Download electronic reporting specification * qtfn and abn pc spreadsheet

SPECIFICATION
SOFTWARE
DEVELOPERS
DECEMBER 2015
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FORMAT
AUDIENCE
DATE
CLASSIFICATION
Reporting
Specification
Quarterly tax file number (QTFN) and Australian business
number (ABN) reports PC Spreadsheet format version 1.2.0
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For further information or
questions, call 1800 072 681
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ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
CHANGES IN THIS VERSION OF THE SPECIFICATION
Differences between Version 1.1 and Version 1.2.0
General key changes
 The name of the specification has changed from Quarterly tax file number (QTFN) and
Australian business number (ABN) report magnetic media specification for PC systems to
Quarterly tax file number (QTFN) and Australian business number (ABN) reports PC
Spreadsheet format version 1.2.0
 Privacy information updated
 General wording changes to allow for consistency, to update and clarify information and
processes. Changes have not been tracked where sentences have been restructured and
the intent/information has not changed.
 Portals information has been introduced
 The ATO is closing the lodgment service for electronic storage media and encouraging
online lodgment. Therefore, information on electronic storage media, including the
electronic storage media information form, has been removed from this version of the
specification
 All sections in this document have been updated.
 Version numbering updated in accordance with Standard for specification documentation
version numbering 1.0.1
Changes to data records, values and definitions



Sex field has been replaced with Filler field. This cell is to be left blank and the associated
data definition has also been updated.
Investment/customer reference number field (6.3) has been renamed to Investment
reference number
Spreadsheet examples have been updated to reflect the removal of the Sex field.
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Acronyms
Acronym
Expanded
ABN
Australian business number
AIIR
Annual investment income report
ATO
Australian Taxation Office
SIPO
Software Industry Partnership Office
TFN
Tax file number
Definitions
Common term
Definition
Supplier
The organisation sending the data to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Investment body / The investment body / reporter is the entity with the obligation to provide
reporter
the data.
Investor data
record
An investment account may be held by one or more investors. One Investor
data record should be provided for each investor who is a holder of the
investment account and a recipient of the investment income. Do not
provide an Investor data record for a person who is only a signatory to the
account and not a recipient of the investment income.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1
Who should use this specification ......................................................................................... 1
Lodging electronically ........................................................................................................... 1
2 Legal requirements................................................................................................................. 2
Reporting obligations ............................................................................................................ 2
Other obligations .................................................................................................................. 2
Investors claiming an exemption from quotation of a tfn ....................................................... 3
Retention of information ........................................................................................................ 3
Extension of time to lodge..................................................................................................... 3
Privacy.................................................................................................................................. 4
3 Reporting Procedures ............................................................................................................ 5
Reporting for the first time..................................................................................................... 5
Reporting via the internet ...................................................................................................... 5
Getting Started ..................................................................................................................... 6
Backup of data...................................................................................................................... 6
4 Record specifications ............................................................................................................. 8
Setting up the spreadsheet ................................................................................................... 8
Description of terms used in data record specification .......................................................... 9
Data record 1 (row 1) ...........................................................................................................11
Column headings - (row 2)...................................................................................................11
Investor account details - (row 3) .........................................................................................12
5 Data Definitions and Edit rules ..............................................................................................13
Reporting of address details ................................................................................................13
Reporting of name details ....................................................................................................14
Data Definitions and Edit rules .............................................................................................21
6 Example of a QTFN spreadsheet ..........................................................................................25
7 Algorithms .............................................................................................................................27
ABN algorithm .....................................................................................................................27
TFN algorithm ......................................................................................................................27
8 Returns From ATO ................................................................................................................28
9 More information ...................................................................................................................29
Reporting by PC Spreadsheet .............................................................................................29
Software developers homepage ..........................................................................................29
10 Forms ..................................................................................................................................30
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1 INTRODUCTION
WHO SHOULD USE THIS SPECIFICATION
This specification replaces version 1.1 and is to be used by small investment bodies to prepare
Quarterly tax file number and Australian business number (QTFN) reports from the third quarter
of the 2015-16 financial year onwards. It is for those investment bodies that use PC based
spreadsheet or database software packages to maintain investor details. It also contains
instructions and guidelines for entering the information into a spreadsheet in a standard format
and sending the report to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
The specification is not intended to, nor does it provide a guide to the relevant legislation.
LODGING ELECTRONICALLY
If you are considering developing or updating QTFN reporting software, the Quarterly tax file
number (QTFN) and Australian business number (ABN) report version 6.2.0 must be used in
the development of the application.
If the investment body has more than 1,000 investments the QTFN report will need to be
lodged electronically. These investment bodies can refer to the the Quarterly tax file number
(QTFN) and Australian business number (ABN) report version 6.2.0 to lodge the report.
Lodging electronically will:

