Skip to main content

Adding your Australian Business Number (ABN)

Steph Gonzales
  • Updated
Note: From October 1st, 2025, we introduced new plans that better reflect how our customers use Deputy: Lite, Core, and Pro. If you're an existing customer, look out for an email with all the details you’ll need. Learn more about the new plans and what this change means for you.

This article covers how and why to add ABNs/Business entities to a Deputy account for customers using Deputy HR Onboarding.
 

Before you read

  • Target audience: This article is for users with System Administrator access (AU only).
  • Check your details carefully: To avoid any potential issues or delays with onboarding your new hires, confirm your ABN and legal business name details are accurate and complete before submitting.

This article covers

How to add your ABN to Deputy

Deputy has launched a new and improved onboarding flow for all new team members, streamlining how employees select their Superannuation while ensuring compliance with Superannuation regulations. You can learn more about these changes in this section of the article.

To enable this update in your account, we need your Australian Business Number (ABN) in your business's Deputy HR onboarding settings:

1. On the People tab, select New hire onboarding.

people new hire onboarding.png

2. Click Onboarding settings.

3. At the top of the page, there's a new section called Set up your business entity. Click Set up business entity to get started.



4. On the Onboarding settings page, click Add business entity.

5. A pop-up window will appear prompting you to enter your 11-digit ABN. Once entered, click Search, then Add entity.

6. To avoid any potential issues or delays with onboarding your new hires, confirm your ABN and that it has pulled through your legal business name before clicking Add entity.

Note: If you have multiple ABNs / business entities, you'll need to enter one ABN at a time. After submitting the first ABN, repeat this process by clicking Add business entity again to enter the next one.

7. You have now added your ABN and will be prompted to set up an ATO connection to enable certain automations. 

Note: If you do not wish to set up ATO automations, you can click the (x) to close the prompt.

8. To enable the ATO connection for automations and Super Stapling, you must follow the multi-stage checklist, finalising and confirming you're connected by clicking Check ATO Connection.

9. Once your connection has been confirmed, there are two optional automations you can turn on:

  1. TFN Declarations: With this feature on, your employees will be requested to complete a tax file number declaration form, which will then be automatically submitted to the ATO.
    • To turn this on, check that your business details are correct, tick to confirm the declaration, then click Activate TFN Declaration.
  2. Super Stapling: With this feature on, your employees can retrieve their existing super fund details via the ATO to help make providing their super choice details quick and easy.
    • To turn this on, check that your business details are correct, tick to confirm the declaration, then click Activate Super Stapling.

10. When a business entity has been added, it will be visible within your onboarding settings with an ATO Automations Status:

  • Activated: The ATO Connection has been made, and all automations have been turned on.
  • Partially activated: The ATO Connection has been made, and some automations have been turned on.
  • Not activated: The ATO Connection may or may not have been made, and no automations have been turned on.

From here, you can click to add (another) business entity, or you can adjust an existing entity by clicking the three-dot icon (...) and selecting to either activate or deactivate automations, or to remove an entity entirely.

Why adding your ABN is essential

Adding your ABN is an essential step in the new onboarding process. It provides key benefits for your organization and team members:

  1. Compliance & automation: It enables the system to automate the new member number process for partnered super funds. 
  2. Stapled fund identification: It will enable Deputy to display the team member's stapled fund (the last fund they contributed to) during onboarding. 
  3. Employee financial well-being: By using a stapled fund, employees are less likely to open multiple super accounts and incur extra fees, helping protect their retirement savings.
  4. Full choice: It gives your new hires clear, compliant visibility of all available super funds, so they can make informed decisions. 

FAQs

What’s changing on February 16, 2026?

From February 16, 2026, businesses using Deputy HR Onboarding will be required to have a valid ABN added to their Onboarding Settings.

This change supports an upgraded onboarding flow designed to prepare employers for Payday Super requirements. Adding your ABN enables Deputy’s new SuperAPI integration, which provides:

  • Automated stapled fund detection to prevent duplicate super accounts.

  • Verified super details to reduce manual entry errors.

  • A faster, fully digital onboarding experience for new starters.

What happens if I haven't added my ABN by February 16, 2026?

If you haven't added your ABN by February 16, 2026:

  • Deputy Onboarding will be inactive for new starters.

  • You won’t be able to access the new SuperAPI integration.

  • New employees may be unable to complete onboarding until an ABN is added.

System Administrators will see the warning banner below on the Onboard Team Member page until they add their ABN, and the Send onboarding button will be frozen. 

To avoid disruption, we recommend adding your ABN ahead of the deadline - it takes less than a minute to complete.

 

Why am I still seeing the ABN submission banner or communications after adding my ABN?

If you’ve successfully added your ABN, you can ignore the banner and any related messages. It may take some time for the update to fully sync and remove the banner.

How do I delete an ABN if I've submitted the wrong details?

You can delete an ABN by returning to the same section you used to add your ABN details.

1. Go to the People tab and select New hire onboarding from the menu on the left-hand side. 
Next, click the Onboarding Settings button.



2. Click Settings.

3. Locate the ABN you'd like to remove under the Business entities section, then click the three-dot icon (...)

4. Review the warning message, then click Remove entity to proceed with removing the selected ABN.


Note: 

  • If you have any pending new hire onboarding forms associated with the ABN you're deleting, you'll need to reset and re-send the onboarding.

  • It is the responsibility of your organisation to check that the ABN you're removing is not currently linked to active payroll, STP submissions, or other compliance records.

To avoid issues, always confirm your ABN and legal business name details are accurate before submitting.

Related articles