Connect Deputy to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to automatically retrieve stapled super fund details for eligible new hires and automate Tax File Number (TFN) declarations during onboarding.

This article explains what super stapling is, when employers need to check for a stapled super fund, and how to authorise Deputy to connect to the ATO.

Before you read

• Target audience: This article is for users with System Administrator access.
• Plan restrictions: This feature is available on all Deputy plans.
• To complete this set-up, you need:
  • Your business's 11-digit Australian Business Number (ABN).
  • Someone authorised to act for the business with the ATO, such as:
    • The business owner or employer.
    • A registered BAS agent.
    • A registered tax agent.

If your BAS or tax agent manages ATO authorisations for your business, you can complete the Deputy set-up before asking them to complete the ATO authorisation on your behalf.

This article covers:

• What is super stapling?
• Why connect Deputy to the ATO?
• Who can connect Deputy to the ATO?
• How do I connect Deputy to the ATO?

What is super stapling?

A stapled super fund is an existing super account that is linked to a team member and stays with them when they move between employers.

Since 1 November 2021, Australian employers generally cannot automatically pay super contributions into their default super fund when a new team member has not made a super choice. Employers must first check with the ATO to find out whether the team member has a stapled super fund.

When onboarding a new team member, one of three outcomes applies:

• The team member nominates a super fund: Contributions are paid into the nominated fund.
• The team member does not nominate a fund, and the ATO returns a stapled super fund: Contributions are paid into the stapled fund.
• The team member does not nominate a fund, and the ATO does not return a stapled fund: Contributions can be paid into your business's default super fund.

When Deputy is connected to the ATO, this stapled super fund check happens automatically during new hire onboarding for each eligible team member.

Why connect Deputy to the ATO?

Connecting Deputy to the ATO is a one-time set-up for each business entity.

Once connected, Deputy can automatically:

• Retrieve stapled super fund details during new hire onboarding when required.
• Submit Tax File Number declarations to the ATO.
• Reduce manual administration by removing the need to request stapled fund details individually through ATO Online Services.
• Use your configured default super fund only when a team member has not nominated a fund and the ATO does not return a stapled super fund.

For team members, automated super stapling helps keep contributions in their existing super fund where appropriate, helping to reduce unnecessary duplicate super accounts.

If during onboarding a team member nominates their own super fund, or to join your default fund, Deputy will use the nominated fund instead.

Who can connect Deputy to the ATO?

Authorising the connection requires access to your business's ATO records; this can typically be done by the following people.

If a BAS or tax agent is completing the ATO authorisation, complete the Deputy set-up first, then ask them to authorise the connection when prompted.

How do I connect Deputy to the ATO?

If you have already added your business entity in Deputy, start from step 5.

1. On the People page, click on New hire onboarding from the menu on the left. Can't see the Deputy HR left hand side menu?

2. Click Onboarding settings.

   

3. At the top of the page, 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 set up automated super stapling, you will need to select set up an ATO connection.

   

7. On the Set up automated employee onboarding screen, review the declaration and select Agree and declare.

   

8. Complete the ATO authorisation process by following the How to set up the ATO connection steps. This authorises Deputy's software provider through the ATO's Access Manager
   
   Once complete, you'll need to click Check ATO connection.

Need help with this step: How to setup the ATO connection? 
View the ATO's interactive walkthrough

9. If your ATO connection has been set up successfully, you'll see a confirmation screen indicating that super stapling and TFN declarations will now be handled automatically during employee onboarding. 

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.

11. Next, enter the details for your  Employer default super fund name for your organization (super fund / ABN / USI).

If your business has multiple ABNs, repeat these steps for each business entity.

Good to know

• Automatic stapled super fund checks only apply when a team member does not nominate their own super fund.
• Each business entity and ABN must be connected to the ATO separately.
• You can continue using Deputy without connecting to the ATO, but you must manually request stapled super fund details through ATO Online Services when required.
• Connecting Deputy to the ATO also allows Deputy to submit TFN declarations during onboarding.

Related articles

• Deputy:
  • How to set up new hire onboarding in Deputy
  • Adding your Australian Business Number (ABN)
• ATO:
  • Stapled super funds for employers