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
reduce paperwork
provide a secure way for reports to be lodged
provide an online receipt when a report is lodged
ensure that all of the necessary fields to lodge the report have been completed, via its inbuilt checks, and
be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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2 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
REPORTING OBLIGATIONS
On 1 July 2015, Division 393 of Schedule 1 of the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (TAA 1953)
replaced regulation 55 of the Income Tax Regulations 1936.
Under Division 393 of the TAA 1953, an entity defined as an investment body under section
202D of Part VA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936), is required to report to
the Commissioner of Taxation details of all Tax file numbers (TFN) and Australian business
number (ABN) quotations by an investor in connection with investments falling within the
provision of the tax file number legislation and the FMD legislation in the approved form. If an
investment body has no presence in Australia there is no obligation to report.
The QTFN report is an approved form under section 388-50 of Schedule 1 to the TAA 1953.
Consequently, investment bodies that fail to lodge their QTFN report by the due date may be
subjected to either administrative penalties or prosecution. An administrative penalty for the late
lodgment of an approved form is imposed by subsection 286-75(1) of Schedule 1 to the TAA
1953. The amount of the penalty is set out in section 286-80 of Schedule 1 to the TAA 1953.
All TFN/ABN quotations made by investors are to be reported.
Section 202G of ITAA 1936 requires an investment body that keeps whole or part of the
information that is obliged to give to the Commissioner on a computer system, to supply this
information to the Commissioner in a manner and form that is in accordance with the
specifications set out by the Commissioner.
The reporting quarters are July to September, October to December, January to March and
April to June. Investment bodies must lodge the QTFN report with the ATO no later than 28
days after the end of the reporting period.
OTHER OBLIGATIONS
In addition to the reporting requirements outlined above, investment bodies are also required to
withhold amounts from investment income payments made to investors who have chosen not
to quote their TFN or ABN, have not claimed an exemption from quotation, or have been
deemed not to have quoted by the ATO. The amount of tax to be withheld and remitted to the
ATO is calculated at the highest marginal rate plus the Medicare levy.
Investment bodies must ensure that the information provided is up-to-date, accurate and
complete. Failure to comply may result in a breach of the Income Tax legislation and/or Privacy
legislation.
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INVESTORS CLAIMING AN EXEMPTION FROM QUOTATION OF A TFN
The investor details together with relevant investment income information must be included in
the Annual Investment Income report (AIIR).
RETENTION OF INFORMATION
Under taxation law, investment income information/documents need to be retained by
investment bodies for a statutory period of five years.
A copy of the data file provided to the ATO must be able to be regenerated on request by the
ATO where a problem has been encountered in processing of the information.
EXTENSION OF TIME TO LODGE
If investment bodies and other organisations are unable to lodge a QTFN report by the due
date, they may apply for an extension of time to lodge before the report due date. If additional
time is required to lodge the QTFN report email [email protected]
The following details should be included in the email request:




ABN
investment body name
reasons for the request, and
the date by which the reporter will be able to supply the QTFN report.
Confirmation of extensions granted and the expected lodgment date which is set at the time will
be provided by email. Generally, further extensions after the set date will not be granted.
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PRIVACY
The Privacy Act 1988 limits the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information
about individuals by the ATO, other Commonwealth Government departments and agencies,
and investment bodies.
The TFN guidelines that form part of the Privacy Act 1988 are intended to protect the privacy of
individuals by restricting the use and collection of TFN information. Under the Privacy Act 1988,
a breach of the guidelines is an interference with the privacy of an individual. Unauthorised use
or disclosure of TFNs is an offence and an affected individual may seek compensation. The
taxation legislation also places restrictions on the collection, use and disclosure of TFNs. The
maximum penalty for a breach of the relevant provisions of the taxation law is a $10,000 fine
and/or two years imprisonment.
The Privacy Commissioner’s Guidelines to the Australian Privacy Principles and other relevant
information sheets are available at www.oaic.gov.au.
Private sector provisions in the Privacy Act 1988 also regulate the way that many private sector
organisations collect, use, secure and disclose personal information. These principles give
individuals the right to know what information an organisation holds about them and a right to
correct that information if it is wrong.
It is the responsibility of private sector organisations to obtain their own advice on the effect of
privacy law, including the Australian Privacy Principles, on their operations.
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3 REPORTING PROCEDURES
REPORTING FOR THE FIRST TIME
If you are a commercial Software developer and developing software for supplying QTFN
reports to the ATO for the first time, you should refer to this specification when developing your
application. Other information about electronic reporting of the QTFN report is available on the
ATO Software developers homepage at http://softwaredevelopers.ato.gov.au
The Software developers homepage is maintained by the ATO on behalf of, and in consultation
with the software development industry and business advisers. It facilitates the development
and listing of software that may assist businesses to meet their obligations under the Taxation
system.
Commercial software developers are required to register on the Software developers
homepage if they wish to list their products on that site. Software developers who do not wish
to list their products and investment bodies that develop their own in-house applications for
lodging their own reports do not need to register on the Software developers site to access the
information available on the site. Subscribing for email updates is recommended to ensure you
are notified of any updates and significant issues.
REPORTING VIA THE INTERNET
Suppliers are able to send the QTFN PC spreadsheet files via the Business and Tax Agent
Portals when a data file has been prepared and stored locally.
On screen confirmation will be provided once the file has been sent. The ATO will perform data
quality and format compatibility checks after the data file is received.
1
1
2
3
4
5
In the Business Portal select Mail from the left menu.
Select New message from inbox
Select the Debt and lodgment subject topic
Select Lodge data report and Next
Select Add button and browse and upload the QTFN PC spreadsheet
Select Add button and browse and upload the QTFN - Investment body information form or
include the following in the body of the email:
 Registered name of investment body
 Investment body trading name
 Investment body ABN
 Investment body branch number
 Investment body address
 Period of report
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 Contact name, telephone number and email address
Select Next
Select Send.
Spreadsheets submitted to the ATO must not be password protected, encrypted or
compressed into a zip file.
For more information go to Business Portal Help at portalhelp.ato.gov.au/BP/ADMIN/Mail/
The security features of the Portal addresses the most commonly held concerns over internetbased electronic dealings, namely:
 authentication (the sender is who they say they are)
 confidentiality (the communication can only be read by the intended recipient)
 integrity (the transmission cannot be altered without detection while in transit), and
 non-repudiation (the sender cannot later deny the transmission and content).
For security purposes, QTFN PC spreadsheet data must not be emailed to any ATO
address.
GETTING STARTED
Access to the Portals requires:
 an ABN – apply online at www.abr.gov.au and
 an AUSkey – register online at www.auskey.abr.gov.au
AUSkey is an online security credential used to protect the client’s security and privacy when
using ATO online services.
Every person associated with the business who wants to deal with the ATO online on behalf of
that ABN will need an AUSkey. Users can have full or limited access to information, which can
be changed anytime by using Access Manager in the Portal.
The Portal can be accessed from the Online services box in the right hand menu of the ATO
website at www.ato.gov.au
BACKUP OF DATA
It is the responsibility of the supplier to keep backups of data supplied to the ATO, so that data
can be re-supplied if necessary. It is the responsibility of the investment body to keep effective
records as part of their tax reporting obligations.
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REPORTING VIA ELECTRONIC STORAGE MEDIA
From the 2016 financial year onwards, a QTFN PC spreadsheet file cannot be lodged on
electronic storage media.Therefore, information on electronic storage media, including the
electronic storage media information form, has been removed.
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4 RECORD SPECIFICATIONS
SETTING UP THE SPREADSHEET
Any PC spreadsheet software may be used to record the QTFN information. The field names
and cell positions for the spreadsheet file are contained on pages 11-12.
For assistance:


