Table of Contents

Single Touch Payroll - Reckon GovConnect

Overview

As Reckon has four products to connect to the Single Touch Payroll ATO service (Reckon Accounts Hosted, Reckon Accounts Desktop, Reckon Payroll Premier and Reckon One), a single Reckon developed gateway, called Reckon GovConnect Single Touch Payroll has been built. This gateway will allow you to submit data on behalf of clients as well as your own business, whilst also keeping track of message responses from the ATO and a audit history of what has been submitted.

Detailed below in this guide is information about how to sign up for the GovConnect service, how multi-factor authentication will be required and how you can export the data from the existing products to upload or connect to this service. 

SOFTWARE ID REGISTRATION
BEFORE YOU CAN SUCCESSFULLY LODGE WITH THE ATO YOU MUST REGISTER YOUR SOFTWARE ID WITH THE ATO. SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT COMPLETE SUCCESSFULLY UNTIL THIS IS DONE.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR OUR STEP BY STEP GUIDE

 

Sign Up / Log In

To gain access to the Reckon GovConnect Single Touch Payroll application you will need a Reckon Portal account. This can be obtained for free at  https://portal.reckon.com

Once you have signed up for Portal you will need to enable the Single Touch Payroll Application.

Depending on your current Reckon Products, you may already have a portal account. If you are a Reckon Accounts Hosted user an account will be created for you automatically. Refer to the table below for instructions. 

Product

Instructions

Reckon One

Log in to the Reckon Customer Portal as per normal. Reckon GovConnect will appear as one of your products.

 

Reckon Accounts Hosted

Make note of your Reckon Accounts Hosted Username (not your UserID).

HINT: This is the Username you would normally enter in your Reckon Accounts Hosted login screen. 

If you are unsure of your Username, please click Forgotten username >

 

Reckon Accounts Desktop

Go to the Reckon Customer Portal and create an account. 

Click on Register for free  

For first time users who do not already have a Reckon Customer Portal login, or a Reckon Accounts Hosted login, you can use any method to register:

• Sign in with Google (using an existing Google account login).• Sign in with Office 365 (using an existing Microsoft Office 365 account login).

• Create a Reckon Account (by completing your contact details).

 

MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)

Re-direct here for MFA FAQs 

Due to increased security requirements on the Standard Business Reporting service from the ATO, to use Reckon GovConnect Single Touch Payroll you will need to have multi-factor authentication enabled in the Reckon Portal.

The MFA requirement will at first only be for the Single Touch Payroll application but may be expanded in the future as ATO requirements change and new products are released.

If you attempt to use the Single Touch Payroll application without MFA enabled the following screen will appear:

  

Click Next

... or from the Portal select My Products > Reckon GovConnect > Enable MFA

 

Click Next to continue

 There are two forms of MFA offered to protect your account 

  1. SMS verification, where an SMS is delivered to a nominated phone number 
  2. Google Authenticator, where a unique code is regularly generated by the Google Authenticator mobile phone app.

Setting MFA up using SMS text message

  1. Enter the mobile phone number that you want to receive MFA verification codes to
  2. Request a code to be sent to you by clicking the 'Send Code' button. This will generate a new unique verification code that is sent to this nominated phone number. This may take up to two minutes to arrive depending on your mobile phone provider.
  3. Enter the code into the box and click verify.  

If you have not received the code within a few minutes, check that your number is correct and try again.

Setting up MFA using Google Authenticator

Using Google Authenticator provides an extra level of security, but is a little less convenient than regular SMS. To set up using Google Authenticator, click the 'I want to use Google Authenticator instead' link when setting up Multi-Factor Authentication 

Rather than receiving a sms with a code, you will need to install an app that regularly creates a new code. We recommend using the Mobile Google Authenticator app, freely available on the Google Play and Apple App Store. 

Also available is the 'Authenticator' Chrome plugin, freely available via the chrome browser store, please click here.

Once you have scanned the code, a 6 digit number will appear on your phone or browser extension screen.

Enter it to complete the verification process.

You will require this code to authorise your access to Reckon GovConnect in the future. Do not delete your Authentication Application or Access Code.

 

Mobile Google Authenticator App Screen 

 Browser Chrome Plugin 'Authenticator' screen

 MFA without a Mobile Phone

If you do not own a mobile phone, it is possible to authenticate yourself using using a Chrome extension called Authenticator. 

