Available for the following payroll plans: Standard, Premium
Available for the following user access levels: Admin
Question
How do I enable single-touch payroll (STP) for my organisation?
Answer
On your payroll classic dashboard, you can access the Single Touch Payroll (STP) Enablement wizard, which will guide you through the steps involved in enabling STP submissions for your organisation. Once you have enabled STP submission on your payroll platform, you will need to set up your Australian Tax Office (ATO) Access Manager. You can read further information in the following ATO help article.
Important
The STP Enabling wizard only appears for organisations that have not enabled STP, i.e. once you enable STP, you can no longer access this feature. Also, the following content covers enabling Single Touch Payroll for your organisation, not your individual Employing Entities. If you have multiple Employing Entities, please refer to the following article for details on how to turn on Single Touch Payroll.
- Click the Business menu.
- Click the Dashboard submenu
- Click the Enable Single Touch Payroll button.
- Click the Proceed button.
- Confirm your business details are correct.
- Click the Next button.
- In the Who Will be Lodging STP Events for this Business drop-down, choose from the following options:
- Employer.
- A registered Tax/Agent:
- Tax agent number.
- ABN.
- Contact name.
- Phone number.
- Contact email.
- An intermediary for multiple-employing entities:
- ABN.
- Phone number.
- Contact name.
- Contact email.
- Click the Next button.
- Select either the Option 1 or Option 2 tick box.
- Click the I Acknowledge the Terms and Conditions tick box.
- Click the Complete button.
- Click the Go to Dashboard button.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Single Touch Payroll (STP) | Single Touch Payroll (STP) is the government-mandated process for reporting your payroll information – including employee wages, tax withheld and superannuation contributions – directly to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) with every pay run. |
| STP Finalisation | STP Finalisation is the confirmation of your pay run. When you finalise an STP run, you lock in the payroll data and submit it to the ATO. Once finalised, no further changes can be made to that pay run. |
| STP Update Event | An STP Update Event allows you to correct or update payroll data that has already been submitted to the ATO. Use an update event when you need to make adjustments before or after finalisation. |
| Payment Run | A Payment Run is the scheduled process in which your payroll is calculated and processed. This includes calculating wages, applying deductions and contributions, and issuing payments on the designated payment date. |
| Payroll Event | A Payroll Event refers to any change or transaction in your payroll system—such as employee additions, terminations or wage adjustments—that affects the payroll information reported to the ATO. |
| Payment Date | The Payment Date is the specific day on which employees receive their wages as part of your payroll process. |
| Employee Payment Summary | The Employee Payment Summary is a report provided to employees that details their total earnings, the tax withheld, and superannuation contributions for the pay period. |
| Employer Contributions | Employer Contributions are the mandatory superannuation payments that you, as an employer, are required to make on behalf of your employees. |
| Reporting Period | The Reporting Period is the timeframe during which your payroll data is collected and reported to the ATO, typically aligning with your pay run. |
Explore related content:
- Send a Notification to Employees That We Have Completed Our Single Touch Payroll (STP) Finalisation Event This FAQ answers a common question we receive about how do I notify my employees that they can access their income statements via the ATO online services.
- Amend a Single Touch Payroll (STP) Finalisation Event This FAQ answers a common question we receive about how do I lodge an amended finalisation event.