This is part of our Payroll and STP series, powered by Employment Hero (Chapter 4 of the QuickBooks tutorial hub):

• Lesson 1: Understanding QuickBooks Payroll Powered by Employment Hero
• Lesson 2: Choosing Standard or Advanced Payroll in QuickBooks
• Lesson 3: Setting Up STP in QuickBooks and Connecting to the ATO
• Lesson 4: Award Interpretation and Running a Compliant Pay Run in QuickBooks
• Lesson 5: Super Clearing Houses in QuickBooks and Payday Super
• Lesson 6: STP Phase 2 Reporting and EOFY Finalisation in QuickBooks

Getting STP connected correctly means your pay runs report to the ATO automatically from day one.

1. Enabling STP in your payroll settings

Within your payroll setup, there is a dedicated STP connection step to authorise reporting to the ATO.

2. Confirming your business details match

Your ABN and business details need to match what is registered with the ATO for the connection to work smoothly.

3. Testing before your first real pay run

Running a test pay cycle first confirms the STP connection is reporting correctly before real wages are involved.

4. What happens each pay run afterward

Once connected, each processed pay run reports to the ATO automatically, usually the same day.

QuickBooks Australia’s official YouTube channel covers STP setup: watch the official QuickBooks tutorial. Our registered BAS agents can review your STP connection before you go live.