Overview
The purpose of this integration is to provide a snapshot of your current tax lodgment status whilst also enabling you to drill into that information. A side benefit is that we're able to compare the ATO Lodgment List with your own client list and update the lodgment dates and output exceptions so you know where there's any tidy-up to be done with your client list within AccountKit or with the ATO.
Please note that this is split into the NEW v's the LEGACY user interface whilst we make available both UI's for customers. In time we will remove all references to the old user interface all together.
The importing process is presently a manual process of exporting and importing the ATO data. This is helpful if you have years of prior exported lodgment reports for showing years of history on the ATO graph. There are plans, however, to automate this process with the ATO which will be much more convenient and less prone to error.
Please note also that the Xero Practice Manager API does NOT allow the lodgment date to be updated. So you will need to import these manually within XPM also. It is still worth importing into AccountKit since you can track your statistics, clean up your data and prepare reports by partner/manager and lodgment status
DECEMBER 2021 REPORT FORMAT CHANGE
The report format was updated as of December 2021 by the ATO. The import process is able to recognise and import both the old and the new format. A comparison of the old and new formats and how we've treated them includes as follows.
Status
Client Type
(we've grouped by Archetype to simplify the grid and ensure consistency)
ATO Lodgments on your Dashboard
Importing & Managing your ATO Lodgment Lists
What does AccountKit do with my imported ATO Data
The Importing Process
Managing Import Exceptions & Masked TFN Matching
Related Links
Legacy User Interface
ATO Lodgments on your Dashboard
Importing ATO Lodgment Lists
Importing ATO Lodgment Due Dates
Managing Import Exceptions & Masked TFN Matching
Related Links
On Your Dashboard
The dashboard is made up of a number of distinct elements.
1. Last Update Status
This is a list of your client's companies as they are registered with ASIC
2. Actions Button
Go through here to manage your ATO imports.
3. Lodgement History Graph
This will show the history of your total lodgements from the date you first start importing through to the current day.
Hover over the graph to get the applicable statistics.
Click on the applicable year in the key to show and hide years, when things start getting a little too busy.
4. Summary Statistics
This is a summary table of the last ATO lodgement list imported. Clicking on any of the numbers will take you to a summary list so you can see what the applicable number is made up of.
From these lists, you can then filter by lodgement type, partner and manager which then can be output to excel for distribution to the applicable team members.
5. Statistics Totals
These totals highlight the total clients on your ATO list, the number and percentage that are lodged and the balance left to be lodged. A great statistic for where you are exactly in your lodgment program.
Importing & Managing ATO Lodgment Lists
The Lodgement import and exceptions page
1. Import New File
Here you can import a new ATO Lodgement List or ATO Lodgement Due Dates.
2. The Import List
This is the list of your imports from day dot. Showing the following information:
Date and time of import
The Period that the import was assigned to; You can only assign one import to a particular period.
The eye communicates that this data is being displayed on the dashboard graph and statistics.
Who imported the information...
Identifies whether the current year column in the ATO report was used for the statistics, or the prior year lodgment info. Pertinent when getting June’s figures once downloaded in July.
The name of the file imported; Helpful when troubleshooting the info being imported.
3. Exceptions & Ignored TFN List
Click on the icon to be taken to the Exceptions List.
Click the icon to be taken to the Ignored TFN list.
4. Actions
Here you can delete a selected import.
What does AccountKit do with the ATO data imported?
Updates the lodgment graph and stats
Updates the lodgment due date on tax returns.
Where a TFN is masked (after importing from XPM), it will attempt to match the last 3 digits + the client's name, if it can not match it will try a number of other ways to find a match, if a match is found it will then populate the TFN field, if not the exception remains.
Updates the actions to identify upcoming due dates for outstanding lodgments.
Identifies and flags any exceptions when comparing the ATO list with your clients in AccountKit.
NOTE: The Xero Practice Manager API does NOT allow the lodgement date to be updated, so, unfortunately, this field does not also then update in XPM. This must be done manually within XPM itself.
The Importing Process
This import process is quite simple if you follow the steps below you'll be seeing statistics in no time.
Step 1- It's important to get the correct report for importing, so follow these steps to ensure you get the correct report from the ATO Portal
Login to the ATO portal
Head to the Reports and forms menu and select Reports
Scroll to the bottom of the page to the On-demand reports section
Select the Request button for the "Income tax lodgement status (current + previous 3 years)" report. (This may take a while to become available)
Return regularly to this page to check its status. When it says "Your requested report is now available. Download links will expire within 7 days of the requested date.", you're good to go.
