Go-live
Construction Payroll Go-Live Checklist: ATO, Super and STP Setup
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Order of work
Four groups, run in sequence
Reporting setup first because nothing lodges without it, super second because bank verification takes days, then live-environment hygiene, then the cutover dates.
Every item below is checked and evidenced before the first pay run is approved, not after the first exception email.
Step 1
ATO and reporting setup
Done first, because nothing else can be lodged until it is right. Every field here is checked against the ABN and the branch, not typed from memory.
- Supplier settings completed: ABN, branch, business name, contact and address, exactly as registered
- Electronic lodgement enabled, with the lodging party confirmed as the employer or the registered agent
- Platform software ID added under Hosted SBR Software in ATO Access Manager, through Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM)
- Authorised person confirmed in RAM, so lodgement does not stall on an expired authorisation
- STP update event run before the first pay run, so the ATO holds correct opening figures
- Warnings on the update event read and understood: an unfinalised prior financial year in the old system is the usual cause, and it is resolved in the old system, not ignored
Step 2
Super and clearing house
Super has the longest lead time of anything on this list, because bank verification is not instant. It starts before configuration finishes.
- Clearing house decided: Beam or the embedded clearing house, one of them, not both
- Direct debit set up and bank account verified via the micro-deposit, which takes a few business days to land and be confirmed
- Fund details validated per employee, including USIs and member numbers
- SMSF electronic service address checked for expiry, because a lapsed ESA fails the whole super batch, not just that member
- Payday super: the super batch goes out the same day as the pay run, not in a monthly cycle
- First batch watched end to end and confirmed as received, not just submitted
Step 3
Live environment discipline
There is no sandbox. Everything you do in setup happens in the live environment, which means test data has to be cleaned up deliberately.
- Test pay runs deleted, not left unfinalised in the list
- Test payslips never published, and email notifications off until the first real run is approved
- Aba file settings verified: bank code, direct entry user ID, self-balancing line and lodgement reference, tested against a small batch first
- Payslip layout checked on a real payslip, including allowance descriptions and the year-to-date notes section
- Access reviewed: who can approve a pay run, who can only prepare one
Step 4
Cutover timing
The old system's last pay run and the new system's first pay period have to meet exactly, with no gap and no overlap.
- Final pay run in the outgoing system dated and reconciled, and its period end is the cutover date
- First new-system pay period starts the day after the cutover date, with opening leave balances carrying that same date
- Terminations in flight completed in whichever system owns the period they belong to
- Parallel run against your last real pay run signed off, with every variance explained by clause
- Long service leave snapshot exported and stored before the old system is decommissioned
Before you start
What to have captured already
The checklist assumes the data work is done. If it is not, start with fresh start versus carryover , then leave balance reconciliation , then the long service leave snapshot . EBA clauses are built in parallel, including RDO accrual and buyback .
Go-live questions
What is the software ID and where does it go?
It is the identifier that links the payroll platform to your ABN for Single Touch Payroll lodgement. You add it in ATO Access Manager under Hosted SBR Software, signed in through Relationship Authorisation Manager. Until it is added, lodgement fails with an authorisation error rather than a data error.
Why run an STP update event before the first pay run?
It tells the ATO what the opening year-to-date position is under the new reporting stream before any pay event lands on top of it. Run it after the first pay run instead and you spend the rest of the year explaining the gap.
What do the update event warnings mean?
Most commonly that the prior financial year has not been finalised in the outgoing system. The warning is telling you the ATO still considers that year open. Finalise it where it was reported, then re-check.
How long does super clearing house verification take?
Plan for several business days. The direct debit bank account is verified by a micro-deposit that has to appear and be confirmed, so it is started early, in parallel with configuration, not on go-live week.
Can we test in a sandbox first?
No, and that is why the live environment discipline matters. Test pay runs are deleted, test payslips are never published, and notifications stay off until the first real run is approved.
Who does all of this?
We do, with you. The ATO Access Manager step needs someone with your RAM authorisation, so that one is yours, and we walk you through it. Everything else is our work.
Reviewed August 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.
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