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Single Touch Payroll starts for all employers from 1 July 2019

The parliament has passed legislation to extend STP to include all employers from 1 July 2019.

This will be a gradual start, and not all employers will start reporting at the same time.

Determine when you need to start reporting from one of the following options:

  • Start reporting early. If you use payroll software which offers STP, you can update your product and start reporting any time. Talk to your software provider, or visit their website, to find out what you need to do. See the ATO checklist for some important steps you need to take to connect your software to the ATO.
  • Start reporting any time from 1 July – 30 September 2019.
  • Apply for more time to get ready. If you won’t be ready to start reporting by 30 September 2019, use the ATO online form to apply for a deferred start date. The form will be available from April 2019.
  • Ask the ATO for an exemption if you meet the criteria. If you live in an area with intermittent or no internet connection, you can use the ATO online tool to apply for an exemption. This will be available from April 2019.

If you have four or less employees (micro employer) and you don’t currently use payroll software, there will be other ways to report STP information.

The ATO has asked software developers to build no-cost and low-cost STP solutions for micro employers – including simple payroll software, mobile phone apps and portals.

The ATO has published a list of the companies intending to offer these solutions.

You will also have the option for your registered tax or BAS agent to report your STP information quarterly, rather than each time you run payroll. This option will be available until 30 June 2021.

To view more information from the ATO on Single Touch Payroll, click here.

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