Under the "View*" options, select "All clients"
Select the "CSV" download link to now download the report.
Save it somewhere you can easily find it, like your desktop (but worth keeping all of your lodgement reports in a safe place for future reference)
Step 2- Convert the file to the correct format for import
NOTE: Do not change any of the columns or data within the download.
Open the downloaded CSV file in excel (or google sheets)
Select the option to Save As and change the format to an Excel XLSX file.
Step 3- Importing the XLSX file, Head to the and click "Import ATO Lodgement List"
Step 4 - Set the import settings: Select the applicable period (year pertains to the calendar year) - ie. If I was importing for May 2020, I'd likely be downloading around June 1, but importing into "2020 - May"
Set the "use Prior Year Lodgment data for Statistics" option
July - May - leave this UNTICKED
June - make sure to TICK this (This is because, on July 1, all columns move across ready for the new financial year)
Step 5 - Importing the report
Select the applicable file and press Import.
At this point, you can leave the system and go grab a drink while we crunch the numbers. Upon completion, the spinner will stop and you'll receive a confirmation notification at the top of the page.
Optionally at this point, you can then work through any exceptions. (see below for more info on how to handle the exceptions)
Importing Historical Information
Essentially just follow the above instructions for each month/year for as far back as you have ATO Lodgments on file.
Until you have a current ATO Lodgment List imported the Exceptions and actions associated with your notifications won’t be accurate since they’ll be based on historical information. We would recommend that you basically ignore the exceptions until you’re entirely up to date with your imports.
Deleting an imported month
If you need to get rid of an import, simply hover over the file line on the import list page and select the three-dot menu on the right. Then select 'Delete Import'
Once you've clicked 'Delete Import' you'll be asked if you're sure. Once you've ticked that you agree to delete then click 'Confirm' this can not be undone unless you reimport.
This action will remove the data out of the lodgment graph and statistics along with roll-back the exceptions and actions initiated upon lodgment.
Importing ATO Lodgment Due Dates
Generally speaking you only really need to import this on July 1 once the ATO has rolled the lodgment information and set the new due dates. Every other import from the ATO for lodgment statistics will also update the due dates.
Simply go and select “Import ATO Lodgment Due Dates”.
Follow the instructions to carry out the import.
Note: these imports can’t be deleted – they’re a one-off event for updating due dates for your client's tax returns; If you’ve uploaded a wrong file so the due dates are wrong, simply re-import again with a current file to update all dates.
Managing Import Exceptions & Masked TFN Matching
ATO List Import Exceptions
Exceptions come about through discrepancies with the ATO data when compared with the authorities within your AccountKit client data. When you press the exception number on a current import, the current exceptions are listed down below for action in the 'Import Exceptions' List.
Your starting point MUST be in resolving the first of the exceptions, which is "TFN in ATO List not in AccountKit" as some of the other exceptions rely on these first being resolved.
Note: A majority of these will be due to the first import not being able to match against the masked TFNs that come through from XPM where there hasn't been an obvious match.
Once you believe you’ve fixed the exception, you can either refresh the full import and check again OR you can press the refresh button on the end of the exception line.
Note: A full update can take quite a while, so feel free to open a separate tab to keep working elsewhere.
Here is a list of exceptions and the methods for fixing them.
TFN in the ATO list, not in AccountKit.
This is where the ATO has a client on their list, but you don’t have them in your list of clients with the “Practice Authority” of “Prepare Tax" ticked.
New Client hasn’t been set up with AccountKit yet.
Ensure the client has been added to AccountKit and the practice authority for Prepare Tax is ticked and TFN entered without spaces.
Select the client from the dropdown search and press the tick to assign the TFN to the client (if not already assigned)
You've imported client data from XPM and the TFNs are still masked so we've been unable to make a match.
On import, the obvious matches and updates will have happened.
For the balance, simply select the right client and press the tick at the end of the line to update the TFN and clear the exception.
A client has lodged a final return. The ATO will typically keep them on your list forever, but it will skew your statistics.
NOTE: As of the updated report format from December 2021, final lodged returns no longer appear on your lodgement list.
Flag the TFN for ignoring from July after the final lodgement.
A client has passed away.
Flag the TFN for ignoring from July after the final lodgment.
Client authorised in AccountKit, not in ATO list
This is where we have the client “Practice Authorities” for “Prepare Tax” ticked, but the client’s TFN isn’t on the ATO lodgment list.
Lost client to another accounting firm
Untick the Practice Authority for “Prepare Tax” for that client.
Press the refresh icon at the end of the row.
