XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online
Country Restriction: Australia only
Risk Type: Payroll Risk
Business Function: Payroll
Overview
The "Employee Birthday (Junior Employee)" XBert flags junior employees who are about to have, or have just had, a birthday. Many junior workers move to a higher pay rate as they get older under their award or agreement, so this XBert prompts you to review and update their pay in time.
What it does
This XBert helps you stay compliant with Fair Work pay rules for junior employees. It checks your payroll records and looks for:
Active employees aged between 14 and 21.
A birthday falling in a window from about six weeks ahead to four weeks past today.
When it finds a match, it raises an alert so you can confirm whether an age-based pay increase is due.
How it works
Junior pay rates usually step up each year until an employee turns 21. This XBert reads the date of birth recorded for each employee in your payroll and works out their next birthday. It raises an alert when the employee is aged between 14 and 21 and their birthday sits in the review window, which runs from about six weeks before to four weeks after today.
To keep the alerts relevant, this XBert ignores:
Employees who are not marked as active.
Employees who have been terminated.
Anyone outside the 14 to 21 age range, including older employees no longer affected by junior rates.
It also correctly handles employees born on 29 February in a leap year, and birthdays that fall early in January.
Example/Use Case
Jack works at Club Cafe under the Hospitality Industry General Award. He is 16 and paid the junior rate for his age. As his 17th birthday approaches, this XBert notifies the payroll team a few weeks ahead, so Jack's hourly rate can be updated to take effect from his birthday, lifting him from $13.74 to $16.49 per hour.
Susan also works at Club Cafe, but she is on a salaried agreement that does not change with age. When her birthday XBert appears, the team can confirm no change is needed and simply mark it as resolved.
Accounting software
This XBert runs on payroll data from Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online.
Which countries it supports
Australia only.
Processes
This XBert is part of the Payroll business area.
To resolve it:
Check the employee's date of birth and their upcoming or recent birthday.
Review the relevant award or enterprise agreement to confirm whether an age-based pay increase applies.
If a higher rate is due, update the employee's pay rate in your payroll, effective from their birthday.
If the employee is on a salary or agreement that does not change with age, no update is needed.
Once you have reviewed and made any required change, mark the XBert as resolved.
Keeping an eye on junior employee birthdays helps ensure fair pay and keeps your payroll compliant with Fair Work requirements.