Page tree

Versions Compared

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.
HTML Wrap
classsection group
HTML
<span data-swiftype-index="true">
HTML Wrap
classcol span_3_of_5

AccountRight Plus and Premier (v2018.2 and later), Australia only

So that the ATO knows how to treat each type of payment you're reporting through Single Touch Payroll, you need to assign an ATO reporting category to each of the payroll categories you use.

These categories are similar to the ones used when doing payment summaries in previous years.

Which ATO reporting category should I assign?

As your business, award and employee agreement are unique, we can't specify what ATO reporting categories you should assign to your payroll categories.

However, you can use the descriptions of reporting categories below to guide you.

For additional information and advice:

Anchor
assigning
assigning
What is each ATO reporting category for?

Use this information to work out which reporting categories you need to assign to your payroll categories.

UI Expand
titleWages
New ATO reporting categoryMore informationATO links
Gross Payments

Include all payroll categories you use for paying salary and wages. This includes categories for:

  • holiday pay
  • sick pay
  • overtime
  • bonuses
  • commissions.

There are more categories and some exceptions to these.  

Do not include salary sacrifice payroll categories. Gross payments are reduced automatically when you assign pre-tax deductions and pre-tax superannuation categories such as salary sacrifice.

The rules of reporting through Single Touch Payroll - Gross Payments

Allowance - Car
Allowance - Transport
Allowance - Travel
Allowance - Meals
Allowance - Laundry
Allowance - Other

This includes payments you made to cover your employees’ work-related expenses, like tools or phone. For allowances that don’t sit into any of the main categories, assign them to Allowances – Other.

Typically, you wouldn't include amounts you paid for living-away-from-home allowance because these amounts are not assessable income (but check this with the ATO).

Withholding for allowances  

The rules of reporting through Single Touch Payroll - Allowances

Lump Sum A - Termination
Lump Sum A - Redundancy
Lump Sum B
Lump Sum D
Lump Sum E

Lump sum payments may include payroll categories such as:

  • redundancies
  • payments in lieu of notice
  • payments of annual leave on termination.

Lump sum payments are a complex area. Chat to your advisor or check with the ATO for more guidance.

The rules of reporting through Single Touch Payroll - Employment termination payments

CDEP Payments

Assign payroll categories for:

  • Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) scheme wages
  • CDEP scheme participant supplement from a Centrelink payment.
CDEP payments
Exempt Foreign Income

This could be assigned to payroll categories such as salary, wages, commissions, bonuses and allowances that are exempt from Australian tax.

Exempt foreign employment income
ETP - Taxable component
ETP - Tax free component

These are payroll categories used to track the taxable and tax-free components of employment termination payments.

ETPs are concessionally taxed up to a certain limit, or 'cap'.

Certain types of termination payments are tax free up to a certain limit, for example, if the ETP is because of redundancy or early retirement.

Taxation of termination payments
UI Expand
titleSuperannuation

The ATO Reporting Category is automatically assigned for superannuation categories set up with the following Contribution Types :

  • Superannuation Guarantee (expense)
  • Employee Additional (deduction)
  • Redundancy (expense)
  • Spouse (deduction)

For superannuation categories that handle reportable superannuation payments (as classified by the ATO reporting guidelines), you need to assign the Reportable Employer Super Contributions (RESC) category. This can include salary sacrifice categories.

SGC category with locked ATO reporting category highlighted

New ATO reporting categoryOld Payment Summary field nameMore information

Superannuation Guarantee

New

This is the first time employers have been required to report this information to the ATO. It's requried to check that employee super funds are receiving the correct amounts.

Reportable Employer Super Contributions (RESC)Step 5 in the Payment summary assistant

Use this to assign superannuation categories which handle 'reportable' superannuation payments (as classified by the ATO guidelines). This can include salary sacrifice categories.

Note that this option only appears for Employer Additional (expense), and Salary Sacrifice (deduction) contribution types.

 

 

UI Expand
titleDeductions
New ATO reporting categoryDescriptionATO reference

Deduction - Work Place Giving

Assign payroll categories that are donations made under a workplace giving arrangement.Workplace giving programs

Deduction - Union/Professional Assoc Fees

This might include payroll categories for:

  • union fees
  • memberships to professional associations.
Union fees, subscriptions to associations and bargaining agents fees
ETP - Tax WithholdingUse this reporting category when an ETP has been made to an employee. 
Not Reportable

All other deductions are usually considered not reportable. This includes payroll categories like:

  • salary sacrifice that is exempt from fringe benefits tax
  • child support
  • loan or car payments

This is because they may not need to be itemised on an employee's tax return.

 
UI Expand
titleTaxes

The ATO Reporting Category is automatically assigned (and can't be changed) for the PAYG Withholding payroll category.