  1. Within Google Chrome (download Google Chrome if you do not already use this web browser), and search for an extension called Authenticator. 
  2. Add the extension to your browser.
  3. Once installed, you can see the app on the top right corner of the browser. It has the icon of QR Code. See below.  
  4. Now login to Reckon GovConnect. When Prompted to “Enable MFA” follow to the prompt to enable it.
  5. You will see the QR code which you will need to scan, using your Authenticator. 
  6. Now go to the Authenticator App extension and click on the small square icon as shown below to scan the code. 
  7. This will change your cursor to ‘+’ icon and will allow you to select the QR code.
  8. After a successful scan of the code, a message will be prompted, from Portal.reckon.com saying your nominated email account has been added.
  9. This will also generate the MFA code for you, which you can then enter in the MFA setup.

Recovery PIN

Re-direct here for MFA FAQs 

Setting, View/Changing and Using your Recovery PIN

Reckon has introduced the required functionality of setting a User Recovery PIN.

This Recovery PIN is for when you accidentally lose, break or otherwise cannot use your MFA device for authentication.

After successfully Enabling OR Verifying yourself via MFA, you will be prompted to set up your Recovery PIN.

You have TWO options available in setting your Recovery PIN;

  1. System Generated (Our Recommended Option)
  2. User Created

 

With our System Generated Recovery PIN, we've provided you with a randomly generated 6 digit code that can be used once to Revoke MFA from your Account. 

 

With our User Created Recovery PIN, you can decide on the 6 digit combination that can be used as your Recovery PIN. 


REMINDER! Please follow best security practices and DO NOT reuse passwords or PIN codes you have previously used before.

Once you've decided upon your Recovery PIN, please accept that you've recorded and securely stored the PIN code in order to proceed. 

 

View/Changing your Recovery PIN

 To View or Change your Recovery PIN, please navigate to the User Profile area (top right).

 

To View your Recovery PIN, Select 'View' under the Multi-Factor Authentication heading.

 

After selecting 'View' you will be prompted to verify your identity with your MFA code. This is to ensure only the holder of the MFA device can view their Recovery PIN

 

Once you've successfully authenticated your identity, your Recovery PIN will be viewable. You will also be given the option to change your Recovery PIN.

To Change your Recovery PIN, enter in a new 6 digit recovery PIN and select 'Change'

 

Using your Recovery PIN

If you have accidentally broken, lost or cannot otherwise use your MFA device to authenticate your identity, you will have your Recovery PIN readily available to self-remove MFA from your account and reset the service.

To Use your Recovery PIN, Select 'Revoke' under the Multi-Factor Authentication heading under 'My Profile'.

 

Here you are presented with TWO options;

  1. Revoke your MFA service using a MFA code. (If you have used SMS, this code will be sent to you. If you have used Google Authenticator MFA, this it the code in your app)
  2. Revoke your MFA service using your Recovery PIN 

Revoking your MFA service using your MFA code is as simple as selecting 'MFA Code' option, entering your MFA code then selecting 'Submit' 

 

You will notice the Multi-Factor Authentication heading is removed from 'My Profile'. This indicates that MFA is successfully removed.

Revoking your MFA service using your Recovery PIN is as simple as selecting 'Recovery PIN' option, entering your Recovery PIN then selecting 'Submit'.

WARNING!

You have only 5 attempts to use your Recovery PIN.

After these attempts have been used you must either revoke MFA with your MFA code or contact Reckon on 1800 732 566 for further assistance.

You will notice the Multi-Factor Authentication heading is removed from 'My Profile'. This indicates that MFA is successfully removed.

Enabling GovConnect  

Once GovConnect is authenticated, the screen below will appear: 

 

Click Get Started to add a new STP Product. You, the business, will need an STP instance for each ABN. 

The sign up procedure will then ask you for your Australian Business Number (ABN) or Withholding Payer Number (WPN). If you enter an ABN, the number will be validated against the Australian Business Registry to return the company legal information. If you enter a Withholding Payer Number, this check is not performed and you must enter the legal name of the reporting business. 

If your ABN has a Branch, click I have a GST Branch and enter the branch number. 

Your email address will be pre-populated from your portal login details.  

Once you click Submit, the company will be generated for use with the GovConnect Single Touch Payroll application and the application will load. 

