Office codes (paying entities)

Every office code you create is set up as either a paying entity or a non-paying entity. A paying entity has its own ABN, bank details and payslip branding, so employees assigned to it are paid and reported to the ATO under that entity. A non-paying entity has no ABN or ABA payment details.

Employees assigned to it are paid and reported (including STP and Super) using the details set in your Default office code. Choosing the right type from the start ensures your payroll, reporting, and payslips reflect how your business is structured.
 

When to use a paying entity

Create an additional paying office code when:

• You operate multiple businesses with different ABNs
• You want to pay different groups of employees from the same ABN, but from different bank accounts
• You operate multiple business areas under the same ABN, but require different business names or payslip logos
• You need different invoicing details and bank account information for different client groups
   

When to use a non-paying entity

Create a non-paying office code when you want to:

• Separate business areas under the same ABN into different office codes for foundU reporting purposes
• Segregate groups such as upper management to restrict admin search access
• Create additional filtering options for payroll processing

  Hot tip: You do not need to create multiple non-paying office codes to break down your labour costs. Cost codes enable accurate reporting, business costing, and client invoicing within your foundU platform.

Both types of office codes can be assigned to individual employees as well as to Operations. You can edit both types of office codes after they are created to reflect any necessary changes. However, once created, neither office code can be deleted from the system to ensure consistency and data integrity.

Key differences

Paying and non-paying office codes look similar in the platform, but they work very differently behind the scenes. The main difference is where an employee's pay and reporting come from. 

A paying entity uses its own ABN, bank account and payslip details. A non-paying entity relies on your Default office code for all of these. Use the table below to compare what each type can store and how it affects payroll, STP reporting, payslips and invoicing.

  Please note: Moving an employee between office codes under the same paying entity (for example, from the Default office code to a non-paying office code) does not change their YTD information and requires no STP submission. Moving an employee to a different paying entity changes their YTD information and requires an STP submission.

For more information on how to change an employee's office code, see our 'Changing an employee's office code' section below. 

When you first navigate to the office code page, foundU guides you through setting up your first office code. This office code becomes your Default office code. It is your legal paying entity for payroll, super, ATO reporting and compliance, so the details you enter must match the ATO's records for your business.

If you have multiple paying entities, start with your primary entity, which employs the most staff or processes the bulk of your payroll. You can add your other entities as additional office codes later.

Set up your first office code

Having the following information ready before you start will make set-up quick and help avoid errors that can't be fixed later.

What you'll need

• ATO and compliance details - Your ABN, GST branch number (if you don't have one, the default of 001 is used) and ACN (optional). When you enter your ABN, foundU displays the registered organisation name, status and entity type, so check these match your business before continuing.
  
    Warning: Your ABN, Branch and ACN cannot be changed once saved. Double-check these details before continuing.
   
• Business details - Your trading name, business address, website URL (optional) and company logo (a 300 x 100 .png, .jpg or .svg file) for your payslips.
• Default super fund - The super fund your business offers employees who don't choose their own fund during onboarding.
• ATO registrations - Whether your business is registered to employ Working Holiday Makers, and whether you are an approved PALM scheme employer.
• Contact details - First and surname, phone number, and email for your general contact and your payslip contact. These can be the same person. 
• Bank account details - The account you'll pay employee wages from. You'll need this for your ABA payment settings.
• Invoice contact details - Details default to the payslip contact details unless you enter a separate invoice contact.
• Invoice payment details - The bank and billing details on invoices to let recipients know where to make payment.

  Please note: The above invoicing options will appear only if you are a labour hire company or use our invoicing feature.

For a description of every field you'll see during set-up, see the 'Adding a new office code (paying entity)' section below. 

Connecting your office code to the ATO (SSID)

Before you can lodge STP reports from foundU, you need to tell the ATO that foundU is your payroll software. You do this by registering your office code's Software ID (SSID) in the ATO's Access Manager. Without this step, your STP submissions will not be accepted.