The new client has not been added to your ATO list yet.
Add to your ATO list on the ATO Tax Agent Portal;
You could elect to "ignore" this error until the next period, but not really necessary. It can be left as is.
A new client entity has just been set up. The ATO will add them to your list despite there not being a return required until the next financial year.
Add the TFN to the ignore list with an end date being July in the following year.
Historical import – you will have historical clients that are no longer clients either because they’ve left or lodged a final return years ago.
Don’t do anything, as they were correct as of the year for import. It’ll fix itself when you get to current-day imports.
The TFN has been entered into AccountKit with spaces; The ATO TFN doesn’t have spaces.
Go through AccountKit and remove any spaces for those relevant entities.
Client Matched But Not Authorised in AccountKit
We've made a match between the ATO report and a client in AccountKit, but the practice authority for "Prepare Tax" hasn't been ticked.
New client potentially and the prepared tax simply hasn't been ticked.
Go to the client entity that’s been flagged, update the practice authority and press refresh at the end of the line.
Non-matching ATO Client Types
This happens where the ATO entity type (ie. Company, trust etc) is different from the structure type within AccountKit.
AccountKit has the wrong entity type.
Go to the client entity that’s been flagged and update your entity type to match the ATO.
TFN is ignored, but ATO provides a due date.
This happens when a client's TFN has been set to be ignored, but the ATO has a lodgment due date assigned to that client.
Ignore end date wasn’t set for a client that should’ve ceased being ignored from July 1.
Restore/remove TFN ignore against that TFN from within the TFN Ignore List.
Ignoring a TFN in the exceptions list.
There are two ways of adding an exception to the ignore list.
To ignore multiple clients at once. Select the clients you wish to ignore select the three-dot actions menu (as part of the shared elements) and select "Assign to the Ignore List"
Using the icon the exceptions line, as shown below.
Follow the steps below to add this client to the ignore list.
Set the Start date for the ignore action to start; Typically it’ll be the current month of import, but can be any time.
Setting the End date is optional, but typically used where a client has been added to your lodgment list, but you won’t officially be lodging on their behalf until next year. Eg. Setup of a new entity.
Enter a description (optional); This is used to determine why they’ve been set to ignore. Eg. New entity setup; first year of lodgment not due until next year; OR; Client has lodged a final return.
Clear the Ignore TFN status.
If a client should come off the TFN ignore list, or the end ignore date wasn’t set, you’ll need to manually remove the ignore status for AccountKit to start to include a TFN within the stats again. To do this follow the steps below.
Like adding the client to the ignore list there are two ways you can remove the client from the ignore list.
To restore multiple clients at once. From the Import list page, click the icon to open the Ignore List Page. Select the three-dot actions menu (as part of the shared elements) and select "Restore selected TFNs
From the list, page mouse over the client in the ignore list and click on the Icon to restore this client to the exceptions list.
Editing the Ignore TFN status
If you’ve forgotten to put an end date, start date or a description to an ignored TFN, from the TFN Ignored List, click the icon and edit appropriate fields, then click save.
Legacy User Interface
On Your Dashboard
The dashboard is made up of a number of distinct elements
1. Last Update Status
This is a list of your client's companies as they are registered with ASIC
2. Actions Button
Go through here to manage your ATO imports and TFN exceptions.
3. Lodgement History Graph
This will show the history of your total lodgements from the date you first start importing through to current day.
Hover over the graph to get the applicable statistics.
Click on the applicable year in the key to show and hide years, when things start getting a little too busy.
4. Summary Statistics
This is a summary table of the last ATO lodgement list imported. Clicking on any of the numbers will take you to summary list so you can see what the applicable number is made up of.
From these lists, you can then filter by lodgement type, partner and manager which then can be output to excel for distributing to the applicable team members.
5. Statistics Totals
These totals highlight the total clients on your ATO list, the number and percentage that are lodged and the balance left to be lodged. A great statistic for where you are exactly in your lodgment program.
NOTE: The above image represents the OLD layout which reflects the old lodgement statuses. The new ATO report format released in December 2021 changes the statuses and entity types.
Importing & Managing ATO Lodgment Lists
The Lodgement import and exceptions page
1. Actions Button
Various actions you can carry out including:
Importing an ATO Lodgment List
Importing an ATO Due Date List
Delete
2. Import ATO Lodgment List
Quick access to the import ATO list pop-up.