email [email protected]
call 1800 072 681.
Step 1
Open a new spreadsheet.
Step 2
Enter the investment body details in cells A1 to C1.
Step 3
Add column headings in cells A2 to Q2
Step 4
Enter the investor account details in cells A3 to Q3.
Step 5
Continue entering the details of each investment to be reported. The items must
be in the order specified in the data tables on pages 11-12. The table also lists
the field name headings in full and provides the reference number for the item
definition and associated instructions for completion.
When all entries have been made, save the spreadsheet.
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
The QTFN report can be provided in Microsoft Excel which is supported by most
spreadsheet software. Using the File Save As command, select the appropriate
file format and save the file. The filename must include the ABN of the
investment body.
The spreadsheet file must be named in this format or it will not be able to be
processed by the ATO and will be rejected and need to be re-lodged .
The QTFN report is now ready to lodge to the ATO.
If there are a large number of entries to make, save the spreadsheet file as the entries are
being made.
Do not save spreadsheet files on separate tabs on one spreadsheet file as this will corrupt
the data during upload.
See section 6 Example of a QTFN Spreadsheet for an example of a completed
spreadsheet file.
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DESCRIPTION OF TERMS USED IN DATA RECORD SPECIFICATION
The following tables show data records and their elements. The tables contain the following
columns:
Cell position – the start and end position of the field in the record.
Field length – maximum characters accepted for the field.
Field format – the format type of the field.
A
is alphabetic (A-Z) – characters in alphabetic fields must be in upper and lower case
and left justified. Character positions not used must be left blank.
AN
is alphanumeric – both upper and lower case alphabetic characters and numeric
characters are acceptable. Character positions in alphanumeric fields must be left
justified. Character positions not used must be left blank.
For example 10 FIRST STREET in a 20 character alphanumeric field would be reported
as 10bFIRSTbSTREETbbbbb (the character b is used above to indicate blanks).
DT
is a date in DDMMCCYY format. If the day or month component is less than 10, insert a
leading zero.
For example:
26 March 2013 would be reported as 26032013
9 November 2014 would be reported as 09112014.
If the date is mandatory it must be a valid date, otherwise see date under the optional
field type on the next page.
When reporting in Microsoft Excel format, all date fields should be set to text.
N
is numeric (0-9). Numeric fields must be right justified and the character positions not
used must be left blank.
For example, 123456789 in an 11 digit field would be reported as 123456789.
Values reported in amount fields must be right justified and must not contain alpha
characters, dollar signs, commas, plus or minus signs, decimal points or spaces. Character
positions not used must be left blank. All amounts must be reported in cents (Australian).
When reporting in Microsoft Excel format, all amount field cells should be formatted to
general and should not contain formulas.
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For example, in a 12 character numeric (amount) field:
–
–
–
$1,234.99 would be reported as 123499
$122.16 would be reported as 12216
$567.00 would be reported as 56700
Field type – codes used are:
M
the value in a mandatory field that must be provided. For single character mandatory
fields, leaving the field blank is NOT a valid value.
ALPHA: field must not start with a blank or be left blank
ALPHANUMERIC: field must not start with a blank or be left blank
NUMERIC: field must not start with a blank or be left blank
DATE: field must not be left blank.
Mandatory fields are identified by an asterisk located next to the field name within the
QTFN template spreadsheet file.
O
the data must be reported if available. If the data is not available:
ALPHA: if not present, field must be left blank
ALPHANUMERIC: if not present, field must be left blank
NUMERIC: if not present, field must be left blank
DATE: if not present, field must be left blank.
C
a valid value that must be reported where specified conditions are met.
Field name – a brief description of the field.
Reference number – the definition reference number. These definitions can be found in section
5 Data field definitions and validation rules.
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The following data records outline the positions of information for investment bodies to record
investor details.
Read the instructions in Section 4 Record specifications and Section 5 Data Definitions
and Edit Rules to ensure that the details provided on the QTFN report are in accordance with
these instructions
DATA RECORD 1 (ROW 1)
Cell
Field
Position length
A1
11
B1
3
C1
8
Field
format
N
N
DT
Field
type
M
M
M
Item name
Investment body ABN
Investment body branch number
Report end date
Reference
number
6.0
6.1
6.2
COLUMN HEADINGS - (ROW 2)
Cell
Position
A2
B2
C2
D2
E2
F2
G2
H2
I2
J2
K2
L2
M2
N2
O2
P2
Q2
Item name
Investment reference number
Account name
Investor entity type
Investor Tax file number
Investor Australian business number (ABN)
Investor surname
First given name
Second given name
Date of birth
Filler
Non-individual investor name
Investor address line 1
Investor address line 2
Suburb, town or city
State or territory
Postcode
Country
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Reference
number
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12
6.13
6.14
6.14
6.15
6.16
6.17
6.18
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INVESTOR ACCOUNT DETAILS - (ROW 3)
Column Field
length
A
25
B
76
C
1
D
9
E
11
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
30
15
15
8
1
200
38
38
27
3
4
20
Field
format
AN
AN
A
N
N
AN
AN
AN
DT
A
AN
AN
AN
AN
A
N
AN
Field
type
M
M
M
M
M
C
C
O
M
S
C
M
O
M
M
M
C
Item name
Investment reference number
Account name
Investor entity type
Investor Tax file number
Investor Australian business
number (ABN)
Investor surname
First given name
Second given name
Date of birth
Filler
Non-individual investor name
Investor address line 1
Investor address line 2
Suburb, town or city
State or territory
Postcode
Country
Reference
number
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12
6.13
6.14
6.14
6.15
6.16
6.17
6.18
The fields for each data record (or row) must be in the order specified above.
The filename used should be the ABN of the Investment Body, the quarter and income
year. For example