  Please note: The person in your business with access to the ATO Access Manager will need to lodge the SSID in the declaration section. If you manage multiple ABNs, each ABN must be registered separately. 

  Please see our 'Register your Software ID (SSID) with the ATO' article for step-by-step instructions. 

Setting up your ABA payment settings

Once your office code is saved, set up its ABA payment settings so foundU can generate the ABA file used to pay your employees. Best practice is to do this straight away, so your pay runs are correctly configured from your first pay.

  Please see our 'ABA payment settings' article for step-by-step instructions.

When creating office codes, it’s important to decide how your payroll and reporting structure should be set up from the start. Some platforms will require only a single office code under a single ABN, while others may require multiple office codes to reflect different business areas, reporting requirements, or operational separation.

There are 2 types of office codes for paying entities:

• Default office code – Included with every platform and always set up as a paying entity.
• Additional office codes – Extra paying entities created to suit your business and payroll structure. If you plan to use multiple office codes, it's best to plan your setup in advance.

  Warning: The Default office code must have its details completed, even if it is not actively used on your platform, as it serves as a fallback to ensure all payroll and reporting requirements are met.
 

Additional office codes can be created for a range of operational and reporting needs, including:

• You operate multiple businesses with different ABNs.
• You want to pay different groups of employees from the same ABN, but from different bank accounts.
• You want to apply admin search restrictions or separate reporting between areas of the business.
• You operate multiple business areas under the same ABN, but require different business names or payslip logos.

  Hot tip: Office codes are kept for auditing and reporting, so they can't be deleted. If an office code is no longer needed, it's a good idea to update the title to include “(DO NOT USE)” and to remove it from all employees and operations to keep everything clear and organised.

To add a new office code:

1. Navigate to the main menu > Payroll Settings > Office Codes, then select + Office code.
   
   
2. Select the 'Create a paying entity' option.
3. Enter the following ATO and compliance information:
   • Office code label - This name identifies the office code across the platform, including in searches, filters and reports.
   • ABN - An Australian Business Number (ABN) is a unique 11-digit identifier for your business, issued by the Australian Business Registry (ABR). You must provide an ABN for an office code that will be a paying entity.
   • Branch - GST Branches allow multiple GST registrations under a single ABN. If this does not apply to your business, the default value of 001 will be used. If you are unsure whether this is correct for your business, please confirm with the ATO.
   • ACN - An ACN is a unique 9-digit number issued by ASIC when a business is registered. This field is optional.
     
       Warning: Ensure your ABN, Branch and ACN details are correct before proceeding, as these cannot be changed later.
4. Once you have entered the ATO and compliance information, select Continue.
   
   
5. Next, enter the following information:
   • Business details - This information shows how this paying entity is identified across payroll, super and employee-facing documents:
     • Trading name - This will appear in the header of all payslips that are created for this entity.
     • Company logo - This logo will appear on the header of all payslips for this entity. Please use a 300 x 100 image.
     • Address - The address of the business address.
     • Website URL (optional) - Add your business's URL.
     • Default superannuation fund - The super fund employees use if they choose the default fund during onboarding.
     • Registered for Working Holiday Maker employees? - If your business is registered to employ Working Holiday Makers, set this to 'Yes'.
       • When set to Yes - Employees who declare WHM status on their TFN declaration will be taxed at 15% on income up to $45,000. After this threshold is reached, the platform will automatically apply the relevant progressive tax rates for Working Holiday Makers.
       • When set to No - WHM employees will be taxed at 32.5%.
     • Approved PALM employer? - If your business is an approved PALM scheme employer, set this to Yes.
       • When set to Yes, this enables the SWP (Seasonal Worker Program) income type. This type will apply a 15% flat tax rate while in use.
   • Invoice payments - The bank and billing details on invoices to let recipients know where to make payment:
     • Account name - Your bank account name.
     • Bank account BSB - Your bank account BSB.
     • Bank account number - Your bank account number.
   • Invoice contact (optional) - Details default to the payslip contact details unless you enter a separate invoice contact here.
     • Use different contact details for invoices (optional) - Enable this setting to use different contact details for invoices.
       • Account email - Email provided on the invoice for clients to send remittances to.
       • Account BCC email - This field is used for finance integrations that require invoices to be copied to a vendor-provided email address.
     • Include additional message on invoices (optional) - Enable this setting to include an additional message to appear on every invoice generated for this office code.
       • Heading - Title for additional information that can be displayed at the bottom of the invoice.
       • Message - Any additional information you'd like displayed on invoices. This information will be positioned on the last page of the invoice.
         