3. Import List
This shows the details of each import:
a. Date and time of import
b. The Period that the import was assigned to; You can only assign one import to a particular period.
c. The eye communicates that this data is being displayed on the dashboard graph and statistics.
d. Who imported the information
e. Identifies whether the current year column in the ATO report was used for the statistics, or the prior year lodgment info. Pertinent when getting June’s figures once downloaded in July.
f. The name of the file imported; Helpful when troubleshooting the info being imported.
g. The number of exceptions evaluated upon import.
h. The number of TFN’s ignored in this dataset.
i. Button to show the full data imported from the ATO
j. Button to refresh a full check of the ATO data after actioning some of the exceptions.
What does AccountKit do with the ATO data imported?
Updates the lodgment graph and stats.
Updates the lodgment due date on tax returns.
Where a TFN is masked (from importing from XPM), it will attempt to match the last 3 digits + name, if it can not match it will try a number of other ways to find a match, if a match is found it will then populate the TFN field, if not the exception remains.
Updates the actions to identify upcoming due dates for outstanding lodgments.
Identifies and flags any exceptions when comparing the ATO list with your clients in AccountKit.
NOTE: The Xero Practice Manager API does NOT allow the lodgment date to be updated, so, unfortunately, this field does not also then update in XPM. This must be done manually within XPM itself.
Importing ATO data
To get the process underway, it's super simple - simply do as follows:
First head to the Manage ATO Imports page from the Action button on your dashboard
Then select the (+) Import ATO Lodgement List button at the top of the page
You will then be greeted by the import page as follows.
Step 1- It's important to get the correct report for importing, so follow these steps to ensure you get the correct report from the ATO Portal
Login to the ATO portal
Head to the Reports and forms menu and select Reports
Scroll to the bottom of the page to the On demand reports section
Select the Request button for the "Income tax lodgement status (current + previous 3 years)" report. (This may take a while to become available)
Return regularly to this page to check it's status. When it says "Your requested report is now available. Download links will expire in 7 days of requested date.", you're good to go.
Under the "View*" options, select "All clients"
Select the "CSV" download link to now download the report.
Save it somewhere you can easily find, like your desktop (but worth keeping all of your lodgement reports in a safe place for future reference)
Step 2- Convert the file to the correct format for import
Open the downloaded CSV file in excel (or google sheets)
Select the option to Save As and change the format to an Excel XLSX file.
Step 3 - Set the import settings
Select the applicable period (year pertains to the calendar year) - ie. If I was importing for May 2020, I'd likely be downloading around June 1, but importing into "2020 - May"
Set the "use Prior Year Lodgment data for Statistics" option
July - May - leave this UNTICKED
June - make sure to TICK this (This is because on July 1, all columns move across ready for the new financial year)
Step 4 - Importing the report
Select the applicable file and press Import.
At this point you can leave the system and go grab a drink while we crunch some numbers. Upon completion, the spinner will stop and you'll receive a confirmation notification at the top of the page.
Optionally at this point you can then work through any exceptions at the bottom of the page (see below for more info on how to handle the exceptions)
Importing Historical Information
Essentially just follow the above instructions for each month/year for as far back as you have ATO Lodgments on file for.
Until you have a current ATO Lodgment List imported the Exceptions and actions associated with your notifications won’t be accurate since they’ll be based on historical information. We would recommend that you basically ignore the exceptions until you’re entirely up to date with your imports.
Deleting an imported month
If you need to get rid of an import, simply check the applicable import and go to the action menu and select Delete.
This action will remove the data out of the lodgment graph and statistics along with roll-back the exceptions and actions initiated upon lodgment.
Importing ATO Lodgment Due Dates
Generally speaking you only really need to import this on July 1 once the ATO have rolled the lodgment information and set the new due dates. Every other import from the ATO for lodgment statistics will also update the due dates.
Simply go to the Action menu and select “Import ATO Lodgment Due Dates”.
Follow the instructions to carry out the import.
Note: these imports can’t be deleted – they’re a one-off event for updating due dates for your client's tax returns; If you’ve uploaded a wrong file so the due dates are wrong, simply re-import again with a current file to update all dates.
Managing Import Exceptions & Masked TFN Matching
Import Exceptions
Exceptions come about through discrepancies with the ATO data when compared with the authorities within your AccountKit client data. When you press the exception number on a current import, the current exceptions are listed down below for actioning in the 'Import Exceptions' List.
Your starting MUST be in resolving the first of the exceptions, being those on the ATO list, but not in AccountKit, as some of the other exceptions rely on these first being resolved.
Note that a majority of these will be due to the first import not being able to match against the masked TFN's that come through from XPM where there hasn't been an obvious match.
Once you believe you’ve fixed the exception, you can either refresh the full import and check again OR you can press the refresh button on the end of exception line.
