Payslip RecoveryFair Work Act 2009ATO / myGov

Lost Payslips in Australia? How to Get Copies or Recreate Them Legally (2026)

Request from employer · ATO myGov income statements · legal recreation · home loan · rental · visa · tax return · free recovery wizard

Written by David Pham

Payroll Compliance & Employment Documentation Specialist · OfficeDraft

Reviewed by Lisa Berwick

Senior HR Advisor & Employment Records Consultant · 11 years Australian payroll compliance

Published: Feb 2026

Last reviewed: 30 May 2026

7-year employer retentionATO myGov recordsFree recovery wizardEmployer request letter6 replacement doc typesAll employment types

If you have lost payslips in Australia, you are not without options. Whether you need them for a home loan, rental application, visa, or tax return, Australian law and the ATO's digital records system give you multiple legitimate pathways to recover, request, or recreate the income documentation you need.

Under the Fair Work Regulations 2009, employers are legally required to retain payroll records for 7 years — which means your employer almost certainly still has your payslip data on file, even if you deleted the emails or lost the PDFs. And since the ATO's Single Touch Payroll system became mandatory in 2019, your employer has been reporting your income directly to the ATO every pay cycle — giving you a government-verified income record on myGov regardless of what happened to your original payslips.

7 years

Employer record retention

Fair Work Regulations 2009

myGov

ATO income records online

All years since STP (2019)

5 paths

To replace lost payslips

Employer · ATO · Bank · Letter · Generate

Good news: In most cases, lost payslips in Australia can be fully recovered or effectively replaced within 24–72 hours using the steps in this guide. Start with the personalised recovery wizard below.

Proof-of-Income Recovery Wizard

Select your employment type and the reason you need your payslips to receive a personalised, prioritised recovery checklist — with the exact steps and links for your specific situation:

🔄 Proof-of-Income Recovery Wizard

Tell us your situation — get a personalised recovery checklist

Select your employment type and reason above to see your personalised recovery steps.

Can You Get Old Payslips Back?

Yes — in most cases you can recover, request, or effectively replace lost payslips in Australia through at least one of these five channels:

01

Request copies from your employer

Best option

Your employer's payroll system holds the data for every payslip ever issued to you. Under Fair Work law, they must retain this data for 7 years. A formal written request is usually sufficient — see our letter generator below.

02

Access ATO income statements via myGov

Very strong alternative

Since Single Touch Payroll became mandatory for all employers in 2019, your gross income, tax withheld, and superannuation data has been reported to the ATO every pay cycle. Available at my.gov.au — free, instant, and government-verified.

03

Download bank statements

Strong supporting doc

Your bank's online portal holds transaction records for 5–7 years. Bank statements showing regular salary credits are accepted alongside ATO income statements by most lenders and property managers.

04

Request employer income letter

Good alternative

A letter on company letterhead confirming your role, employment type, salary, and start date is widely accepted by property managers, some lenders, and visa authorities as proof of income.

05

Recreate compliant payslips

Supplementary option

If your employer cannot reissue and you need period-specific documentation, you can legally recreate accurate payslips — provided the data reflects your actual employment and income. Use a compliant generator with all 14 Fair Work fields.

How to Request Payslips From Your Employer

Contacting your employer's payroll department is the fastest way to recover lost payslips — and Australian law is squarely on your side. Here is the exact process:

1

Identify who to contact

Contact your payroll team, HR department, or your manager — whichever is most appropriate for your workplace. If you've left the employer, find their payroll contact through LinkedIn, the company website, or old email correspondence.

2

Put the request in writing

A written request creates a paper trail and demonstrates you've formally invoked your rights under the Fair Work Act. This makes it harder for the employer to ignore the request. Use our letter generator below — it takes under 60 seconds.

3

Reference your Fair Work rights

The Fair Work Regulations 2009 require employers to retain pay records for 7 years and allow employees access to those records. Mentioning this in your request signals that you are aware of your rights and accelerates most payroll teams' response.

Fair Work record-keeping requirements ↗
4

Give a 14-day response window

Your letter should request a response within 14 days. Most payroll teams will turn this around much faster — particularly large employers with modern payroll systems who can reissue PDFs in minutes.