           Please note: The above invoicing options will appear only if you are a labour hire company or use our invoicing feature.
   • General contact - The business contact details displayed to recipients on communications sent from foundU:
     • Office code contact - The point of contact for this business. Ensure you add a first and surname for Beam registration purposes. 
     • Office code phone number - The contact number for the point of contact.
     • Office code email - The email address that will be used as the reply-to address for applicable communications associated with this office code.
   • Payslip details & contact - Details entered here will be displayed in the header of payslips generated for this office code:
     • Payslip contact - Displayed in the header of employee payslips. This information is also sent to the ATO through STP.
     • Contact phone number - Displayed in the header of employee payslips.
     • Contact email - Displayed in the header of employee payslips.
     • Include additional message on payslips (optional) - Enable this setting if you would like to enter an optional message to appear on every payslip generated for this office code.
       • Heading - Title for additional information that can be displayed at the end of employee payslips.
       • Message - Any additional information you'd like displayed on employee payslips. This information will be positioned on the last page of the payslip.
6. Select Save to create your office code.

You can now apply the new office code to employees and operations as needed. Please refer to the Applying office codes section below for more information.

A non-paying office code is an office code without its own ABN or ABA payment details attached. Instead, employees assigned to a non-paying office code will be paid and reported (including STP and superannuation) using the ABN and financial details set in the Default office code.

Non-paying office codes can be useful when you want to separate larger areas of your platform without creating an additional paying entity. 

  Hot tip: You do not need to create multiple non-paying office codes to break down your labour costs. Cost codes enable accurate reporting, business costing, and client invoicing within your foundU platform.

Ways non-paying office codes can benefit your platform include:

• Separating business areas under the same ABN into different office codes for foundU reporting purposes.
• Segregating groups such as upper management to restrict admin search access.
• Creating additional filtering options for payroll processing.

  Hot tip: Office codes are kept for auditing and reporting, so they can't be deleted. If an office code is no longer needed, it's a good idea to update the title to include “(DO NOT USE)” and to remove it from all employees and operations to keep everything clear and organised.

To add a new Office Code:

1. Navigate to the main menu > Payroll Settings > Office Codes, then select + Office code.
   
   
2. Select 'Create a non-paying entity', then enter the Office code label. This name identifies the office code across the platform, including in searches, filters and reports.
   
   
3. Next, enter the following information.
   • Business details:
     • Address - The address of the business.
   • Primary entity defaults:
     • Default Super Fund - The super fund used for employees who choose to sign up with the default fund during their onboarding.
   • General contact - The business contact details displayed to recipients on communications sent from foundU:
     • Office code contact - The point of contact for this business.
     • Office code phone number - The contact number for the point of contact.
     • Office code email - The email address that will be used as the reply-to address for applicable communications associated with this office code.
4. To finalise your changes, select Save.

You can now apply the new office code to employees and operations as needed. Please refer to the Applying office codes section below for more information.

In most cases, you won't need to create a new office code, as edits are sufficient for most updates. A new office code is required only for major structural changes, such as adding a new ABN, a business acquisition, or a change to a non-editable field.