Please note that a full update can take quite a while, so feel free to open a separate tab to keep working elsewhere.
Here is a list of exceptions and the methods for fixing.
TFN in the ATO list, not in AccountKit.
This is where the ATO have a client on their list, but you don’t have them in your list of clients with the “Practice Authority” of “Prepare Tax" ticked.
New Client hasn’t been set up with AccountKit yet.
Ensure the client has been added to AccountKit and the practice authority for Prepare Tax is ticked and TFN entered without spaces.
Select the client from the dropdown search and press the tick to assign the TFN to the client (if not already assigned)
You've imported client data from XPM and the TFN's are still masked so we've been unable to make a match.
On import the obvious matches and updates will have happened.
For the balance, simply select the right client and press the tick at the end of the line to update the TFN and clear the exception.
Client has lodged a final return. The ATO will typically keep them on your list forever, but it will skew your statistics.
NOTE: As of the updated report format from December 2021, final lodged returns no longer appear on your lodgement list.
Flag the TFN for ignoring from the July after the final lodgement.
Client has passed away.
Flag the TFN for ignoring from the July after the final lodgment.
Client authorised in AccountKit, not in ATO list
This is where we have the clients “Practice Authorities” for “Prepare Tax” is ticked, but the client’s TFN isn’t on the ATO lodgment list.
Lost client to another accounting firm
Untick the Practice Authority for “Prepare Tax” for that client.
Press the refresh icon at the end of the row.
New client not added to your ATO list yet.
Add to your ATO list on the ATO Tax Agent Portal;
You could elect to "ignore" this error until the next period, but not really necessary. It can be left as is.
New client entity has just been set up. The ATO will add them to your list despite there not being a return required until the next financial year.
Add the TFN to the ignore list with an end date being July in the following year.
Historical import – you will have historical clients that are no longer clients either because they’ve left or lodged a final return years ago.
Don’t do anything, as they were correct as of the year for import. It’ll fix itself when you get to current day imports.
The TFN has been entered into AccountKit with spaces; The ATO TFN doesn’t have spaces.
Go through AccountKit and remove any spaces for those relevant entities.
Client Matched But Not Authorised in AccountKit
We've made a match between the ATO report and a client in AccountKit, but the practice authority for "Prepare Tax" hasn't been ticked.
New client potentially and the prepare tax simply hasn't been ticked.
Go to the client entity that’s been flagged, update the practice authority and press refresh at the end of the line.
Non-matching ATO Client Types
This happens where the ATO entity type (ie. Company, trust etc) is different from the structure type within AccountKit.
AccountKit has the wrong entity type.
Go to the client entity that’s been flagged and update your entity type to match the ATO.
TFN is ignored, but ATO provides a due date.
This happens where a client TFN has been set to be ignored, but the ATO has a lodgment due date assigned to that client.
Ignore end date wasn’t set for a client that should’ve ceased being ignored from July 1.
Restore/remove TFN ignore against that TFN from within the TFN Ignore List.
Ignoring a TFN in the exceptions list.
Go to the Import Exceptions list at the bottom of the Manage ATO Lodgments List screen.
Either:
Tick those clients that you would like to ignore; If you have different descriptions, then do only those with the same description at the same time; OR
For each client, select the icon in the actions column to do one at a time.
Select the Action button and press “Assign to ignore list”
Set the Start date for the ignore action to start; Typically it’ll be the current month of import, but can be any time.
Setting the End date is optional, but typically used where a client has been added to your lodgment list, but you won’t officially be lodging on their behalf until next year. Eg. Setup of a new entity.
Enter a description (optional); This is used to determine why they’ve been set to ignore. Eg. New entity setup; first year of lodgment not due until next year; OR; Client has lodged a final return.
Clear the Ignore TFN status.
If a client should come off the TFN ignore list, or the end ignore date wasn’t set, you’ll need to manually remove the ignore status for AccountKit to start to include a TFN within the stats again.
From the exceptions section of the Manage ATO Lodgments List screen, go to the action menu and select “Managed Ignored TFN’s”.
Now either:
For multiple - Tick those you want to restore and select the Actions button followed by “Restore selected TFN’s.
For a single entity – simply select the restore arrow in the actions column for that client.
Editing the Ignore TFN status
If you’ve forgotten to put an end date, start date or a description to an ignored TFN, simply go to the TFN Ignore List and select the edit icon within the Actions Menu to update the required details before saving.
Related Articles
Head to practice settings for the steps to enable this integration.
Check out this link for various elements shared throughout the various toolsets.