nnnnnnnnnnnQn2016xls for Microsoft Excel files
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5 DATA DEFINITIONS AND EDIT RULES
REPORTING OF ADDRESS DETAILS
It is important that address information provided in the report supports the automatic issue of
correspondence to investors and investment bodies. To this end, address fields in all records
must have a standard structure in reporting  two fields (2 lines) of (maximum of 38 characters
in each) should be provided for the investor address information (columns L and M) and
Suburb/town/city, State/territory and Postcode should have separate fields (columns N, O and
P).
Where the street address is longer than 2 lines, C/- lines are to be omitted.
The Suburb/town/city, State/territory and Postcode must be supplied in the separate fields
as specified and MUST NOT be included in the first or second address line fields.
Addresses must be in a form to allow delivery of correspondence by Australia Post.
The State or territory field - contains the state or territory for the address. One of the following
must be reported in the column:
ACT
NSW
NT
QLD
SA
VIC
WA
TAS
OTH
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Victoria
Western Australia
Tasmania
Overseas addresses
No other abbreviations are acceptable. The Australian postcode field is numeric and must
contain a valid postcode or 0000.
If the address is in Australia, leave the country field blank.
For an overseas address:

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

the postcode field must always be set to 9999
the street address must be provided in the first and second address line fields
the town, state or region and area code must be reported in the suburb, town or locality field
the state field must always be set to OTH and
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the name of the overseas country is to be provided in the country field.
A non-resident investor's address is 275 Park West, Apartment 14F, Ohio USA 10025. It would
be entered as follows in the spreadsheet:
L
M
N
O
P
Q
Addr 1
Addr 2
Suburb
State
PC
Country
275 PARK WEST
APARTMENT 14F
OHIO USA
10025
OTH
9999
USA
If the investment body has captured more than one address for a non-resident investor and
one of those is an Australian address, then the Australian address (including the postcode)
must be reported rather than the overseas address
REPORTING OF NAME DETAILS
For individual investors, the components of the individual's name  surname, first given
name, second given name must be reported in the separate cells (ie. columns F, G and H) as
specified. Titles, prefixes and suffixes (eg. Mr, Mrs, Dr, O.B.E.) MUST NOT be included when
reporting names. Multi-word surnames must be separated by a single space.
Where the entity has a legal single name only, the First given name and Second given
name fields must be blank filled. The legal single name must be provided in the Investor
surname field.
Non-individual investor name (column K) and Account name (column B) are to be reported
in full with one space between words and any initials that occur in the name. However, care
must be taken with some non-individual names to differentiate between initials and actual
words.
For example, W.R. and J.B. Smith (a partnership) would be reported as
WbRbANDbJbBbSMITH, but ABC Driving School Pty Ltd would be reported as
ABCbDRIVINGbSCHOOLbPTYbLTD
The character b is used to indicate blanks.
Account signatories
Do not report details of any account signatory who is not the investor. In the past, some
investment bodies have reported the details of account signatories as well as the actual
investor. Such reporting is incorrect and will cause problems when the investment income is
matched in the ATO.
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For example:
An account is held in the name of Mrs Mabel Winterbottom, an elderly pensioner. Her daughter
Muriel Jones is an account signatory but does not own the funds deposited. The interest paid is
to be reported in the name of Mabel Winterbottom in the AIIR, therefore the investor details of
Mabel Winterbottom would be reported in the QTFN report ie. there would be one row with
Mabel's information. Muriel's details should not appear in the QTFN report.
Deceased clients
In situations where an individual investor dies during the reporting period, the Investor entity
type field in the row for that investor is to be entered as D (deceased individual). The Investor
surname and First given and Second given name fields are to be reported as normal.
Reporting of dates
Date fields (eg. Report end date, date of birth) are to be reported in the format DDMMCCYY.
For example, 4 August 2016 would be reported as 04082016.
When reporting in Microsoft Excel format, all date fields should be set to text.
Reporting of accounts held by trusts
Determine whether the trust is a formal trust (ie., established as a legal entity under a formal
arrangement) or an informal trust (where there is no formal arrangement in place and there is
no requirement to furnish a trust income tax return to the ATO).
Trust type
Reporting requirement
Formal trust
Investor entity type = T
Trust’s TFN or ABN quoted and reported
Only one row of data to be reported for the account
Non-individual investor name reported
Investor surname, given name fields left blank
Informal trust
Investor entity type = I, C, S, G or O
“Trustee’s” TFN quoted and reported
“Trustee’s” surname and given names reported
If the investor entity type = I, Non-individual investor name field left blank
Full name of account reported in Account name field
Separate rows of data reported for each “trustee” (if more than one)
UNCLASSIFIED
15
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC SPREADSHEET FORMAT
UNCLASSIFIED
Example 1  An account held by the ABC Family Trust (a formal trust with TFN 12345678 and an ABN of 10234151168) would be reported as follows in the
QTFN report:
Note that for formal trusts the name of the trustee MUST NOT be reported in the surname, given name fields.
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
Account name
Entity
TFN
ABN
Surname
1st given
name
2nd given
name
DOB
Filler
Non-indiv name
ABC Family
Trust
T
12345678
10234151168
T = trust
TFN OF
TRUST
ABC FAMILY TRUST
Leave these fields blank for non-individual investors
ABN of trust
Name of trust (not trustee)
‘ABC FAMILY TRUST’ would also be entered in the Account name field (Column B).
Example 2  An account held by William Bruce Brown as trustee for his son Rusty (an informal trust with no Trust TFN - "trustee" has quoted his own TFN)
would be reported as follows:
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
Account name
Entity
TFN
ABN
Surname
1st given name
2nd given name
DOB
Filler
Non-indiv name
WILLIAM BRUCE BROWN *ATF
RUSTY BROWN
I
987654321
BROWN
WILLIAM
BRUCE
24041952
Full name of account on the
spreadsheet *ATF= as trustee for
UNCLASSIFIED
I = individual
TFN of
trustee
Details of Trustee
Blank for
individuals
16
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC SPREADSHEET FORMAT
UNCLASSIFIED
Example 3  An account held by Richard and Wendy Jones in trust for their daughter Helen (an informal trust with no Trust TFN or ABN - the joint "trustees"
have provided their own TFNs or ABNs) would be reported as follows:
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
Account name
Entity
TFN
ABN
Surname
1st given name
2nd given
name
DOB
Filler
Non-indiv
name
RICHARD AND WENDY JONES
*ITF HELEN JONES
RICHARD AND WENDY JONES
*ITF HELEN JONES
I
987654123
JONES
RICHARD
06041954
I
678876431
JONES
WENDY
16031956
I = individual
TFN of trustee
Full name of account on the spreadsheet
*ITF= in trust for
UNCLASSIFIED
Details of Trustee
17
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ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
Reporting of accounts held by partnerships
In practice, the determination whether a formal partnership arrangement exists, can be based