Fields that cannot be edited include:

• ABN / ACN
• Branch number
• SSID

Office codes (both paying and non-paying) can be edited for all other updates, including:

• Updating payroll contact and company details
• Changing the logo for new branding or other payslip comments
• Business address changes
• Providing a new account for invoicing details

  Please note: If you need to update the office code contact name, email, or default super fund, go to Payroll > Superannuation > Beam, select the option to update that paying entity's organisation details, and follow the prompts to confirm the details are correct. Ensure you navigate back to foundU, then return to settings. 

To edit an office code:

1. Navigate to the main menu > Payroll Settings > Office Codes, then select the edit (pencil) icon to the right of the office code.
   
   
2. You will be able to edit the following details.
   • Business details:
     • Trading name - This will appear in the header of all payslips that are created for this entity.
     • Company logo - This logo will appear on the header of all payslips for this entity. Please use a 300 x 100 image.
     • Address - The address of the business.
     • Website URL (optional) - Add your business's URL.
     • Default superannuation fund - The super fund used for employees who choose to sign up with the default fund during their onboarding.
     • Registered for Working Holiday Maker employees? - If your business is registered to employ Working Holiday Makers, set this setting to 'Yes'.
       • When set to Yes - Employees who declare WHM status on their TFN declaration will be taxed at 15% on income up to $45,000. After this threshold is reached, the platform will automatically apply the relevant progressive tax rates for Working Holiday Makers.
       • When set to No - WHM employees will be taxed at 32.5%.
     • Approved PALM employer? - If your business is an approved PALM scheme employer, set this setting to Yes.
       • When set to Yes, this enables the SWP (Seasonal Worker Program) income type. This type will apply a 15% flat tax rate while in use.
   • Invoice payments:
     • Account name - Your bank account name.
     • Bank account BSB - Your bank account BSB.
     • Bank account number - Your bank account number.
   • Invoice contact (optional):
     • Use different contact details for invoices (optional) - Enable this setting to use different contact details for invoices.
       • Account email - Email provided on the invoice for clients to send remittances to.
       • Account BCC email - This field is used for finance integrations that require invoices to be copied to a vendor-provided email address.
     • Include additional message on invoices (optional):
       • Heading - Title for additional information that can be displayed at the bottom of the invoice.
       • Message - Any additional information you'd like displayed on invoices. This information will be positioned on the last page of the invoice.
         
           Please note: The above invoicing options will appear only if you are a labour hire company or use our invoicing feature.
   • General contact:
     • Office code contact - The point of contact for this business.
     • Office code phone number - The contact number for the point of contact.
     • Office code email - The email address that will be used as the reply-to address for applicable communications associated with this office code.
   • Payslip details & contact:
     • Payslip contact - Displayed in the header of employee payslips. This information is also sent to the ATO through STP.
     • Contact phone number - Displayed in the header of employee payslips.
     • Contact email - Displayed in the header of employee payslips.
     • Include additional message on payslips (optional) - Enable this setting if you would like to enter an optional message to appear on every payslip generated for this office code.
       • Heading - Title for additional information that can be displayed at the end of employee payslips.
       • Message - Any additional information you'd like displayed on employee payslips. This information will be positioned on the last page of the payslip.
3. Select Save.

ABA payment settings are configured per paying office code, giving you the flexibility to use either the same or different banking details across your office codes, depending on how your business is structured. This allows you to align payments to a single bank account for simplicity, or separate accounts where different entities, cost centres, or financial arrangements are required.

The information set here is used in conjunction with your office code details to generate ABA files for pay processing, ensuring employee payments are correctly grouped and paid from the appropriate account.

Using different ABA settings per office code can help with:

• Separating payroll payments across different business entities or bank accounts
• Improving financial tracking and reconciliation at an office code level
• Reducing manual corrections by ensuring ABA files are automatically aligned to the correct bank account from the outset

Best practice is to update your ABA payment settings as soon as a new office code is created, ensuring pay runs are correctly configured from the outset.

