2013APS Remuneration Survey

Your presenter• Christopher Giuliano

– APS Remuneration Survey data collection, compilation, tabulation

– APSED

Survey overview• Annual snapshot of remuneration across the APS• Findings presented in two reports:

– overall APS report– agency specific report (confidential)– reports sent to agencies in June 2014

• No direct charge to agencies – MOU funded

Survey overview• Date of Effect: 31 December 2013 • Data due: 21 February 2014• Compulsory for all agencies and their APS employees

Whom to include

• Include:– all ongoing employees – s22(2)(a)– specified term and specified task non-ongoing

employees – s22(2)(b)– attached agency staff (often paid by DFAT)– employees on temporary assignment to your

agency– employees on secondment to another agency

Whom to exclude

• Exclude:– employees on LWOP on the Date of Effect– casual non-ongoing employees - s22(2)(c)– locally engaged employees – s74– employees on temporary assignment to another

agency– employees on secondment from another agency– Agency Heads

Changes from last year• No additions. No deletions• Changes

– ‘Sex’ is now ‘Gender’ and includes ‘X’ as a value– ‘Partial Higher Duties Payment’ now ‘Partial Higher Duties Salary’– ‘Name of superannuation fund’ – AGEST/Australian Super removed,

should be included with ‘Other’– ‘Full-time’ indicator has been changed to ‘Hours per week’

• Clarifications– EL2.1 acting as EL2.2 reported in ‘Partial Higher Duties Salary’, not

‘Acting classification group’ or ‘Acting classification salary’– ‘Other Benefits’ and ‘Other Benefits Description’ changed to ‘Personal

Benefits’ and ‘Personal Benefits Description’

File submission• For agencies preparing the report manually, a template can be

downloaded from www.apsc.gov.au/apsed/remuneration.html• Files should be emailed to remuneration@apsc.gov.au • Agency on FedLink – can email data to us without encrypting it• Not on FedLink - use encryption method you use to send APSED

movement and snapshot files• SSL coming soon• Agencies should keep copies of all files sent to APSED, to assist in

resolving queries and for recordkeeping

Data validation and sign off process1. Data received from agency2. Data checked by APSC3. Discrepancies sent back to agency4. Agency re-submits corrected data5. Cycle through steps 2 to 4 until data checks fine6. APSC emails data summary to contact for SES certification7. SES emails APSC certifying summary data is accurate

See Instructional Video 5 on the APS Remuneration web page.

What is collected• Minimal personal details• Classification and acting classification• Salaries• Bonuses and allowances• IFA data• Personal benefits• Superannuation data• Car allowances

Data structure• Header row• Data rows• Date format

• Excel example…

Annualised, Total, FTE• Annualised vs totalled fields:

– Annualised fields are those which relate to ongoing type payments. Therefore, for these fields annualise the value that the employee receives at 31 December 2012.

– Annualised fields are also FTE.– Totalled fields are those which relate to one-off type payments. Therefore, for

these fields sum all relevant payments made from 1 January to 31 December 2013, inclusive.

– Total from first pay of the calendar year to the last pay of the calendar year (Pay 14 to Pay 13) as per ATO payment summary method (Pay 1 to Pay 26)

– Total what has been paid, not what has been earned

Heads up• Reduce the questions we ask by letting us know about outliers in the

Comments field.• Report any employees who started as a Graduate APS in 2013 as a

Graduate (65), even if they are no longer a Graduate.• Acting only if acting at the same level since October 3• EL2.1 acting as EL2.2 shown in Partial Higher Duties Salary• Superannuation allowance has nothing to do with agency super

contribution• If you are unsure of where to put an allowance or a bonus then send

those examples to us.

FAQs• FAQs on the APS Remuneration web page. • Check FAQs first please.

Data items needing a value in every row• Personal details:1, 2, 3, 11, 56• Employment details: 4, 6, 7, 14, 16, 57• Remuneration details: 16, 49, 50, 51

Related fields• Data items 15 and 44: If ‘Secondary employment instrument’ = ‘IFA’

then IFA description field must be completed• Data items 5 and 35: Acting classification and acting classification

salary• Data items 20 and 21: Maximum >= actual performance bonus• Data items 22 and 23: Maximum >= actual retention bonus• Data items 46 and 47: Personal Benefits and Personal Benefits

Description

AAO/MOG changes• All APS employees must be accounted for• Report all employees paid by you as at 31 December • Ask us for APSED agency codes

Checking your data• Watch videos 3 and 4 on the APSED Remuneration web page.

The videos• Not been updated

Using APSED snapshot as a base• Run APSED snapshot report as at 31 December 2013• Remove those on LWOP• Replace 1 with 5 and 2 with 6 in column A• Copy and paste:

– AGSN– date of birth– classification group– acting classification group (remove < 90 days)– hours, then change any values 35+ with ‘Y’, else ‘N’)– permanency indicator– Note: Update Base Classification to ‘65’ for any employees starting a

graduate program in 2013. Ensure salaries match graduate level.• Update header row

Using APSED snapshot as a base• Let’s look at an APSED snapshot file…

Common issues• Graduate classification

Any employee that started a Graduate Program during the year should be classified as a Graduate regardless of their classification as at the Date of Effect. If they have been advanced from a Graduate, please show their Base Salary as at their last day as a Graduate.

• Motor vehicle and cash in lieu of motor vehicleIf an employee had a motor vehicle for part of the year and cash in lieu of a motor vehicle for the remainder of the year please annualise the cost of whichever has been provided to the employee for the majority of the year.

That is, please report either motor vehicle or cash in lieu of motor vehicle but not both.

Common issues• Reporting higher duties

Remuneration data for employees on higher duties should be reported at the base classification level for that employee. That is, base salary should be recorded as per their classification group. Remuneration data relating to higher duties/paid classification should be included under higher duties salary (Data Item 35).

Agencies need only to report on employees on higher duties for a consecutive period of 90 days or more as at the Date of Effect (i.e. since 3 October).

Agencies should NOT report periods of higher duties if:– it is less than 90 days.– there has been a break between periods.– the period of 90 days did not include 31 December.– it was not the same classification the entire time

Common issues• Reporting employees employed other than full time

An annualised and full-time equivalent (FTE) approach is necessary. For employees who are part-time, worked part of the year, are on compensation leave, graduated return to work etc., please adjust and report those employees’ details as if they were working full-time for the entire year.

Resources• Remuneration survey webpage

http://www.apsc.gov.au/apsed/remuneration.html

Contains:– Specification document– Excel Spreadsheet template– FAQ’s– Updated with notifications– Instructional videos

• Contact the Project Team– remuneration@apsc.gov.au– Phone: Christopher Giuliano 02 6202 3873

Questions?

2013APS Remuneration Survey