How contributions are reported¶

When super goes into your account, it does not happen quietly in the background — it is reported to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). A few different parties each report their part, so the ATO can build a full picture of your super for the year.

This lesson explains who reports what, and how you can check your own contribution totals.

In one line

Employers report through Single Touch Payroll, super funds report the contributions they receive to the ATO, and you can check your totals in ATO online services via myGov.

Why this matters¶

Super contributions have yearly caps. To stay within them — and to be sure your employer's super is actually reaching your fund — it helps to know how contributions are reported and where you can see your own totals. For employers, reporting the right amounts the right way is part of doing payroll correctly.

What you will learn¶

How employers report contributions through Single Touch Payroll
What super funds report to the ATO
How you can check your own contributions via myGov

Understanding the concept¶

There are three parts to how contributions are reported.

1. Employers report through Single Touch Payroll (STP). Each time an employer runs payroll, they report pay and super information to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll (STP). The ATO explains that this tells them how much super the employer is required to pay to your fund. Some extra amounts are also reported here. If you salary sacrifice into super, that salary-sacrificed super is reported through STP. Certain extra employer contributions are known as reportable employer super contributions (RESC) and are reported too.

2. Super funds report to the ATO. Your super fund tells the ATO when it has received a contribution and paid it into your account. So the ATO hears about the same contribution from two sides: the employer says what they were required to pay, and the fund confirms what actually arrived.

3. The ATO compares the two. Because it receives both sets of information, the ATO can compare what employers report with what funds receive. If the amounts differ by a lot, the ATO may follow up.

Checking your own totals. You can see your year-to-date tax and super information in ATO online services, which you reach through myGov. This is updated over the year as your employer reports and as your fund confirms contributions. It may take a few days for new information to appear. Your ATO online services account is also where you can keep an eye on your contributions against your caps.

For accountants & bookkeepers

Salary-sacrificed super must be separately identified in the STP report during the financial year. RESC is a separate concept — an amount can be both a salary-sacrifice contribution and RESC, in which case it is reported as both. The ATO reconciles employer STP data against fund member-contribution statements, so mismatches can surface as ATO contact. Individuals see reportable employer contributions on their income statement in ATO online services. Confirm the current caps and reporting rules on the ATO's pages before advising.

Example¶

Nina is an employee who also salary sacrifices some pay into super. Each payday, her employer reports her pay, her employer super, and her salary-sacrificed super to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll. Separately, her super fund tells the ATO each time it receives and allocates a contribution to her account.

A few months in, Nina wants to check she is on track and not close to a cap. She logs in to myGov, opens ATO online services, and looks at her year-to-date super information. She can see the contributions that have been reported so far and how much cap space she has left.

Common mistakes¶

Assuming super is not tracked — it is reported by both the employer and the fund.
Expecting new contributions to show instantly — it can take a few days to appear.
Confusing myGov with myID — individuals check their super in ATO online services via myGov.
Forgetting salary sacrifice is reported — salary-sacrificed super is included in STP reporting.
Not checking your caps — your ATO online services account shows your totals.

How this works in myaccountant¶

In the app — when an employer runs payroll in myaccountant, the app reports the pay and super information to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll (STP), including salary-sacrifice and other reportable employer super contributions. Checking your own contribution totals and remaining cap space is done in ATO online services via myGov, not in myaccountant — those figures live with the ATO and your super fund.

Key points¶

Employers report pay and super to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll (STP).
Salary-sacrificed super and other RESC amounts are reported through STP too.
Super funds separately tell the ATO about contributions they receive.
The ATO compares employer and fund information and may follow up on big differences.
You can check your year-to-date super in ATO online services via myGov.
New contributions can take a few days to show up.

Learn next¶

General information only — not tax, super or financial advice.

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