Table of Contents

Handling Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave (PFDVL) in Reckon Accounts

About Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave (PFDVL)

REFERENCE
Family and domestic violence leave – Fair Work Ombudsman
1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. This service can also provide confidential information about what it means to be experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence.

From 01 February 2023, all employees of non-small business employers – those with 15 or more employees – are eligible to take 10 days of Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave each year.

Small business employers – those with less than 15 employees – can access paid leave from 1 August 2023. Until then, they can continue to take unpaid family and domestic violence leave.


What is Family and Domestic Violence?

This is a violent, threatening or other abusive behavior by certain individuals known to an employee that:

  • seeks to coerce or control the employee
  • causes them harm or fear
Classification of certain individuals that is exhibiting violence
— Close relative
— Household member
— Current or former intimate partner
Description of a close relative
— Current or former spouse or de facto partner
— Child or Grandchild
— Parent or Grandparent
— Sibling
— Child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling of the current or former spouse or de facto partner
— A person related to the employee according to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kinship rules


Eligibility

This entitlement is applicable to Permanent (i.e. full-time, part-time) and casual employees.


Entitlement

  • 10 days of Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave per year
  • Resets to 10 days leave on each work anniversary
  • The entitlement does not accrue or accumulate from year to year
  • When taken, relevant payments are at the employee’s full rate of pay
  • PFDVL taken will not be taken on annual leave/personal leave for the duration of the PFDVL


Regulations for confidentiality

  • Employers are prohibited from including information on a payslip that shows reference to the Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave for:
    • The amount paid to an employee
    • A period of leave taken by an employee
    • An employee’s paid family and domestic violence leave balance

  • An amount paid for PFDVL must be recorded on a payslip as ordinary hours of work, or as another kind of payment made in relation to the employee’s work, such as allowance, bonus, or overtime payment.
  • If the employee requests PFDVL to be reported on a payslip as an amount for a particular kind of leave (other than PFDVL), it may be reported as that kind of leave.
  • There is a grace period of 4 months from 4 February 2023. During this period, PFDVL may also be displayed as the amount taken for a period of leave other than PFDVL (e.g. other or miscellaneous leave)




Methods in Reckon Accounts

Conditions of confidentiality

On the Pay Slip, there must not be any reference to the Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave (PFDVL).

As a Leave Item

As a Payroll Item

  • The Employee can nominate PFDVL to be of a kind of leave
  • The Leave Item Name must not have any reference or name to PFDVL
  • The amount paid is recorded
  • The leave taken must not be shown
  • The leave balance must not be shown
  • The Payroll Item Name must not have any reference or name to PFDVL
  • The amount paid is recorded

Track as a Leave Type Item

Reckon Accounts can allocate two custom Leave types named Other 1 and Other 2. If these are still available, users can choose to track Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave (PFDVL) using these.

Rename Other Leave
  • Go to Edit menu and select Preferences
  • Select Payroll & Employees section for Company Preferences
  • See Other Leave Names and rename:
    • Other 1
    • Other 2


When the Other Leaves are renamed, it will display the changes on:

  1. New Leave Item setup for Hourly/Salary Wages

  1. Leave Details window from the Employee record

  1. Review or Change Payments/Review Paycheque window


  1. Pay Slip Template default Text Box
This excludes the Payslip style(s): Standard - One/Two/Three per page. Therefore, users must use a new Pay Slip Template to accommodate with the regulations for confidentiality.


Create a new Leave Item
  1. Go to List menu and select Payroll Item List
  2. Right-click on the Payroll Item List window and select New
  3. Choose Wage and Next
  4. Select either Hourly Wages or Annual Salary
  5. Then, select the Other Leave Name that were renamed
  6. Enter a confidential name for the Payroll Item that does not reference to Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave
  7. Then click Finish


Set the Employee Leave Details
  1. Go to the Employee Centre and edit the employee
  2. Go to Payroll and Compensation Info tab
  3. Click on Leave Details
  4. Go to the Other Leave set for Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave
  5. Enter the Hours available but do not enter any Hours accrued as PFDVL does not accrue leave
  6. Also place a mark on the Reset hours each new year as PFDVL only has 10 days leave per year, and it does not accumulate or carry over
  7. Click OK then save the record


Process a pay with the new Leave Item
  1. Go to the Payroll Centre and click on Pay Employees
  2. Select the employee to be processed and click on the name
  3. In the Review Or Change Payments window, add the new Leave Item
  4. Then enter the normal Rate and the Hours to be used
  5. Process the pay normally
Note that the Other Leave set for Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave will not accrue.

  1. Returning to the Leave Details window for the employee, the Hours available and Hours used this year will be adjusted


Update the Pay Slip Template
  1. Go to List and select Templates
  2. Edit the Pay Slip Template
  3. Go to Layout Designer
  4. Select the Text Box and Data Field for the Other Leave set for Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave and remove the fields
  5. Click OK and save the Template
This should allow the Pay Slip to be emailed or printed with the absence of the Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave reference.




Track as a Payroll Item type

Create a new Payroll Item
To be recorded as ordinary hours of work, or as another kind of payment made in relation to the employee’s work, such as allowance, bonus, or overtime payment.
  1. Create a new Payroll Item, it can be:
    1. Regular Pay for either Hourly Wages or Annual Salary
    2. Overtime Pay
    3. Bonus
    4. Addition
  2. Enter a confidential name for the Payroll Item that does not reference to Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave
  3. Then click Finish


Process a pay with the new Payroll Item
  1. In the Review Or Change Payments window, add the new Payroll Item
  2. Then enter the normal Rate and the Hours to be used
  3. Process the pay normally


Using Quantity by Employee report
  1. Go to the Reports menu and select Employees & Payroll
  2. Select Quantity by Employee
  3. Click on Modify Report

  1. Go to Filters tab and select Payroll Item for the Current Filter Choices
  2. Then select the new Payroll Item under the Payroll Item dropdown
  3. Click OK and refresh the report

  1. Back on the report, click on Memorise and save as a Memorise Report


Manual tracking using Employee Notes
  1. Edit the Employee record
  2. Click on Notes
  3. Enter a heading on the Notepad
  4. Click on Date Stamp to automatically enter the Date
  5. Then enter your notes for the PFDVL Available and Taken




How did we do?

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