STP Submissions - Common Errors and Troubleshooting

Overview

Astute Payroll reports your payroll data to the ATO via STP 2.0. With the new reporting requirements from the ATO, it's important that your payroll configuration is correct and aligns with the ATO’s reporting requirements, so that your payroll data is correctly submitted after each pay. 

STP Submissions now include employee data such as TFN Declaration information and Termination Cessation Reasons, so these also need to be accurate. 

IMPORTANT: Some items are sent in the STP Submission on a 'per pay run' basis (eg Child Support Deductions and Garnishee). Extra care should be taken when processing negative adjustments for these items, as the STP Submission will fail, regardless of whether the cumulative YTD total is positive. 

Common Validation Issues - STP Submission Report

There is some mandatory information required in a certain format for the STP Submission to pass the ATO's validation. You can confirm the current errors for a report by clicking View Errors. Some common issues are: 

Issue	Description	How to Fix
Invalid characters in the employee's name, address, or email address	Characters usually need to be one of the following: A to Z a to z 0 to 9 ! @ $ % & * ( ) - _ = [ ] ; : ' " , . ? / or a space character Certain fields will be more restricted, for example a Postcode can only be numeric values	Check the employee profile, update the relevant field/s then save the profile. Regenerate the STP Submission
Missing email address	This is a mandatory field. If both the Primary and Payslip Email Address fields are entered in the employee's profile, both need to pass validation.	If the employee has a valid email address, please check the 'Payslip Email Address' field in their profile for a space. Remove the space then 'Save' the profile.
Problem with SAML Token	This is a generic error message that happens from time to time.	Try regenerating the STP Submission, it's usually an intermittent error. If the error persists, check your M2M credentials - they may have been revoked or expired.

 

Common Error Messages - STP Update Report

This table outlines some of the common errors that you might come across when processing your STP Update or Finalisations to the ATO. 

Please remember to regenerate your STP Update after you have made changes or fixed errors.

Error Message	Description	How to Fix
Year to date Superannuation amount should be provided	SGC Totals are not included in the STP Submission for the employee/s listed.  Caused by Superannuation items with an incorrect STP Reporting Setting (either 'Not Applicable' or 'Reportable Employer Superannuation Contribution')	Create a new SGC Superannuation item in Config > Payroll > Superannuation, then assign it to all relevant employees.  Process a Lump Sum Pay to reverse incorrect SGC and process as the correct one, then remove the incorrect item from their profile.  OR Contact Support and advise you need the STP Reporting Setting updated. NOTE: This option is only available if your default pay and expense reimbursement items need updating, and you're unable to adjust the pays. This is paid development work and you will be invoiced.
Country code must be provided	There is a Country code missing from the employee's profile	Check the STP Update Report for earnings reported as 'H' (Working Holiday Maker). You may need to Regenerate for the employee to see all earnings for the financial year.  If there are WHM earnings, go to the employee's profile and ensure the 'Country of Passport' field is completed in the Employment Eligibility tab.  If WHM earnings were processed in error, please see this article for details on how to reverse/adjust.  Regenerate the STP Submission.
Country code is invalid	The Country code in the Employment Eligibility tab on the employee's profile is not valid. Most commonly this will be because the country is set as 'Australia' for an employee on the Working Holiday Maker tax table.	Check the STP Update Report for earnings reported as 'H' (Working Holiday Maker). You may need to Regenerate for the employee to see all earnings for the financial year.  If there are WHM earnings, go to the employee's profile and ensure the 'Country of Passport' field is a valid country for foreign resident employees under a WHM arrangement.  If WHM earnings were processed in error, please see this article for details on how to reverse/adjust.   Regenerate the STP Update.
The Tax Treatment code Working Holiday Maker must have a valid Income Stream Type.	The system is picking up 'Standard' (S) earnings against an employee who should have 'Working Holiday Maker' (H) earnings.	The employee's Tax Table is currently set to 'Working Holiday Maker' but their earnings have been processed under a different Tax Table, so their earnings are S instead of H.  If the employee is a WHM and earnings have been processed under a different tax table in error, please see this article for details on how to reverse/adust.  Regenerate the STP Update.
[ATO Credential]: We were unable to process your submission because your key store file is not up to date	Your M2M credentials have expired or have been revoked	Upload new, valid M2M credentials in Config > Company Management > select entity > Payroll. You may need to create new credentials in RAM first.  Regenerate the STP Update.
Cessation reason code must be provided	An employee has been marked as terminated but the Termination Reason hasn't been assigned a Classification	Create new Termination Reason in Config > Payroll > Termination Reasons.  Set this as the Termination Reason on ALL employee profiles that have been assigned this reason in the current financial year.  Regenerate the STP Update.