5

Escalate to Fair Work if ignored

If your employer does not respond within 14 days, lodge an online inquiry with the Fair Work Ombudsman. The FWO can compel employers to produce payroll records under their investigation powers.

Full guide: employer not giving payslip →
Former employer? If you've left the job, your entitlement to payroll records doesn't expire — it's the employer's 7-year retention obligation that matters, not your employment status. Former employees have the same right to request payslip copies as current ones.

Free Employer Payslip Request Letter Generator

Generate a professional, Fair Work Act–compliant letter requesting copies of your missing payslips. One-click copy — ready to email in under 60 seconds:

📧 Employer Payslip Request Generator

Generate a Fair Work Act–compliant request letter for copies of your payslips

Employer Record-Keeping Requirements in Australia

Understanding how long each type of organisation is legally required to keep your income records tells you exactly where to look — and how far back you can go:

Record holderRetentionDetails
Employer (payroll records)7 years

Employer must keep pay records and payslip data. Accessible on request.

Fair Work Regulations 2009

Reference ↗
ATO (income records)Indefinite (online)

STP income statements available via myGov for all years since 2019. NOA available indefinitely.

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997

Reference ↗
ATO (tax returns / lodgments)Indefinite (online)

All lodged returns and assessments available in myGov → ATO → Tax → Lodgments.

ATO records policy

Reference ↗
Your bank5–7 years

Most Australian banks retain transaction history for 7 years in online banking portals.

Bank-specific policy

Superannuation fund10+ years

Your super fund maintains records of all employer contributions. Useful as corroborating evidence.

SIS Act 1993

Reference ↗
What happens when a business closes? When an employer goes into liquidation or administration, the liquidator or administrator takes on the obligation to maintain employment records. Contact the administrator directly, or ASIC's published insolvency practitioner register at asic.gov.au to locate the relevant practitioner. Your ATO income statements (myGov) will cover most post-2019 income needs regardless.

Using myGov and ATO Income Statements

Since Single Touch Payroll (STP) became mandatory for all employers in July 2019, your employer has reported your income, tax withheld, and super to the ATO with every pay run. This means myGov holds a verified, government-issued record of your earnings that is often more credible with banks and government agencies than your original payslips. Here's exactly how to access it:

1

Log into myGov

Go to my.gov.au and sign in with your myGov credentials. If you haven't linked your ATO account, select "Services" → "Link a Service" → "Australian Taxation Office."

my.gov.au ↗
2

Navigate to ATO → Employment → Income Statements

Once in the ATO portal, go to: Employment → Income Statements. You'll see a list of all your employers for each financial year and their STP-reported income data.

3

Select the financial year and employer

Click on the relevant financial year. If you had multiple employers in one year, each appears separately. Select the employer whose payslips you've lost.

4

Review and download your income statement

Your income statement shows: Gross income, Tax withheld, Super contributions, and employer details including ABN. Use the print/export function to save as PDF.

5

Download your Notice of Assessment

For a more formal income confirmation: ATO → Tax → Lodgments → History. Select each year and download your Notice of Assessment. This is government-issued and carries significant weight with banks and visa authorities.

ATO income statements guide ↗
Pre-2019 employment? STP was mandatory from 1 July 2019 for large employers and 1 July 2020 for all employers. For employment before these dates, your ATO income statement may not be available. In that case, your primary options are: requesting from your employer (who still has the 7-year retention obligation), checking your old group certificates, or using bank statements + your lodged tax returns as alternative income evidence.

Need payslips fast?

Generate Compliant Replacement Payslips

All 14 Fair Work mandatory fields — employer ABN, YTD income, PAYG tax, super, gross/net pay. Free preview. PDF from $4.99. No signup.

Generate Payslip Free →
✓ Employer ABN✓ YTD income✓ PAYG tax✓ Superannuation✓ All employment types✓ Fair Work compliant

What Documents Can Replace Payslips?

