20 February Commission-only employees: It's time for their MITA review February 20, 2019 By Reef Admin Commission only employment 0 The Real Estate Industry Award requires employers to conduct an annual review to determine if their commission-only employees can continue to be paid on a commission-only basis. This annual review ensures commission-only employees meet the Minimum Income Threshold Amount (MITA). Key dates For any commission-only employee engaged on or before 2 April 2018, the first mandatory performance review is 1 April 2019. Where a commission-only employee has been engaged after 2 April 2018, their first mandatory review will be 12 months after their date of commencement. Important considerations If your agency employs a salesperson on a commission-only basis, you need to carefully consider the following information and take appropriate action. As part of the four-year review of the Real Estate Industry Award, the Fair Work Commission introduced an annual performance review for anyone engaged as a commission-only employee. The Award requires that every 12 months a commission-only employee's performance must be assessed against the MITA. The MITA is the amount of gross commission (before tax) that a commission-only employee must receive from their property sales during the period (excluding superannuation payments) to enable them to continue on a commission-only basis. For the review period ending 1 April 2019, the MITA is $54,578 and can't be pro rated for part-time employees. Failure to meet the MITA Where a commission-only employee fails the annual MITA review, paying them by way of commission-only must cease. Unless either you or the employee take appropriate action to end the employment, the employment will continue and the employee must be paid wages and allowances from 2 April 2019 in accordance with the Award. The employment relationship will not automatically come to an end simply because the employee has failed to satisfy the MITA review. If an employee continues to be employed on a commission-only basis after failing an annual MITA review, serious consequences may result for the employer, including penalties for breach of the Award and for underpayment claims. Can I terminate the employment? Yes, but not before you've undertaken a performance management process with the commission-only employee. If you terminate them without conducting this process, then terminating their employment will carry high risk. Therefore, if you have an underperforming commission-only salesperson, REEF strongly encourages you to commence performance management as a priority. Failure to do so will leave you and your agency exposed to a claim of either unfair dismissal or general protections. The penalties in this regard may be severe. The bottom line If a commission-only employee does not receive gross commission (before tax) of $54,578 over the review period (e.g. 2 April 2018 to 1 April 2019), they are disqualified from continuing to be paid on a commission-only basis. Have questions? If you're looking for guidance about how to best manage a situation where a commission-only employee's gross income has, or is likely to, fall below the MITA, give REEF a call on 1300 616 170. Commission-only employment fact sheet You can find out more about commission-only employment and the MITA by reading REEF's Commission-only employment fact sheet. You can download a copy of the fact sheet from the REEF People Management System. Related What is the MITA: Qualifying for commission-only employment A new acronym is about to enter the real estate industry's lexicon. From 2 April 2018, references to commission-only employment will be uttered in the same breath as "MITA" – Minimum Income Threshold Amount. Fair Work Commission hands down Award review decision The wait is over! The Fair Work Commission has handed down its decision regarding the statutory review of the Real Estate Industry Award. Here are the details. Part-time commission-only arrangements must cease The Fair Work Commission has determined that from 30 June 2019, part-time provisions will no longer be able to be applied to a commission-only employee. Timetable set for Real Estate Industry Award review Over the last 18 months, a lot has been written and discussed in relation to the statutory four-year review of our Real Estate Industry Award. At long last, the review is scheduled to reach a conclusion in November 2016. Real Estate Industry Award: Out with the old, in with the new After a long battle, the Fair Work Commission has now finalised the four-year award review and the new Real Estate Industry Award will commence on 2 April 2018. Here's what you need to know before the changes kick in. Don't be left in the dark: New industry award starts on 2 April 2018 After a long battle, the Fair Work Commission has now finalised the four-year review and the Real Estate Industry Award 2015 will commence on 2 April 2018. Big changes are ahead. Here's what you need to know. Comments are closed.