Payroll Category Liust window showing ATO reporting category set to PAYG withholding

New ATO reporting categoryOld Payment Summary field nameMore information

PAYG Withholding

Total Tax Withheld

This is automatically assigned and can't be changed.

This category reports all tax withheld from the employee, including any extra PAYG that may be deducted.

Assigning ATO reporting categories

Before using Single Touch Payroll, you need to run a check which shows you which payroll categories you need to assign an ATO reporting category to.

You need to do this for all payroll categories you've used in the current payroll year, and whenever you use a new payroll category.

UI Expand
expandedtrue
titleTo assign ATO reporting categories
  1. Go to the Payroll command centre and click Payroll Reporting. Employees paid in the current payroll year (including terminated employees) are included in the payroll check. You'll see a list of payroll categories you need to fix before you can connect to the ATO and start reporting using Single Touch Payroll.

    Image Modified

  2. Click the arrow next to a payroll category in the errors list. The payroll category Information window appears.
  3. Select the appropriate category from the ATO Reporting Category list. See above for information to help you select it.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Repeat for all other payroll categories listed in the Check Payroll Details window.
  6. Correct any employee cards company information details listed in the Check Payroll Details window. See Task 1 - Check payroll details for Single Touch Payroll reporting for more information.
  7. Click Check Payroll Details to refresh the list to see if everything is done. You'll then be ready to connect to the ATO .
HTML
<h2><i class="fa fa-comments"></i>&nbsp;&nbsp;ATO reporting category FAQs</h2><br>
UI Expand
titleWhich payroll categories are not reportable?

Which payroll categories are not reportable?

In most cases, payroll categories that don't need to be included on an employee's tax return, are not reportable. Depending on your circumstances. this may include payroll categories for post-tax deductions and deductions that are exempt from fringe benefits tax. For example:

  • salary sacrifice that is exempt from fringe benefits tax
  • child support
  • loan or car payments

If you're not sure what reporting category to assign, talk to your accounting advisor or the ATO.

UI Expand
titleHow do I assign salary sacrifice superannuation?

How do I assign salary sacrifice superannuation?

When reporting payroll amounts using Single Touch Payroll, gross wage amounts are reduced automatically by deduction amounts that are marked as a before-tax deductions. This includes salary sacrifice superannuation deductions.

Previously, to reduce taxable gross amount on payment summaries, you needed to assign the relevant payroll category (for example, salary sacrifice) to gross payments. You don't need to do this for single touch payroll reporting.

UI Text Box
typenote

You need to assign the Reportable Employer Super Contributions (RESC) categoryto superannuation categories which handle 'reportable' superannuation payments (as classified by the ATO guidelines). Don't assign Not Reportable as this wont reduce the gross amount of wages.

UI Expand
titleHow do ATO reporting categories differ from payment summary categories?

How do ATO reporting categories differ from payment summary categories?

While ATO reporting categories are similar to how ATO payment summary categories were assigned to payment summary fields, there are important differences.

For example, some ATO reporting categories have been renamed and you now need to report superannuation amounts.

UI Expand
titleWhy am I getting the error "WagesPayrollCategory_ExemptionsNotDeduction" when assigning an ATO reporting category?

Why am I getting the error "WagesPayrollCategory_ExemptionsNotDeduction" when assigning an ATO Reporting Category?

This error can occur in recently upgraded company files, and our experts are working on a permanent solution. Until then, here's a workaround that'll fix the issue:

  1. Click Exempt (at the top of the wage category).
  2. Take note of which categories are selected.
  3. Deselect all categories. If none are selected, select all.
  4. Click OK, then click OK again to save the changes.
  5. Open the wage category again and select the applicable ATO Reporting Category.
  6. Click Exempt and select the categoriues noted at step 2 (if none were selected, deselect all).
  7. Click OK then click OK again to save your changes.
HTML Wrap
classcol span_3_of_5

 

HTML
</span>
HTML Wrap
width15%
classcol span_1_of_5
 
HTML Wrap
floatleft
classcol span_1_of_5
Panelbox
namemagenta
titleRelated topics
HTML Wrap
classsidebarlinks

About Single Touch Payroll reporting

Setting up Single Touch Payroll reporting

Task 1 - Check payroll details  

Task 2 - Connect to the ATO

Error: "PayrollCategory_InvalidStpCategory"

Payroll categories

Panelbox
nameyellow
titleFrom the community

RSS Feed
titleBarfalse
max5
showTitlesOnlytrue
urlhttp://community.myob.com/myob/rss/search?q=set+up+employees&filter=labels%2Clocation%2CsolvedThreads&location=forum-board%3AEssentialsAccounting&nospellcheck=true&search_type=thread&solved=true

HTML Wrap
classmorelinks
More »