The best replacement document for your situation depends entirely on what you need the payslips for. Here is a breakdown by purpose, with each alternative's strength rating and which institutions accept it:

Home loan / mortgage

High urgency
ATO income statement (myGov)Very StrongGovernment-issued. Most lenders accept as primary income verification.
Notice of Assessment (last 2 years)Very StrongEssential for self-employed; strong supporting doc for PAYG.
Bank statements (3–6 months)StrongMust show regular salary credits matching declared income.
Employer income letterModerateSigned, on letterhead. Confirms salary, role, and employment type.
Group certificate / payment summaryModeratePre-STP era. Now replaced by ATO income statement but still accepted.
Full home loan payslip guide →

Rental application

Medium urgency
ATO income statementStrongPrint from myGov. Widely accepted as proof of annual income.
Employer income letterStrongMost PMs accept this — often preferred over payslips for new roles.
Bank statements (3 months)StrongShows regularity of income deposits.
Centrelink income statementModerateIf receiving government payments — available via myGov.
Rental application payslip guide →

Visa application

High urgency
ATO Notice of Assessment (all relevant years)Very StrongATO-issued. Highest weight for immigration income verification.
ATO income statementsVery StrongConfirms STP-reported earnings. Download all relevant years from myGov.
Employer letter (formal, on letterhead)StrongMust include: position, salary, start date, employment type, employer ABN.
Tax returns (individual)StrongFor multiple years of income history — consult a registered migration agent.

Tax return

Standard
ATO income statement (myGov)DefinitiveThis IS your tax record. Your income statement contains gross income, tax withheld, and super — all figures needed for a tax return.
Payment summaries / group certificatesStrongFor years before STP was mandatory. Contact employer or the ATO if unavailable.

How to Recreate Lost Payslips Legally

If your employer cannot reissue payslips and ATO records don't give you the period-specific detail you need, recreating your payslips is a legally acceptable option — provided you follow these important rules:

✅ What is legal

  • Recreating an accurate payslip using your actual employer ABN, employment dates, pay rate, and income figures
  • Creating replacement payslips for personal record-keeping and cross-referencing against ATO income statements
  • Generating compliant payslips that reflect your true employment terms and actual earnings
  • Using recreated payslips alongside ATO income statements and bank statements as a corroborating documentation package

❌ What is not legal

  • Inflating your income on recreated payslips beyond your actual earnings
  • Fabricating employer details or creating payslips for jobs you did not hold
  • Submitting recreated payslips as "originals" when they are not — always disclose they are replacement documents when asked
  • Using false payslips in a mortgage, visa, or government benefit application — this is fraud under Australian law
Best practice: When submitting recreated payslips to a bank or government agency, always pair them with your ATO income statement and 3 months of bank statements. This corroborating package is actually more credible than original payslips alone — because the ATO records cannot be falsified.

For a full walkthrough of what each lender requires and which documents they accept as income verification, see our complete home loan payslip guide. For rental applications, see our rental application payslip guide.

Generate Replacement Payslips Online

OfficeDraft generates compliant payslips for every employment type — PAYG, casual, part-time, sole trader, and contractor. Every payslip includes all 14 Fair Work mandatory fields:

Payslip Generator — Australia

Free preview · All 14 Fair Work fields · Employer ABN · YTD income · Super · PDF from $4.99