on the existence of a partnership agreement, whether the partnership entity is required to lodge
an income tax return and has a partnership TFN or ABN. On the other hand, if there is no
partnership entity for tax purposes, such as a husband and wife joint account, then a separate
Individual TFN would generally be quoted by each of the “partners”.
Partnership type
Reporting requirement
Formal partnership
Investor entity type = P
Partnership’s TFN or ABN quoted
Only one investor details reported
Name of partnership reported in Non-individual investor
name field
Investor surname, given name fields left blank
Informal
partnership
Investor entity type = I, C, S, T, P, G or O
Two or more TFNs or ABNs quoted
Separate Investor details records for each “partner” required
Each “partner’s” surname and given names reported in
separate rows
If the investor entity type = I, Non-individual investor name
field left blank
Full name of account reported in Account name field
If Investor entity type = C, S, T, P, G or O
Report name in non-individual name field
UNCLASSIFIED
18
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC SPREADSHEET FORMAT
UNCLASSIFIED
Example 1  An account held by Wilma’s Hairdressing (a partnership of Fred and Wilma Parks with TFN 87690012) would be reported as follows in the QTFN
report:
Note that for formal partnerships the name of the partners MUST NOT be reported in the surname and given name fields.
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
Account name
Entity
TFN
ABN
Surname
1st given name
2nd giv name
DOB
Filler
Non-indiv name
Wilma’s
Hairdressing
P
87690012
P=
partnership
FRED PARKS AND WILMA PARKS
TFN
These fields blank for non-individual investor
Name of partnership
"WILMA’S HAIRDRESSING" would be entered in the Account name field (Column B).
Example 2  A joint account held by Arthur and Kerry Smith  no partnership entity and the joint account holders have provided their own TFNs  would be
reported as follows:
2 investors linked to A/C
2 rows of data
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
Account name
Entity
TFN
ABN
Surname
1st given name
2nd given name
DOB
Filler
Non-indiv name
ARTHUR AND KERRY SMITH
I
987123456
SMITH
ARTHUR
ARTHUR AND KERRY SMITH
I
678456123
SMITH
KERRY
Full name of account on the
spreadsheet
UNCLASSIFIED
I = individual
TFNs of A/c
holders
12121956
JANE
Account holder details
14101957
Blank for individual
19
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ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
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Reporting of accounts held by companies, superannuation funds, Government
organisations and other non-individuals
If the investor is a non-individual then individual investor name fields should not be complete.
For example, for an account held by a company, it is required that the registered company
name and the company’s TFN/ABN are provided. The name and TFN of the Public Officer or
other signatory should not be reported.
Investor type
Reporting requirement
Corporation
Investor entity type = C
Company’s TFN or ABN quoted
Only one investor details reported
Registered name of company reported in Non-individual investor
name field
Investor surname, given name fields blank
Superannuation
fund
Investor entity type = S
Superannuation fund TFN or ABN quoted
Only one investor details reported
Name of fund reported in Non-individual investor name field
Trustee’s name, TFN not to be reported
Investor surname, given name fields blank
Government
organisation
Investor entity type = G
Organisation’s TFN or ABN quoted
Only one investor details reported
Name of organisation reported in Non-individual investor name field
Investor surname, given name fields blank
Other nonindividuals
Investor entity type = O
Entity’s TFN or ABN quoted
Only one investor details reported
Name of entity reported in Non-individual investor name field
Investor surname, given name fields blank
Names of individuals should not be reported for corporate and other non-individual
accounts (Investor entity type = C, G, O, P, S, or T).
UNCLASSIFIED
20
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
UNCLASSIFIED
DATA DEFINITIONS AND EDIT RULES
6.0
Investment body ABN - the ABN of the investment body must be reported in the first
cell of the spreadsheet.
6.1
Investment body branch number – the branch number of the investment body
providing the report. If the investment body does not have a branch number or the branch
number is not known, leave this field blank.
6.2
Report end date – report the end date of the quarter to which the report belongs (ie,
the report for the quarter 1 July to 30 September 2016 would be reported as 30092016).
6.3
Investment reference number - contains the account number, other reference number
or code that appears on the investor's statement. It must be a number/code that the investor
can use to identify the account.
The ATO will make reference to this number/code when contacting an investor.
6.4
Account name - the full name of the investment account.
6.5
Investor entity type - identifies the type of entity holding the account. One of the
following codes must be reported in this field:
Code
Description
I
Individual
Individual person holding account either singly or
jointly.
For example, Fred James Smith, Helen Sarah
Bowles.
Individual investors can be either single investors
or part of a multiple (joint) investment.
D
Deceased individual
Identifies investors who have died during the
reporting period.
C
Corporation
Investments held by private and public companies.
For example, ABC Pty Ltd, Fred Smith Motors P/L.
Joint investment accounts held by two or more
companies are usually formal partnership
arrangements (joint ventures) and should quote the
partnership TFN or ABN of the joint venture rather
than the separate company TFN or ABN.
See the further notes on reporting of corporate
accounts on page 21.
P
Partnership
Investments held by formal partnerships (ie. a
formal partnership arrangement exists when there
UNCLASSIFIED
21
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
is a requirement for the partnership to have a TFN
or ABN and lodge an income tax return.) See the
further notes on reporting of partnership accounts
on pages 19-20.
T
Trust
See notes on reporting of trusts on pages 15-18.
S
Superannuation fund
Where the account is identified as being held by a
formal superannuation fund or where the words
"Superannuation Fund" are contained in a nonindividual investor's name report S in this field.
See the further notes on reporting of
superannuation fund accounts on page 21.
G
Government
organisation
Where the type of entity is a government
organisation.
See the further notes on reporting of Government
organisation accounts on page 21.
O
Other non-individual
Where the type of non-individual entity cannot be
determined, report O in this field.
See the further notes on reporting of other nonindividual accounts on page 21.
Investor entity type field must be reported as D, C, G, I, O, P, S or T.
6.6
Investor Tax file number - the TFN quoted by the investor or an appropriate TFN code
must be reported in this field.
An investment body need not report cases in the QTFN report where an investor claims an
exemption from quoting, or chooses not to quote either a TFN or an ABN in respect of an
investment. However the investor details together with the relevant income information must be
included in the AIIR.
TFNs currently contain 8 or 9 numeric characters. Any 8 or 9 character value quoted as a
TFN should be reported in this field. Use of the TFN algorithm will reduce the number of invalid
TFNs quoted. This in turn will reduce the number of invalid TFN letters sent to investors, the
number of investors required to re-quote TFNs to the investment bodies and the number of
investors deemed not to have quoted by the ATO.
UNCLASSIFIED
22
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
Where the number quoted has more than 9 characters, report that number using the TFN
