payroll still hand out a paper or emailed payment summary.
- Lenders usually read it alongside payslips and a tax return or notice of assessment.
Where did the PAYG group certificate go?
If you last applied for a loan a decade ago, you probably remember a slip of paper that arrived from your employer around July. It listed what you earned and the tax taken out. That paper has largely been replaced. The ATO now describes your income statement as the equivalent of a payment summary, which plenty of people still call a group certificate, and the details live online instead of in a drawer.
The change came with Single Touch Payroll, where employers send pay and tax information to the ATO each time they run payroll. Because the ATO already holds the numbers, you can look them up whenever you need them. For anyone gathering paperwork for a loan, that is good news: the document is available on demand, at any hour, without chasing anyone.
How do I find my income statement through myGov?
You need a myGov account that is linked to the ATO. If you have that, the ATO sets out three steps:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select the Australian Taxation Office from your linked services.
- From the top of the screen, choose Employment, then Income statements.
You will see a list of statements by year and by employer. Open the one you want, check that the employer name and the dates are right and save a copy to your phone or computer. Many people also keep a PDF in an email draft to themselves so it is handy when a broker asks.
If you are stuck at the first hurdle, our guide to what documents you need for a loan shows where the income statement fits alongside everything else.
What does Tax ready mean?
This label catches people out. According to the ATO, once the financial year ends your employer finalises your income statement and its status changes to Tax ready. That means the information is complete for the year. Until then, the pay details can still change because the employer has not signed off.
The ATO also explains that after 1 July the Single Touch Payroll figures are pre-filled into myTax even when an employer has not finalised them, and an unfinalised statement shows a red Required box beside the employer’s name. If you used those figures, you would be relying on numbers that might shift.
For a loan application the practical rule is simple: if you can wait for Tax ready, a finalised statement is the tidier document. If you cannot wait, a Not tax ready statement is still useful context for a broker, who can tell you how a lender is likely to treat it.
What if I am not on myGov?
The ATO says you can ring 13 28 61 to ask for a copy of your income statement if you do not have a myGov account. That works as a stopgap when a deadline is close.
Over the longer term, setting up myGov is worth the effort. The same login lets you view lodged tax returns and notices of assessment back to 2010, and the ATO lists income statements from July 2019 for employers reporting through Single Touch Payroll. Those are exactly the documents lenders ask for, so one setup session can cover several requests. Our guides on last two years of tax returns and your notice of assessment walk through those next steps.
What if my employer does not report online?
Some employers have not started Single Touch Payroll reporting. The ATO notes that you will still receive a payment summary from any employer in that position. In that case, ask your payroll or HR contact for it directly and keep a record of the request.
If you have worked for several employers across a year, check that each one appears. A job you left months ago can be easy to forget, yet a missing statement leaves a gap in your income story. A lender or broker looking at the year will want every source accounted for.
Which documents sit alongside an income statement?
Think of an income statement as a yearly snapshot. Lenders typically want a few more pieces to build the full picture:
| Document | What it shows | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Income statement | Pay and tax withheld for a full financial year | myGov, ATO, Employment, Income statements |
| Recent payslips | Your current rate and year-to-date pay | Employer or payroll portal |
| Notice of assessment | The result of your lodged tax return | ATO online services |
| Bank statements | Where your pay actually lands | Your bank’s app or online banking |
Our guide on how to get your payslips covers the second row, and the checklist guide above ties them together.
Who does this matter most for?
Employees whose pay is straightforward will find an income statement ticks a box quickly. It matters even more for people with less typical earnings:
- Casual and seasonal workers whose hours vary from week to week. Our page on home loans for casual and seasonal workers explains how lenders look at that.
- People with two or three jobs in the same year.
- Contractors who sometimes receive pay through payroll and sometimes through invoices.
- Anyone who changed jobs during the year and needs to show continuity.
Self-employed borrowers will not have an income statement for their business income. For that group, the notice of assessment and tax returns carry the weight, and our self-employed home loans page explains what lenders look at instead.
What do lenders do with it?
A lender reading an income statement is checking three things. First, that the income is real and matches what you have told them. Second, that it is steady enough to support repayments. Third, that the tax paid lines up with the other documents in the file.
If a figure looks inconsistent, such as an income statement that sits well below the payslips you supplied, the lender will ask why. Having an explanation ready, such as a mid-year pay rise or a change of employer, saves a lot of back-and-forth. Where income is hard to show on paper, options like low doc loans can sometimes apply, depending on the lender and the circumstances.
Can I show you an illustrative example?
This scenario is illustrative only and does not describe a real person. A borrower changes jobs in February. When she signs in to myGov, she finds two income statements for the same year, one from each employer. The first is finalised and shows Tax ready. The second is still marked Not tax ready because the new employer has not yet closed out the year.
She saves both, adds her three most recent payslips from the new job and prepares a short note explaining the change. Her broker can then show a lender the full sequence: a stable earlier role, a clean move and a current rate of pay. Nothing is promised, but the file reads as organised rather than patchy.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Relying on a Not tax ready statement without checking. The ATO warns that an employer may finalise different amounts.
- Forgetting an old employer. Missing a job leaves a hole in the year.
- Waiting until the week of settlement. Phone queues and myGov setup both take time.
- Mixing up financial years. Australian tax years run from 1 July to 30 June, so label your files clearly.
- Sending screenshots only. A saved PDF or full-page print is easier for a lender to read.
What should I do this week?
A short checklist keeps things moving:
- Sign in to myGov and confirm the ATO is linked.
- Open Employment, then Income statements, and note any that are not yet Tax ready.
- Save each statement with the year and employer in the file name.
- Gather your latest payslips.
- Make a list of any gaps or job changes to explain.
If a step does not work, such as a missing statement, tell your broker early. We help borrowers across Australia sort exactly this kind of paperwork snag, and our team led by Trevor Scott has seen most variations. You can also start a conversation on our apply page and we will point you at what to chase first.
Ready to put the paperwork to work?
Sounds like you’re looking to get a loan, and your income evidence is the next piece to line up. We’re the lending experts in turning a stack of payslips and statements into a clear application, so click here to see if you qualify. From home loans to difficult-to-place deals, we can look at what is available for your situation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a group certificate the same as an income statement?
Close enough for loan purposes. The ATO says the income statement is the equivalent of a payment summary, which some people call a group certificate. The difference is delivery: instead of a paper form from your employer, your pay and tax details sit in your ATO online account for you to view and save.
Why does my income statement say Not tax ready?
The ATO explains that after the financial year ends your employer finalises the statement and its status changes to Tax ready. Until then the figures can still change. If you only need to show income to a broker, a Not tax ready statement can help, but a finalised one is the cleaner document.
What if I do not have a myGov account?
The ATO says you can phone 13 28 61 to ask for a copy if you do not have a myGov account. Setting up myGov and linking the ATO usually takes longer than a phone call, but it saves repeat effort because the same login also gives you tax returns and notices of assessment.
My employer is not on Single Touch Payroll. What do I do?
The ATO notes you will still receive a payment summary from any employer who has not started Single Touch Payroll reporting. Ask the employer's payroll contact for it directly. If it is late or missing, the ATO can often supply details it holds, so contact them rather than guessing at figures.
Will a lender accept an income statement instead of payslips?
Practice varies, but many lenders treat an income statement as supporting evidence rather than a replacement for recent payslips. It confirms a full year of pay and tax withheld, while payslips show your current rate and year-to-date. Having both ready makes an application smoother.