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How do I set up ABN branching in Deputy Payroll?

Micaela MacLachlan
  • Updated

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Information provided by Deputy is intended for general guidance purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal or financial advice. Deputy does not accept liability for actions taken based on this information.
Employers are responsible for ensuring their employees are paid correctly in line with the applicable legislation, award/s, industrial instrument/s and relevant employment agreements.
For specific issues or if you are unsure about your employee/s’ entitlements, please consult a legal, financial or employment relations specialist. Deputy does not offer advice on employment law or taxation matters, including payroll specifics.

This article explains how ABN branching works in Deputy Payroll, and takes you through the steps to set it up.

Before you read

This article covers

When should I set up a branch in Deputy?

Branching in Deputy Payroll lets you run payroll separately for different parts of your business that sit under the same ABN.

You may need to set up a branch if your locations or business areas under the same ABN:

  • Have different contact details for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
  • Have different taxation details, and report separately to the ATO for PAYG and GST reporting.

Note that you can only use branching in Deputy if you have registered for branching with the ATO and have been assigned branch numbers. Please see the ATO webpage on registering a branch for more information.

In Deputy, each business with its own ABN is set up as a separate payroll business entity. You can set up multiple business entities, and you can also have multiple branches under each entity for a very complex setup.

How do I set up a branch?

This article assumes you’ve already set up at least one business entity in Deputy Payroll. If you need to create a new business entity, check out our guide for setting up multiple business entities in Payroll.

Step 1: Add the branch’s details

  1. From the Pay tab of your Business Settings, Select View payroll settings 

    Screenshot of navigating to View payroll settings from the Pay tab in Business Settings.png

  2. Your view of the Business details page may look different depending on whether you've already set up multiple entities. Select Add branch to add a branch to the chosen entity. 

      Adding your first branch to a single entity   Adding an additional branch 
    Screenshot of Business details of an entity indicating where to click to add a branch - single entity.png

    Click to expand
    Screenshot of Business details of an entity indicating where to click to add a branch - multi entity.png

    Click to expand

  3. Fill in all the fields on the Business details page, then click Continue.

    • Trading name: This is the branch's specific name, and is distinct from the entity name. Typically this is the business name you tell customers (for example if you are a retailer and have a store in two different suburbs, the suburb name may be in the trading name).
    • Branch code: This is the unique identifier for the branch within your business. 
    • Primary contact, Business phone and Business owner email: These details can be different from the main entity and will be used for ATO communication related to the branch.

    • Address: This is the legal address of the branch.

      Screenshot of Business details page when adding a branch to an entity in Payroll.png
      Click to expand

    Note: Deputy doesn't capture the legal name of a branch or run a search with the Australian Business Register (ABR), because it's already linked to the ABN of the main entity.

Step 2: Add banking details and accounting suite

Next, fill in the fields on the Payroll details page, and click Continue

  1. Bank details: Enter the Account name, BSB, and Account number for the bank account you'll use to process payroll for this branch. Select the Bank name from the drop-down. You can also add your APCA code, if you have one.

  2. Accounting suite (optional): Select your accounting software from the drop-down. This determines the default format for your general ledger exports. 

    Screenshot of payroll details page when adding a branch in Payroll.png

Step 3: Assign one or more pay calendars to this branch

Pay calendars group team members who are paid in the same frequency and pay run. 

  1. From the Assign pay calendar drop-down, check the box next to the pay calendar(s) you want to assign to this branch. 

    Screenshot of assigning a pay calendar to a branch from the Assign pay calendar drop-down.png

    If you need to create a new pay calendar, click the Create new button and follow this guide for setting up a new pay calendar. 

    Tip: On the main Pay runs page, upcoming pay runs are named according to the pay calendar and not the branch. If you have similarly named pay calendars for different branches or entities, we recommend adding the branch code (or another identifier) to the pay calendar name to help distinguish between them.

  2. When you've added the pay calendar(s) you need, click Finish setup 

    Web template (23).png

Completing pay runs by branch

Once the setup is complete, you'll see separate upcoming pay runs for each of your pay calendars on the main Payroll screen. You can now prepare a regular pay run or prepare an adhoc pay run for any of these pay calendars.

Screenshot of Pay runs screen pointing to 4 pay calendar pay runs.png

All the information you entered for the branch goes into your Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting and tax reporting.

 

 

 

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