A guide published by Dotto
Business technology: the government systems a business connects to
A business that sends invoices, pays staff and deals with the ATO online connects to a small set of government-run systems. Peppol carries eInvoices between businesses’ software, Single Touch Payroll reports pay to the ATO each time employees are paid, SuperStream carries super contributions to funds, and myID with Relationship Authorisation Manager decides who may act online for the business.
General information about how these systems work, not tax, payroll or super advice for any business. The official place to check is the ATO, whose pages are listed at the foot of each guide.
The five connections
Think of the business as one line, with each system a port off it. Here is what travels along each one, and who runs it.
The business
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Port 1 · invoices
Peppol eInvoicing
Invoice data, sent from a supplier’s software to a buyer’s. business.gov.au says it works between businesses, including government, and does not apply to sales to consumers. The Australian Peppol Authority, set up within the ATO in 2019, governs the network, and the ATO says it can’t see invoice information.
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Port 2 · payroll
Single Touch Payroll
Payroll information, including salaries and wages, PAYG withholding and super liability information, sent to the ATO from STP-enabled software each time employees are paid. It has been a mandatory obligation since 1 July 2018 for employers with 20 or more employees, and since 1 July 2019 for those with 19 or fewer.
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Port 3 · super
SuperStream
Super contributions and their data, sent together electronically in a standard format and linked by a unique payment reference number. From 1 July 2026, under Payday Super, super guarantee is paid for each payday instead of each quarter.
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Port 4 · identity
myID and Relationship Authorisation Manager
Proof of who a person is, through a Digital ID app such as myID on their own device, and proof that they may act for the business online, through Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). The ATO announced on 13 November 2024 that the app called myGovID is now called myID.
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Port 5 · the ATO
Online services for business
The ATO’s portal for business reporting and transactions, from tax registrations to nominating a tax agent. Signing in needs myID.
Which comes first
Identity comes before everything done with the ATO online. For someone new to the ATO’s online services, the ATO says the first steps are to set up a myID and link it to the business in RAM. The principal authority, meaning the business owner or the person responsible for the business, has to be the first person to link the business’s ABN.
Payroll follows for a business that employs. The ATO says a new employer needs to start reporting through STP Phase 2 enabled software as soon as it starts paying employees, and super guarantee contributions for those employees go to their funds through SuperStream.
eInvoicing works differently: the ATO says it can’t see any invoice information sent over the network, and a business starts by registering on the Peppol network.
The dates in one place
- 1 July 2018
- Single Touch Payroll starts for employers with 20 or more employees.
- 2019
- The Australian Peppol Authority is set up within the ATO.
- 1 July 2019
- Single Touch Payroll starts for employers with 19 or fewer employees.
- 1 January 2022
- STP Phase 2 expands the payroll information collected.
- 13 November 2024
- The ATO announces that myGovID is now called myID.
- 1 October 2025
- The Small Business Superannuation Clearing House closes to new users.
- 1 July 2026
- Payday Super starts: super guarantee is paid for each payday, and is on time if the fund receives it, with the information needed to allocate it, within 7 business days after payday, unless a longer time applies. All super funds must be able to receive payments through the New Payments Platform from this date.
The five guides
- eInvoicing and Peppol: connecting a business’s invoices
What an eInvoice is, who runs the network, the ways to register, and how eInvoices sit with tax invoices.
- Single Touch Payroll: the report sent each time staff are paid
What each report carries, how to count employees for the reporting options, and what happens at the end of the year.
- SuperStream and Payday Super: how super reaches the fund
The 7 business day clock, when it runs longer, the member verification request and faster payments.
- Digital identity and RAM: who may act online for a business
Identity strengths, linking the business’s ABN, and authorising staff.
- Online services for business: the ATO’s portal, menu by menu
Logging in, the menus, the Profile settings and nominating a tax or BAS agent.
How these pages are written
Each guide rests on the ATO’s own pages for its system. The guide to digital identity also draws on the myID and Relationship Authorisation Manager sites, which are put in plain words rather than quoted. Each page lists its sources at its foot, and every page was checked against them on 8 October 2026.