XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB
Country Restriction: Australia only
Risk Type: Payroll Risk
Business Function: Payroll
Overview
The "Employee details missing after pay run" XBert finds active employees who have already been paid but are still missing payroll details that the payment itself relied on. It flags two specific gaps: super was allocated but no super fund is on file, or tax was withheld but no Tax File Number is recorded. Either one is a real compliance and payment problem to fix.
What it does
XBert reviews your active payroll employees alongside their recent pay slips (the last several months). For each employee it compares the amounts that were actually paid against the details held in their employee record, and looks specifically for two gaps:
Superannuation was paid for the employee, but no super fund is recorded against them.
Tax was withheld from the employee's pay, but no valid Tax File Number is recorded.
It also notes related contact gaps (a missing email address, or no phone or mobile number) and includes them in the alert, so you can tidy the whole record at once.
How it works
The XBert raises an alert only when one of the two core problems is present after a pay run:
The employee was paid super, but has no super fund recorded; or
Tax was withheld from the employee, but they have no valid Tax File Number.
To keep alerts meaningful, the XBert deliberately ignores some cases:
It only looks at active employees, so former staff are not flagged.
It allows a 7-day settling period after an employee's start date, so a brand-new hire is not flagged the moment their first pay run lands while you are still entering their details.
A missing email or phone number on its own will not raise this alert. Contact gaps are only mentioned when there is already a super or tax problem to resolve.
Employees whose record has no valid date of birth are not assessed.
Example/Use Case
Billy joins ACME Bikes and is added to payroll. He is run through his first pay cycle and is paid $3,200 in wages, with $480 of tax withheld. More than a week later, Billy still hasn't provided his Tax File Number, so XBert raises an alert: tax has been withheld but there is no TFN on file. Under ATO rules Billy now risks being taxed at the top marginal rate until his TFN is supplied, reducing his take-home pay and creating rework to correct it later.
The same alert also shows that super was paid for Billy but no super fund is recorded against him, because he never nominated one. The bookkeeper contacts Billy, collects his completed TFN declaration and nominated super fund, updates his employee record, and the issue is cleared.
Accounting software
Xero, MYOB. Payroll managed through KeyPay / Employment Hero is not assessed by this XBert.
Which countries it supports
Australia only.
Processes
This XBert is part of the Payroll business area.
To resolve this issue:
Identify which detail the alert is missing for the employee — a super fund, a Tax File Number, or both.
Contact the employee to request the missing information.
Confirm a valid Tax File Number is on file, supported by a completed TFN declaration.
Enter the employee's nominated super fund so future contributions are directed correctly.
While you are there, add a contact email and at least one phone number to complete their record.
Once the details are corrected in your accounting software, mark the XBert as resolved.
Keeping payroll records complete protects your business from ATO penalties and ensures superannuation and tax are processed correctly.