code 987654321, unless it is 11 characters in length with the first character non-zero – this
indicates that the number is an ABN.
Where an investor has quoted a TFN with alpha characters, the code 987654321 must be used
in place of the quoted TFN.
See instructions for obtaining the TFN algorithm in Section 7.
6.7
Investor Australian Business number (ABN) – where the investor has provided an
ABN it must be reported in this field.
The ABN may be quoted as an alternative to the TFN where the investment is related to the
investor’s business. An ABN contains 11 numeric characters and the first character is always
non-zero. Where the investor does not quote an ABN this field must be blank filled.
Use of the ABN algorithm to validate quoted ABNs will help reduce the number of invalid
ABNs quoted. This in turn will reduce the number of invalid ABN letters sent to investors, the
number of ABNs re-quoted to investment bodies and the number of investors deemed not have
quoted. The ABN algorithm can be found on the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au.
6.8
Investor surname - the Investor’s surname. This field is mandatory if the investor is an
individual.
If the Investor entity type field = C, G, O, P, S, or T then the Investor surname field must be
blank filled.
6.9
First given name - this field is mandatory where the investor is an individual (i.e. not a
company, partnership, trust or other non-individual entity) this field must contain the investor’s
first given name. If the given name is not stored, the investor’s first initial must be provided.
Where the investor is a non-individual entity this field must be blank filled.
If Type of investor field = I or D then first given name field must be present.
If Type of investor field = C, G, O, P, S, or T then First given name field must be blank.
6.10 Second given name - where the investor is an individual (ie. not a company,
partnership, trust or other non-individual entity) this field should contain the investor's second
given name. If the second given name is not stored, the individual's second initial must be
provided.
If the investor does not have a second given name or the account is held by a non-individual
entity, this field must be blank.
UNCLASSIFIED
23
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
Where the investor has more than two given names, the third and subsequent given names or
initials are not to be provided.
6.11 Date of birth -(individual investors only). This field is mandatory for those investors,
who are minors, and claiming the tax free threshold for minors. For other individual investors,
the field is optional. However, investment bodies that have captured this information are
requested to provide it to assist the ATO in its client identity verification process. If only a year
of birth has been captured, report this field with the day and month zero filled.
For example – year of birth 1956 report as 00001956.
This field must be blank filled for non-individual investors and for those individuals where the
data is unavailable.
6.12
Filler - this field is no longer used. It must be left blank.
6.13 Non-individual investor name - this field is mandatory where the investor is not an
individual (ie, is a company, partnership, trust or other non-individual entity). It must contain the
full name of the non-individual entity.
For individual investors this field must be blank filled.
If Type of investor field = I or D then Non-individual investor name field must be blank.
If Type of investor field = C, G, O, P, S, or T then Non-individual investor name field must be
present.
6.14 Investor address (lines 1 and 2) - lines 1 and 2 contain the postal address (excluding
suburb, town or locality, state or territory, postcode and country) for the investor. It may not be
necessary to use both lines. If the second line is not used then it must be blank filled.
6.15
Suburb, town or city - contains the suburb, town or city from the investor's address.
6.16 State or territory - contains the state or territory for the investor's address. The field
must contain one of the appropriate codes (see page 13-14). If an overseas address is
specified, then this field must be set to OTH.
6.17 Postcode - contains the postcode from the investor's address. If an overseas address
is specified, then this field must be set to 9999.
6.18 Country - contains the country for the investor's address. This field must be left blank if
the country is Australia. If the postcode is 9999 then this field must be a country other than
Australia, if an overseas address is reported.
UNCLASSIFIED
24
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC SPREADSHEET FORMAT
UNCLASSIFIED
6 EXAMPLE OF A QTFN SPREADSHEET
ABC Investments Pty Ltd (ABN 10223415678) the ABN in the spreadsheet has 112 new quotations on investor details to be reported on their QTFN report.
Details of the first 4 accounts are:
Account 1001 – John Walter Fredrick (individual account)
Account 1002 – Judith and Fred May (joint account)
Account 1003 – F & C Constructions Pty Ltd (company account)
Account 1004 – Kitchen Investments (a partnership of Ray Kitchen, Wilma Briggs and June Kitchen)
The spreadsheet (for the above 4 accounts) would be completed as follows:
Investment body
ABN in Column
A/Row 1
Investment body
branch number is
reported here.
Report end date
in this cell
A
B
C
1
12345678211
123
30092006
2
Investment reference
number
Account name
3
1001
4
Two investors in
one account
Details of first
account entered
in Row 3
D
E
F
G
Entity
TFN
ABN
Surname
First name
John W Fredrick
I
123000987
Fredrick
John
1002
Judith and Fred May
I
122123789
May
Judith
5
1002
Judith and Fred May
I
145876001
May
Frederick
6
1003
F & C Constructions Pty
Ltd
C
89700128
12102678923
7
1004
Kitchen Investments
P
78609812
12267890324
Column headings
in Row 2
Two rows of details
for joint account
UNCLASSIFIED
One row for
partnership investor
One row for
company investor
25
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC SPREADSHEET FORMAT
UNCLASSIFIED
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
2
Second name
DOB
Filler
Non-individual name
Investor address
line 1
Investor address
line 2
Suburb
State
PC
Country
3
Walter
15031957
123 Fern Gully Road
North
Sydney
NSW
2060
17021963
56 Waters Street
Artarmon
NSW
2064
25121960
56 Waters Street
Artarmon
NSW
2064
1
4
5
George
6
F & C Constructions Pty Ltd
Shop 12 Big Mall
Antler Street
Penrith
NSW
2750
7
Raymond Kitchen, June Kitchen and
Wilma Briggs
c/- W Briggs
67 Warner Road
Parramatt
a
NSW
2150
These fields left blank
for non-individual
entities
UNCLASSIFIED
This field left blank for
individuals
26
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
7 ALGORITHMS
ABN ALGORITHM
The ABN algorithm is a mathematical formula that tests the validity of numbers quoted as
ABNs. Use of the algorithm is required, as it will minimise ABN errors and may subsequently
reduce the need for contact between clients and the ATO. It is available from www.ato.gov.au
by searching for ABN format.
TFN ALGORITHM
The TFN algorithm is a mathematical formula that tests the validity of numbers quoted as
TFNs. Its use in software is recommended as it will minimise TFN errors and may subsequently
reduce the need for contact between investment bodies and other organisations or their clients
and the ATO.
Use of the TFN Algorithm does not negate an investment body’s obligation to lodge a QTFN
report when a new TFN or ABN is quoted in connection with an investment, during a reporting
period.
The ATO will make the algorithm available on request to persons or organisations with a bona
fide business need to use it.
In order to obtain the TFN algorithm the following information will need to be provided:
 name of the organisation or person requesting the algorithm
 contact person including phone number
 business address, and
 explanation of the business need for the algorithm.
The above information can be sent in the following ways:


