Set Up Single Touch Payroll
Before your first Single Touch Payroll (STP) lodgement, your business, payroll rules and employees need the details the ATO expects, and the ATO needs to know Microkeeper lodges for you. You do this once. For what STP is and how it works, see Single Touch Payroll.
| Required plan | All plans |
|---|---|
| Required access | Settings |
This guide covers how to:
- Check your business details.
- Check the STP category on your payroll rules.
- Check your employee profiles.
- Add your Software ID in the ATO's Access Manager.
Before you set up Single Touch Payroll
You'll need:
- Access to Settings and full access to Payroll in Microkeeper.
- A login to the ATO's Access Manager for your business. If you can't log in, your accountant may be able to add the Software ID for you, or you can call the ATO on 1300 852 232.
- Your ABN and pay cycles set up, as in ABNs and Pay Cycles.
Check your business details for Single Touch Payroll
Each lodgement includes your business's contact details. Nothing else in Microkeeper asks for some of them, so check them now.
Navigate to Menu > Settings > General > Global, then click Business Contact.
- Check the Business Name.
- Enter the postcode in State/Postcode.
- Enter a valid business Phone number. If it's blank, Microkeeper uses the Mobile number instead.
- Enter a valid business Email.
Each field saves as soon as you change it. For help with this page, see Add your business contact details.
Each ABN you pay staff under needs the same details. Navigate to Menu > Settings > General > Global, then click ABN and Pay Cycles. For each ABN:
- Click the pencil button next to its name. Check the Business Name, and enter its Phone and Email. Click Update ABN.
- If the card shows No address set, click the pencil button next to it, enter the address including the postcode, and click Save.
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An ABN added with Add ABN has no email until you enter one. Microkeeper also reports the person who lodges as the business contact, so your own employee profile needs a Given Name and Surname.
Check the STP category on your payroll rules
Every payment and deduction is reported to the ATO in a category, such as gross pay, an allowance or leave. Each payslip line takes its category from the rule that created it, so set the categories on your rules before you process payroll. The next pay run you process then uses them.
Navigate to Menu > Settings > Payroll Rules and check each of these:
| Page | Field to check |
|---|---|
| Shift Rules | STP Category |
| Extra Rules | STP Category |
| Deductions Rules | Class, for super, fees, workplace giving, fringe benefits and child support |
The STP column in each rules list shows the category a rule uses. To change one, edit the rule, choose the category and update the rule. A rule left on Gross is reported as ordinary gross pay.
For example, for a car allowance paid per kilometre, choose Cents per KM under Allowances. The STP Chart link next to the field, and STP Reporting Codes, list which category to use for each kind of payment.
Leave types have their own categories. Navigate to Menu > Settings > General > Global, click Entitlement Settings, then Configure Leave Types. Each leave type has an STP Category for leave paid in a pay run and a Final STP Category for leave paid out when an employee leaves. See Leave Configuration.
Check your employee profiles for Single Touch Payroll
Each lodgement includes the personal and tax details of every employee in the pay run. Navigate to Menu > Settings > Employees and click Edit next to each employee.
| Section | Fields STP needs |
|---|---|
| Personal Details | Given Name, Surname and DOB |
| Address | The street address, suburb, state and postcode |
| Payment and Employment | Employment Type, and Status Override if Employment Type doesn't describe them |
| Employee Tax | Tax File Number TFN, Tax Scale, STP Income Stream Type, Tax Free Threshold Claimed and any loans, such as HELP-HECS Loan |
| Active Status | Start Date |
Most employees are SAW - Salary and Wages in STP Income Stream Type. Leave Override Tax Scale on Tax Scale unless the tax scale alone doesn't describe the employee. For the other income streams and overrides, see STP Reporting Codes.
Under Employee Tax, Tax File Number Declaration TFND shows Signed with a date, or Unsigned. Your staff sign the declaration on the Employee Console, and only a signed declaration is included with STP. If an employee doesn't sign it, complete a paper declaration for them. See Check what your staff still need to complete to find staff with details missing.
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STP accepts an address line of up to 38 characters, using only letters, numbers, spaces and these characters: ! @ $ % * ( ) - = [ ] ; : ' , . ? /. Names can be up to 40 characters.
Add your Software ID in the ATO's Access Manager
Before your first lodgement, add Microkeeper as your hosted software in the ATO's Access Manager, using your Software ID. You only do this once.
First, copy your Software ID: navigate to Menu > Settings > General > Global, click STP Settings, and copy the number in ATO/SBR 'BMS ID' 'Software ID'. It's also shown, with a Copy button, in the Software ID Setup panel on 2. Submit to ATO in Complete Payrun.
Then, log in to the ATO's Access Manager for business software users:
- If you can act for more than one business, select your business.
- Select My hosted SBR software services.
- Select Notify the ATO of your hosted service.
- Search for the ABN "75909758040", and select the ABN link for THE TRUSTEE FOR MICROKEEPER UNIT TRUST.
- Enter your Software ID and select Next.
- Read the notification statement, then select Save.
Access Manager then lists Microkeeper as your software service provider, with your Software ID.
The Software ID Setup panel stays open on 2. Submit to ATO until your first successful lodgement. Click Done to hide it, or click its arrow button to open it again.
Next: Lodge a Pay Run with STP
Your business is ready to lodge. Continue with Lodge a Pay Run with STP to review and lodge your first pay run.