The ATO Said I Need To Get My Machine Credential From My Payroll Provider - Is That Right?

Lightning Payroll requires users to obtain an ATO machine credential keystore file so that they can send Single Touch Payroll from the software to the ATO each pay run.

We often get calls from users requesting assistance with ATO machine credential keystore files. These files are generated and managed on the ATO's Relationship Authorisation Manager website and are 100% out of the control of our support staff here at Lightning Payroll. We are unable to support the ATO's websites and/or software.

You can instead contact the ATO's Technical Helpdesk on 1300 139 373 between 7.00am and midnight, Monday to Friday.

It is sadly a very common occurrence that some ATO staff do not seem to have enough training to understand what users are asking for when requesting assistance with machine credentials. If you speak with their helpdesk and are told that machine credentials come from your payroll provider this is false. We recommend you request to speak with an ATO helpdesk Team Leader so that they can be made aware that their staff are mistaken.

Sometimes they might also tell you that you must provide Lightning Payroll's ABN or software ID to register - this too is incorrect. You just need a machine credential. Lightning Payroll is desktop based, not web-based; only web-based software require ID and ABN registration.

As you can see here in the ATO's machine credential documentation, the machine credentials come from the ATO, not from payroll providers such as Lightning Payroll. There is nothing you have to do in Lightning Payroll to register or connect a machine credential to the ATO; you simply obtain the file from their RAM website (using their ATOBE software extension) and Lightning Payroll knows where to find it.

We have raised this issue with the ATO a number of times - hopefully they will improve their training in future.

Machine Credential Tips and Useful links

• Machine credential keystore passwords cannot be reset. You must obtain a new one if you lose the password. Click here if you have lost your machine credential password.
• Keystores often last for two years, however, the staff member who is granted one will likely need renewal of their own access permissions every 12 months. These too are managed by the ATO.
• ATO machine credential instructions.
• Lightning Payroll machine credential instructions (our attempt to simplify the above).
• Software required error in ATO RAM webpage.
• Lightning Payroll requirements, limitations and support boundaries.