Financopedia / Payroll / What Is A Single Touch Payroll?
What Is A Single Touch Payroll?
Single Touch Payroll (STP) is an efficient way for businesses to report employee payroll information to the Australian Tax Office.
- By Jordan Salas
- May 9, 2023
By transitioning to STP, the traditional timesheets and payroll processing of businesses become automated, making it easier than ever before to stay compliant with taxation laws.
Staying informed with tax law updates throughout each (STP) phase helps business owners manage their company’s payroll more efficiently.
Table of Contents
Single touch Payroll
Single Touch Payroll is a revolutionary phase in the payroll process, allowing employers to report payments such as salaries and wages, pay-as-you-go withholding, and tax and superannuation information directly to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Also, check what is payroll.
STP makes business administration more efficient
Ensuring that all information regarding taxes and superannuation is correctly recorded with no manual data entry required.
Put simply, single-touch payroll can make tax time easier for businesses by providing accurate records of employee income and associated data.
No more payment summary annual reports
The Australian Government recently announced that payroll data collected from employers can now be used to pre-fill payroll information. It eliminates the requirement for employees to receive payment summaries.
This streamlines the payroll process significantly and is also extremely beneficial for employees as it reduces extra paperwork.
The data collected includes salary information, income and tax paid throughout the year, superannuation contributions made, and more. Employers should take extra care in ensuring the accuracy of this payroll information when sent to the ATO so that Australian workers receive the correct payments.
No more employee payments summaries, either
ATO’s Single Touch Payroll reporting phase is well underway, which means that employers are no longer obliged to provide end-of-year Payments Summary reports.
This will greatly reduce the financial burden for businesses and assist them in streamlining their payroll procedures.
With STP, up-to-date payroll reports can send directly from a business’ payroll system. Each time an employee gets the money eliminates the need for year-end summaries and accompanying paperwork.
Tell me the meaning of a single-touch payroll (STP) report.
An (STP) report is an electronic record, generated by employers in Australia to indicate payment information for their employees.
It includes essential details related to payrolls, such as wages, tax withheld, and superannuation data.
Every payment is reported to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on or before the same day it was paid out.
This allows the ATO to more easily generate payment summaries at the end of the financial year and gives employees easier access to them.
(STP) eliminates time-consuming paperwork and streamlines payment management – simplifying the entire process for both employers and employees alike.
How do I switch to STP?
If you’re looking to switch payroll reporting obligations to (STP) reporting, the process is simpler than ever.
While traditional payroll reporting requires manual logging of payroll information and issuing payment summaries at the end of each financial year, STP offers a streamlined solution that operates in near real-time.
To take advantage of this system, you will need to set up a reportable payroll event and use payroll software as a conduit for records transmission.
There is a list of the 6 best payroll software to check.
What is single-touch payroll?
Single-touch payroll (STP) is a system that simplifies payroll processes using online payroll software.
Be sure to know what is payroll software and why is it important.
Not only does it save employers time, but it also helps them stay compliant with their ATO obligations.
Through STP, employers are always up to date with the data they provide online which ensures a payment summary at the end of each financial year for their employees.
This online statement gives employees an accurate overview of how much money they have and how much must go on taxes during that year.
When you report payroll taxes (PT)
Reporting PT is an important responsibility for business owners.
Requirements
Submit accurate and timely payments to government agencies, including federal income and Social Security taxes, in addition to state unemployment insurance taxes.
Keeping up with this essential task ensures that employees are properly compensated. The government agencies receive the funds they need to operate.
Failing to report PT correctly and on time can result in costly penalties or even criminal charges. You must understand the process and remain compliant.
Knowing what are payroll liabilities can help you with taxes.
Summary of single-touch payroll
Single-touch payroll (STP) is an efficient system that simplifies the way businesses report payments to their employees.
It eliminates the manual process of filing individual payment summaries and takes desktop payroll software, like MYOB or Xero, to a whole new level.
Also, you can check the 8 best free payroll software lists.
This reporting solution sends employee salary information directly from desktop payroll software to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
It helps employers remain compliant with their taxation obligations while reducing their paperwork load.
What is single touch?
(STP) is a method of reporting payroll tax obligations directly to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). When (PT) is using the STP system, payment summary annual reports generate automatically.
This record-keeping process simplifies payroll compliance and significantly reduces the paperwork associated with payroll management.
As a result, employers can keep up-to-date on PT, streamline their payroll processing, and avoid costly administrative penalties. Employers can choose between different (STP) providers to find an option that best suits their needs.
What is a single-touch payroll report?
(STP) is a government initiative that requires employers to report their payroll information within 24 hours of payment.
This digital payment method replaces the payment summary annual report and makes it easier to comply with the law. It improves accuracy and reduces the administrative load on payroll departments.
STP provides real-time updates for tax and superannuation information. It automatically deposits payroll taxes collected by employers to the Australian Taxation Office.
This automatic system can be in three simple stages — setup, payment runs, and reporting.
With an STP-compliant accounting software solution, businesses can now easily meet these obligations while still keeping track of employee records without any hassle.
Jordan Salas
Jordan is an experienced CPA and an author & editor at Financopedia. Over the past 12 years, he has written tax and financial content for leading brands. His writing has been featured in Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, Walstreet journal, and more. Jordan enjoys watching old movies and hiking in his free time.