by email to [email protected] or
provided online at http://softwaredevelopers.ato.gov.au/TFNalgorithm
To find out more about the TFN algorithm or its use contact the Software Industry Partnership
Office (SIPO) on 1300 139 052 (toll free) or by email [email protected]
UNCLASSIFIED
27
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
8 RETURNS FROM ATO
Receiving corrected TFN/ABN data from the ATO
Investment bodies and suppliers that lodge their quarterly QTFN report on a spreadsheet will
receive paper notifications.
Updating of TFN/ABN field by investment bodies
When investment bodies receive the corrected QTFN report data from the ATO they are
required to update the TFN or ABN field in the corresponding investor records in their
database. The original TFN or ABN for the investor, the Investment reference number and
Investor name fields provided by the investment body in the original QTFN report should be
used to ensure that the appropriate investor record is being updated.
Once an investment body has made sure that it has matched a Return data investor record to
the appropriate investor record in their database, then the TFN or ABN for that investor should
be replaced by the number in the Corrected investor TFN or Corrected investor ABN field.
If the Original investor TFN or Original investor ABN fields do not match the TFN or ABN
held by the investment body, then the details of that investor and the new TFN or ABN should
be included in the next quarterly QTFN report sent to the ATO.
Investors deemed not to have quoted a TFN/ABN
Where the ATO is unable to find the TFN or ABN for an investor on its Client Register, the
investor is deemed not to have quoted.
Where the investor is deemed not to have quoted, the investment body is required to withhold
from future payments of investment income subject to withholding arrangements, tax at the
highest marginal rate plus the Medicare levy, until the investor either quotes a TFN or ABN in
relation to the investment, or claims an exemption from quoting.
Those investors deemed not to have quoted are contacted by the ATO and advised to quote
their correct TFN or ABN to the investment body to avoid the imposition of the withholding tax.
UNCLASSIFIED
28
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
9 MORE INFORMATION
REPORTING BY PC SPREADSHEET
If anything in this specification requires clarification, direct these enquiries to:


