By Louise Missen | Head of Member Services, Australian Payroll Association
With everything involved in running payroll and supporting a business, a simple reminder can go a long way.
The Casual Employment Information Statement (CEIS) is a good example. You may already include it in onboarding, but it must also be provided at certain points during a casual employee’s employment.
Whether you work in payroll, run a business or provide bookkeeping services to clients, here is what to keep on your radar.
What is the CEIS?
The CEIS is a Fair Work Ombudsman document explaining casual employment, the pathway to permanent employment, grounds for refusing an employee’s notification and how disputes can be resolved. New casuals must also receive the Fair Work Information Statement, plus the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement if entering a new fixed term contract.
When must it be provided?
Employers must provide the CEIS before a casual employee starts, or as soon as possible afterwards. Further requirements depend on the employer’s size:
| Employer | When to provide it again |
| Small business employer | After 12 months of employment |
| Other employers | After 6 months, after 12 months, then after every subsequent 12 months |
Small business employers generally have fewer than 15 employees. The count includes employees of associated entities and casuals engaged on a regular and systematic basis. Employers must provide the version current when it is due.
Where payroll can help
Issuing the CEIS would normally sit with HR or the business owner. However, payroll often maintains the commencement dates and employment information needed to identify upcoming milestones. A month-end report can help HR or the business plan distribution. Bookkeepers can provide the same support to clients where it forms part of their agreed services.
Agree who prepares the report, who sends the statements and who records completion. The legal obligation remains with the employer.
What might a report look like?
The following example shows a report prepared at the end of November for an employer that is not a small business. All employees listed remain casual.
| Employee | Commencement date | Upcoming milestone | Milestone date | Action |
| Alex Chen | 10 June 2026 | 6 months | 10 December 2026 | HR to issue CEIS after milestone |
| Jamie Taylor | 15 December 2025 | 12 months | 15 December 2026 | HR to issue CEIS after milestone |
| Sam Patel | 20 December 2024 | 24 months | 20 December 2026 | HR to issue CEIS after milestone |
The report flags upcoming dates; it does not confirm distribution. Add fields for the date sent, delivery method and version provided to help track completion. For bookkeepers, a client or business column may also be useful.
Send it and retain the evidence
Fair Work permits delivery in person, by post or email, including emailing a link to its CEIS webpage or an intranet copy. Check saved PDFs are current before sending them. As a practical control, retain evidence of distribution securely with the employee’s records:
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Email: Keep the sent message showing the recipient, date and attachment or link. Follow up on failed delivery notices.
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Printed copy: Keep a dated delivery record or employee acknowledgement.
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Employee system: Retain the distribution log and any acknowledgement available.
Update the report when distribution is complete. Where a bookkeeper sends statements for a client, agree who will retain the supporting evidence.
Know where employee questions should go
Receiving the CEIS may prompt questions about permanent employment. Eligible casuals can use the employee choice pathway, subject to its requirements. Employers must consult and respond to a notification in writing within 21 days, so refer notifications promptly to the person authorised to respond.
Receiving the statement does not itself change an employee’s employment status.
Start with one employee record
A clear owner, an upcoming milestone report and evidence of distribution can make this obligation easier to manage.
Practical tip: Check one casual employee’s record today. Can you confirm when they last received the CEIS and when it is due again? If either answer is unclear, use that as the starting point to improve your process.
View and download the current Casual Employment Information Statement.
