Answer
A zero dollar STP event sends a $0.00 figure for every YTD amount to the ATO for each selected employee. All gross, tax, RESC, ordinary time, and super figures in the submission are set to zero. Because it effectively tells the ATO the employee has earned nothing in the financial year, this option should be used with caution and only in specific circumstances.
When to Use It
- Correcting an over-reported employee: If an employee's YTD figures have been over-reported to the ATO and a standard Update Event cannot correct them, a zero dollar event resets the employee's YTD records at the ATO back to $0.00 so you can then send accurate figures.
- Removing a test or incorrectly added employee: If an employee was submitted to the ATO in error and needs to be cleared from the ATO's records for the financial year.
Do not use this option as part of routine payroll reporting. For ordinary end-of-year corrections, an Update Event or Adjust Event is usually more appropriate. See What Are the Differences Between a New, Adjust and Update Events?
How to Send a Zero Dollar STP Event
In the desktop app: Open the relevant pay run in the Pays screen, then go to Single Touch >> Submit Payroll To ATO. On the Single Touch Selection step, tick Submit zero dollar values?. A confirmation dialog titled Confirm Zeroing of YTD Values will appear asking: Are you sure you would like to send a $0.00 STP Event for each of the selected employees to the ATO? This option should be used with caution. Click Yes to proceed. Select the employees to zero out, then continue to the preview and submit as normal.
In the online (web/mobile) app: Open the relevant pay run, then select Single Touch >> Submit Payroll to ATO. On the Single Touch Selection step, tick Submit zero dollar values?. A confirmation prompt will appear with the same caution message. Confirm to proceed, then select the employees and continue to the preview and submit.
What the ATO Receives
When a zero dollar event is submitted, every income and tax figure for the selected employees is sent as $0.00. The submission also marks each employee with a final pay indicator, which is how the ATO's system processes the zeroing of their YTD record. After the ATO accepts the event, you can submit a corrected Update or New Event with the accurate figures.
Note: This option is not available for Adjust Events. It applies only to New (pay) events and Update events.
For more detail on end-of-year STP finalisation, see How Do I Process End of Year Using Single Touch Payroll?