The application will then ask you to select which Reckon products you have. This is because the data exported from the Reckon applications identifies where it is coming from, allowing for easy migrations between products. For example, if you have a business (or client) who uses Reckon Accounts Desktop, who then migrates to Reckon Accounts Hosted, they will be able to use the same STP company going forward. 

  

Select the products that the company uses from Reckon and click Save my settings. The selected applications will then appear on the GovConnect STP application. In the example below, we have selected all four products.

Adding an Additional Business

To add an additional business, select Buy Now >  Reckon GovConnect

Complete the details of the ABN / WPN Holder.

How to Share Reckon GovConnect Products

Once your GovConnect Tile is set up, you may wish to share this with other Payroll Staff or your Trusted Advisor, Bookkeeper or Accountant. 

To do this, please follow the simple steps below: 

  1. Select the 'Ellipses' menu on the top right hand corner of the Reckon GovConnect Tile and select 'Share with User'
  2. Enter the either the desired users Username (imported Reckon Accounts Hosted users) or Email Address and confirm by selecting 'Save'
  3. Once confirmed, you will receive a success or failed message depending on whether the user is an existing user of the Reckon Portal or not.

 

Success Message:

 

Failed Message: 

 

If the person is not a valid user they will need to sign up to the Customer Portal. The instructions are here.  

  1. The Shared Reckon GovConnect Tile will now be available to the user under 'Shared With Me' within the Reckon GovConnect product tab. 
  1. Removing User access is as simple as selecting the 'trash bin' icon to remove access for that user.

 

Submitting a Pay Event (Business)

Once you have checked all the data and want to submit to the ATO, it is a matter of clicking the Submit button on either the pay event listing page or individual pay event page. The legal declaration will then appear on screen.

Fill out the declaration and declare that the data is to the best of your knowledge true and correct. The confirm button will then appear selectable. Once clicked, the transmission will be sent to the ATO.

 

Submitting a Pay Event (Agent)

If you are a agent submitting on behalf of a client, a second declaration will appear for you to complete.

This is the required declaration for intermediaries and agents to sign when submitting on behalf of a client. The information used in this submission is captured from the Company & Adviser Info area of GovConnect.

 

ATO Statuses

Once the submission to the ATO occurs, on the individual pay event screen a detailed ATO status will appear in a box much like the below 

Pending

If we are still awaiting a response from the ATO for the submission, the status will be pending


Error

There was errors in the transmission related to business logic (such as incorrect or invalid ABN). You can view these details on this screen once an error is returned


Success

The transmission was submitted to the ATO successfully and the Pay Event completed. 

Note: The ATO has indicated it may take up to three days to process Single Touch Payroll data during peak times.

 

Company & Adviser Information

The Reckon GovConnect STP application stores information about a registered tax agent for data to be included in the submission to the ATO. To open this, click the Company & Adviser button present always at the top of the screen.

 

Once open, you will see the following screen.

This screen contains the information about the company submitting to the ATO for Single Touch Payroll.

To add an adviser click the Add Adviser button. The following options will then appear.

Complete the required information and click Submit. Once submitted, the data will be saved as the agent related to the client for submission.

To edit the details, click Edit, for deletion of the details click Delete. When an agents information is present in a company within GovConnect STP, the transmission will always be sent as an intermediary transmission. To stop this, simply remove the agent details from the application.

 

Software ID

The software ID is also present on this page and is the number required to be provided to the ATO to allow Reckon to submit Single Touch Payroll data on the companies behalf. Just like with a BAS return, the software id is setup within either the tax agent portal or business portal on the ATO website. You will require your personal auskey to be setup on your computer. All transmissions to the ATO will use the Reckon Cloud Authentication Auskey for validation and security.

 

Please note: For Reckon Accounts Hosted users, you will notice a Software ID listed inside Hosted itself, this is separate and not related to Single Touch Payroll services. Please do NOT use the Software ID listed inside Reckon Accounts Hosted itself for Single Touch Payroll, only use the Software ID in GovConnect STP.


Need more help?

Ask the Reckon Community at: https://community.reckon.com/

Or Log a Support Ticket: https://www.reckon.com/au/support/

How did we do?

FAQ - Reckon GovConnect

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Single Touch Payroll - Reckon One
Single Touch Payroll - Reckon Accounts
Single Touch Payroll - Reckon Accounts Hosted
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