Company Details

Related tools and guides

Australian Payslip GeneratorMost popular

Create compliant payslips with all 14 Fair Work mandatory fields

Payslip Requirements Australia 2026

Every mandatory field under the Fair Work Regulations

Employer Not Giving Payslip

What to do if your employer refuses to provide payslips

Sole Trader Payslip Australia

ABN income records for sole traders and self-employed

Contractor Payslip Generator

Professional income records for ABN contractors

Payslips for Home Loan

How many payslips each bank needs — CBA, ANZ, NAB, Westpac

Frequently Asked Questions — Lost Payslips Australia

Can my employer reissue lost payslips in Australia?
Yes. Under the Fair Work Regulations 2009, Australian employers are legally required to retain payroll records — including payslip data — for a minimum of 7 years from the date of the record. This obligation applies whether the business is still operating or has changed ownership. If you request copies of historical payslips from your employer in writing, they are legally obligated to provide access to those records. If your employer refuses, you can report this to the Fair Work Ombudsman, which can compel production of records.
Can I use an ATO income statement instead of a payslip?
Yes, in most cases. An ATO income statement — available through myGov — shows your total gross income, tax withheld, and superannuation for each financial year as reported by your employer via Single Touch Payroll. Most Australian lenders, rental agents, and government agencies accept an ATO income statement as proof of income, particularly when combined with bank statements. It is especially useful when payslips are unavailable, as it is a government-issued, verified document. For visa applications and home loans, the ATO income statement combined with Notices of Assessment is often more reliable than payslips alone.
Is it legal to recreate a payslip you have lost?
Recreating an accurate payslip that reflects your actual earnings, using your genuine employer details and correct income figures, is legally acceptable for personal record-keeping purposes. It is not a forgery if the information is accurate. However, intentionally falsifying payslip amounts — overstating income or fabricating employment — constitutes fraud and is a criminal offence in Australia. For formal submission to banks, lenders, or government agencies, always combine recreated records with ATO income statements and bank statements as corroborating evidence. Where possible, obtaining reissued payslips from your employer is always preferable.
What can I use instead of payslips for a home loan?
For a home loan application where payslips are unavailable, Australian lenders typically accept: (1) ATO income statements via myGov; (2) Notices of Assessment for the last 1–2 years; (3) bank statements showing regular salary credits (3–6 months); (4) an employment letter from your employer on company letterhead confirming your role, salary, and employment type; (5) for self-employed borrowers — tax returns, NOA, accountant letter, and BAS statements. For more detail on specific lender requirements, see our full guide on payslips for home loans.
How far back can I request old payslips?
Under the Fair Work Regulations 2009, employers must retain payroll records — including the data needed to reissue payslips — for 7 years from the date of the record. This means you can request payslip copies going back up to 7 years from the current date. For records older than 7 years, your employer is no longer legally required to maintain them, though some payroll systems retain data longer. For income records beyond 7 years, the ATO retains tax information indefinitely through the myGov portal, and your own bank statements may be available for up to 7 years through your bank's online portal.
What if my employer no longer exists and I need payslips?
If your employer has closed or gone into liquidation, payroll records may still be accessible. Options include: (1) contacting the company's administrator, receiver, or liquidator — they are legally required to maintain employment records; (2) accessing your ATO income statements via myGov, which captures STP-reported earnings since 2019; (3) checking if the business was acquired by another entity that took on payroll records; (4) contacting the ATO directly if you believe STP records may not be complete. For the pre-STP period (before July 2019), your bank statements and ATO tax records are the primary alternative sources.

Lost Payslips in Australia — Your Recovery Options

Lost payslips in Australia can almost always be recovered or effectively replaced. Your employer holds the data for 7 years, the ATO has your income on file via Single Touch Payroll since 2019, and your bank statements corroborate it all. Use the tools on this page to request, recover, or recreate the documentation you need — whichever path applies to your situation.

MethodTime to getBest for
Employer reissue1–14 daysOfficial copies of originals
ATO income statementInstant (myGov)Annual income; home loans; visa
Notice of AssessmentInstant (myGov)Formal income proof; all purposes
Bank statementsInstant (online banking)Corroborating regular income
Employer income letter1–5 daysRental; some home loans
Regenerate payslipsInstant (OfficeDraft)Period-specific documentation
Start Recovery Wizard →Generate Replacement Payslip →

Free recovery wizard · Free request letter · Payslip generator from $4.99

About This Guide

Authors: Written by David Pham (Payroll Compliance & Employment Documentation Specialist, OfficeDraft) and reviewed for accuracy by Lisa Berwick (Senior HR Advisor & Employment Records Consultant, 11 years Australian payroll compliance and Fair Work Act matters).

Sources: Record-keeping requirements from the Fair Work Ombudsman; Single Touch Payroll information from the ATO; income statement access from ato.gov.au; insolvency records from asic.gov.au.

Update schedule: Reviewed quarterly. STP obligations and myGov interface may change. Last reviewed: 30 May 2026.

Disclaimer: This content is general information only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For your specific circumstances, consult a licensed employment lawyer or contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.