Single Touch Payroll obligations

The Australian Government’s Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting scheme is a new way for businesses to report tax and superannuation information to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Single Touch Payroll aims to streamline payroll functions with your business tax and super reporting obligations to the ATO. This means employers can report payments such as wages and salaries, Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding tax, and superannuation information to the ATO as they run their payroll.

Timing and rollout of Single Touch Payroll

• Large employers should have been reporting through STP since 1 July 2019.
• Small employers with 19 or less employees were given some extra time, with an obligation to report through STP any time before 30 September 2019.

The transition has been gradual and the ATO is providing flexible options and deferrals, especially for those employers who weren’t already using payroll software or micro employers with less than four employees.

There’s a list of Single Touch Payroll compliant software providers here, and some employers can engage a third party, such as a registered tax or BAS agent, or a payroll service provider to complete the STP reporting on their behalf.

There are even more options if an organisation has four or less employees, including no-cost and low-cost STP solutions.

Where to go for help with Single Touch Payroll

If you have any questions or concerns about your Single Touch Payroll contribution processes or obligations, visit the ATO website, or contact your payroll software provider or tax/accounting agent.