Phone 1800 072 681
email to [email protected]
For information on electronic reporting, direct these enquiries to
[email protected]
SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS HOMEPAGE
Software developers, both in-house and commercial, who are developing or updating electronic
reporting software, should use this specification for developing their application.
The Software developers homepage at http://softwaredevelopers.ato.gov.au has been
designed to facilitate a partnership between the software development industry and the ATO
and provides the following:



a self-testing model allowing software developers to check their product, package, program
or system against ATO test scenarios or relevant format testing,
access to information relevant to all software developers to assist in the development of
tax-related software, and
a software product register which tax agents and businesses can access to find products
that will assist in meeting tax-related obligations.
Lodging the Declaration of Compliance automatically lists the product(s) on the Software
developers homepage Product register. Software developers that have listed their product on
the Product register may direct users to the website at http://softwaredevelopers.ato.gov.au
for confirmation that the product has met ATO requirements. Developers who do not need to
register in order to list products may still receive emails detailing significant issues by using the
subscription service available from the site. Registering or subscribing for updates is
recommended for both in-house and commercial software developers.
For more information on the Software developers homepage, contact SIPO:


phone 1300 139 052
email [email protected]
UNCLASSIFIED
29
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
10 FORMS
The following forms are provided for use by investment bodies lodging QTFN reports:

Investment body information form
UNCLASSIFIED
30
UNCLASSIFIED
ELECTRONIC REPORTING SPECIFICATION – QTFN AND ABN PC
SPREADSHEET FORMAT
QTFN report – Investment body information
Attach this form to your QTFN lodgment or alternatively provide this information in the body of the email when lodging the
QTFN report via the Business portal.
Registered name of
investment body
Investment body
trading name
Investment body
Australian Business
Number (ABN)
Investment
body branch
number
Investment body address
Line 1
Line 1
Line 2
Suburb, Town or City
State/Territory
Country
Period of Report
Postcode
to
Contact name
Contact telephone number
Contact fax number
Contact e-mail address
If you need further information on lodging this form or the QTFN report.

Phone 1800 072 681

email to [email protected]
UNCLASSIFIED
31