ATO urges accountants to be SuperStream ready

With the 30 June deadline fast approaching, the tax office has reminded accounting firms with 19 or fewer employees they need to start paying super contributions and sending member information electronically through SuperStream.

Philip Hind, the ATO’s national program manager, data standards and e-commerce (SuperStream), said the tax office is assisting both the accounting and legal industries over the coming weeks by sending important information to registered business owners, contacting relevant industry associations and holding dedicated SuperStream webinars.

“There are many options available to get ready for SuperStream and I encourage those responsible for making superannuation contributions to ensure that they ready for the 30 June 2016 compliance deadline,” Mr Hind said.

“The ATO’s employer checklist is a great place to start, or speak with your service provider, whether it is your accountant, bookkeeper, payroll provider, clearing house or super fund, they can help you become SuperStream compliant.”

Mr Hind said the ATO is hearing positive feedback from firms that have already implemented SuperStream.

“Employers who previously had to make contributions to multiple funds are telling us what used to take hours has now been reduced to minutes.”

The ATO said it is hosting webinars to help employers, accountants, BAS agents, bookkeepers and anyone responsible for paying superannuation for accounting and legal businesses. The webinars will be held on Wednesday 10 February and Tuesday 8 March.

The webinars are part of an intensive communication campaign and series of events being held across multiple industries where the ATO is explaining the changes and what it means for employers.