  Please see our ABA payment settings article for information on how to update your ABA payment settings.

Assigning an office code to an Operation allows you to link Operations to specific business entities for reporting and invoicing purposes. While this is optional for most Operations, it is required for Labour Hire platforms as the office code contains the invoicing details used when billing clients.

If your business uses multiple office codes, assigning them to Operations can help you better organise and separate different areas of your business. Use cases include:

• Filtering financial reports by office code to report on specific groups of Operations.
• Applying different invoicing details and bank account information to different groups of clients.

To assign an office code to an Operation:

1. Navigate to Operations > Approved Operations.
2. Select the Operation name you'd like to add or change an office code for.
3. On the overview tab, locate Office Code > then edit (pencil icon).
4. Select your new office code. You will then receive a notification that your new code has been applied.

Applying office codes in bulk

If you manage multiple Operations that use the same paying entity details, you can assign an office code to them in bulk instead of updating each Operation individually.

This is useful when setting up new Operations, restructuring entities, or applying consistent payroll and invoicing details across multiple areas of the platform at once.
 

To do so:

1. Navigate to Operations > Approved Operations.
2. Select the desired Operations > Bulk actions > Assign Office Code to Selected.
3. Select the office code and select Assign.

Office codes determine the paying entity responsible for an employee's pay and earnings reporting. Since every employee must be linked to an office code, the details stored there drive payroll, STP, and superannuation reporting.

An employee can only be assigned to one office code at a time. Regardless of the operations or shifts they work, the following will always be tied to their assigned office code:

• Earnings and leave payments are drawn from the office code's linked bank account.
• The office code's ABN is used to report earnings to the ATO via STP.
• The office code's ABN is used to report superannuation obligations to the ATO.

When recruiting and onboarding new employees, an office code can be assigned at two different stages. For Pending People, an office code must be assigned during onboarding before they can be approved, ensuring the correct paying entity is set from the start.

These stages are:

• Adding employees - When an admin user adds a new employee, they can assign an office code while entering the employee's details. Depending on your onboarding set-up, you will have two areas where this is done:
  • Platforms with no onboarding breakpoint (verify step) - Office code is mandatory on the 'Add Person' page.
  • Platforms with an onboarding breakpoint (verify step) - Office code is not required at the 'Add Person' stage; it becomes mandatory in the 'Accept Candidate' modal instead.
    
      Please note: If only one office code exists, or the admin user has permission to see only one, the office code selector will automatically pre-populate with that option. This option is available only when admins add employees to the platform and is not available to employees who self-register.

• Approving employees - When approving pending employees, an office code is required as part of the approval workflow to ensure the employee is linked to the correct paying entity before they can be rostered and paid.

Assigning an employee to an office code is necessary because it determines which paying entity is responsible for paying the employee. By assigning an employee to a specific office code, the employer can ensure that the correct financial and tax information is used for that employee's payroll.

Sometimes you may need to change an employee's office code. This could be due to:

• The employee changing venues or locations
• The employee changing departments within your business

  Please note: The process for changing an employee's office code is the same for both paying & non-paying entities. You will need to update employees' office codes individually from their Employee Profile as there isn't an option to update this in bulk.

There are 2 ways to update an employee's office code. These are:

• Updating the office code for future pay periods, leaving past pay periods as the previous office code.
• Updating the office code for selected past pay periods.

Below, we cover the details of both options using the Office Code change tool.

  Please note: The Office Code tool is intended to correct STP and Payroll reporting data only. You will need to take separate action to update the PDF versions of the generated payslips.
 

Important next steps

After changing an employee's office code, follow the next steps to ensure the process is completed effectively.

• For the Payroll team - If there are any existing upcoming draft payslips for the employee whose office code has been changed, reprocess them so the new office code details are used.
• For the employee - Encourage your employees to log in to their Employee App and simply re-save their TFN Declaration. When the next payroll is generated, it updates the ATO with the relevant information.