ATO to upgrade Online services for SMSF auditors

“The results are in, and as an outcome of these sessions, we will be implementing the ability to enter and save auditor details so they can be selected and pre-populated when lodging auditor contravention reports (ACRs) and audit complete advices (ACAs),” the ATO said.

“There will also be the option for you to download lodged ACRs to your device, including clear messaging on the confirmation of lodgement screen.”

This means that in addition to the existing ability to print and save draft ACR forms, Online services for business will soon allow you to download a copy of lodged ACRs to your device. 

The ATO noted these features will be available in Online services for business to align with the decommissioning of the electronic superannuation audit tool (eSAT) in early March 2022.

“Many approved SMSF auditors have advised they would like to see a history of their ACR lodgements, similar to the current eSAT experience,” the ATO noted.

“At the moment, you can get a copy of your ACR form and your ACR history in eSAT, as it is drawing this information from what is saved on the software program which is installed on your computer, making it your own record. When an ACR is lodged using Online services for business, it is stored on the ATO’s systems; more specifically; it is recorded on the ATO’s records for the SMSF. 

“As such, your ACR lodgement history and/or a copy of a lodged ACR forms part of the SMSF records held with the ATO.”

Under the ATO’s tax secrecy laws, once the ACR is lodged, it becomes the “protected information” of the SMSF as it relates to its tax affairs. The ATO stated it can only disclose the SMSF’s tax information to the SMSF itself and its “covered entities”, or for specific reasons where certain exceptions to disclosure may apply for tax administration purposes. 

“Unlike tax agents, auditors aren’t considered ‘covered entities’ under the tax law, so we are prohibited from providing you with information of the SMSF,” the ATO explained.

“There are currently no disclosure exceptions in the tax law other than where we disclose an ACR to an auditor for the purpose of carrying out our taxation duties; for example, where we might be looking to take compliance action against a fund and need to verify some of the content on the ACR. 

“For these reasons, we are unable to provide this historical view in Online services for business. However, based on the feedback we received in the recent co-design sessions, we are confident the enhancements being made will help to make your transition easier.

“Thank you to all the auditors who took part in the co-design sessions. While eSAT is still available, we highly recommend you use Online services for business to lodge your ACR and ACA forms.”