We recommend you test your files before lodging to identify errors and reduce the need for amendments. You can then upload your file again to lodge it. Test files can be tested once in a 24-hour period. Retesting a file multiple times will produce a duplicate file error message.
How to test and lodge files
To test and lodge files in:
- Online services for business, select File transfer then Lodge
- Online services for agents, select Reports and forms then File transfer and Lodge.
This will display the Lodge file screen, which gives you the option to test or lodge your file:
- Test – the file is sent to us, validated and checked for errors, but not lodged
- Lodge – the file is sent to us, validated and lodged if there are no errors detected.
After you submit the file, the File status – in progress screen displays while the file is being validated. It will not be lodged if errors are detected.
When validation is complete, we notify you by email (if you chose this option).
To view the validation report in:
- Online services for business – select File status. Locate the report then click the link to download the validation report
- Online services for agents – select Reports and Forms then File Transfer. You can access the validation report by selecting the dropdown arrow on the File transfer screen beside the file submitted.
If there are errors, you need to deal with them before re-submitting the file.
You can see the list of files you've previously tested or lodged in:
- Online services for business and select File transfer
- Online services for agents and select Reports and forms then File transfer.
When submitting a file, you don't need to include any other documents with it.
You can test or lodge files at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (unless our systems are unavailable because of system issues or maintenance).
Validation report
When validation is complete you can download the validation report.
To access the validation report in:
- Online services for business, select File transfer and click the link to download the validation report
- Online services for agents, select Reports and forms then File transfer and select the dropdown arrow beside the file submitted.
Information on the screen can be filtered by:
- date range
- file type (select option)
- file name
- supplier ABN
- status (select option)
- ATO reference.
The validation report is only accessible to the entity that submitted the file online.
There are 4 types of reports:
- Successful report – successfully tested or lodged.
- Successful with warnings report – successfully submitted (either lodge or test) but containing some fields that may be incorrect. If the file has been lodged, review the warnings and, if necessary, amend records that need to be updated. Then re-lodge only the amended records in a new file.
- Failed file format report – file has been rejected because it has errors with the file format.
- Failed file content report – file has been rejected because it has errors in the file content.
If there are warnings or errors, you need to deal with them and re-submit the file.
The validation report contains a summary and the details of errors or warnings. It has further information to help you identify, review and correct the record, including the record number, the fields containing errors or warnings and what is currently recorded in those fields.
Time required to validate files
Most files will be validated in a matter of minutes. The length of time depends on the:
- number of records
- number of errors
- overall complexity of the specification
- validation rules for the lodged file.
You don't need to stay connected to our online services during validation. You can log in again later and select File transfer then File status when using Online services for business, or Reports and forms then File transfer when using Online services for agents to either:
- check if validation is still in progress
- download the completed report.
You can also choose to be notified by email when the validation report is available.
Many factors influence validation performance on the day. The table below shows indicative timings for validation of large files from when the upload is complete until the validation report and file status is available.
Note: Compressing your files reduces upload times but does not affect validation times because validation occurs on the uncompressed file.
Uncompressed file size |
Estimated validation time |
|---|---|
1GB |
45 minutes to 1 hour |
2GB |
1.5 hours to 2 hours |
3GB |
2.5 hours to 3 hours |
5GB |
3.5 hours to 4 hours |
8GB |
5.5 hours to 7 hours |
Meaning of Supplier ABN
The ‘Supplier ABN’ on the validation report and displayed against the file status is the Australian business number (ABN) of the data supplier. For most lodgments this is the same as the entity that submitted the file for testing or lodgment. For suppliers that don't have an ABN, a withholding payer number (WPN) will display.
In some situations, intermediaries (for example, BAS agents or payroll providers) may lodge files where the Supplier ABN is that of their client rather than the intermediary.
Dealing with warnings and errors
If the validation report for your file has warnings or errors, you need to deal with them before re-submitting:
Validation warnings
If the file validation process results in warnings only (no errors), the file has been successfully submitted (either lodge or test) but it contained fields that may be incorrect.
If the file has been lodged, review the warnings to check that the information reported is correct. If any fields are incorrect, you need to:
- amend the incorrect records
- follow your software instructions for creating an amendment file (Type of Report 'A')
- re-lodge only the amended records in a new file.
It's important that you don't re-lodge the entire file. This may result in a duplicate lodgment.
Not all warnings need to be corrected. Some may be valid and require no action.
Errors
If you receive an error on the page or within a validation report, you need to correct it and re-submit the file.
Below are suggested fixes for common errors.
Error message |
Cause |
Possible fix |
|---|---|---|
File status – Failed The file failed to load. Select Lodge file to try again. |
You may be trying to upload a file that:
|
The current version of TrueZip is not supported. An error message 'Compression method 9 not supported' will display. If this issue still occurs, contact us. |
The file contains non-ASCII characters. To lodge a file electronically you must first create a file that is generated from your software in a format and version supported by our systems. Scanned images or forms, screen prints, spreadsheets and word processing files (e.g. .pdf, .doc, .xls, .jpg, .tiff) cannot be lodged via the file transfer function on our online services. |
You may be trying to upload a file that is not in the correct format. This error is commonly caused when:
|
All files must be saved as a plain text file (e.g. .txt). |
The compressed file is corrupted and cannot be processed. Please try again. |
You have compressed a corrupted file or the file has been corrupted during the compression process. |
|
The file cannot be processed, a virus has been detected. |
The file contains a virus. |
Use a virus protection product to remove the virus. |
The file supplied is empty – it contains zero bytes. |
The file contains no data. This may be caused by an issue when the file has been saved. |
|
Please contact your Principal Authority or Authorisation Administrator. This type of file is not able to be sent by all authorised users. |
Certain file types require the Administrator to give permission to an Authorised user with custom or basic access to allow them to view, prepare or lodge a file. User permissions are set by the Principal Authority or Authorisation Administrator through Access Manager. Permissions are set according to the file type. |
Contact your Principal Authority or Authorisation Administrator to determine if you have been given the correct permission for the type of file. |
The file is an invalid format. To lodge a file electronically you must first create a file that is generated from your software in a format and version supported by our systems. Scanned images or forms, screen prints, spreadsheets and word processing files (e.g. .pdf, .doc, .xls, .jpg, .tiff) cannot be lodged via the file transfer function on our online services. |
File is not in a text format. |
|
The file cannot be processed as it contains a compressed file within a compressed file. |
We cannot find the file when more than one level of compression exists. |
Uncompress the file and then upload the compressed file. |
The compressed file contains no files. Please try again. |
No file exists to upload. |
|
The field must not contain blanks or non-numeric characters. |
Common issues include:
|
– |
The field must be entered but you did not report anything in this field. |
This field requires a value, it cannot be blank. |
Enter a valid value. |
The field must not commence with a space. |
A field contains a space at the beginning. Fields are usually left justified and must start with a valid character. |
|
The name field must not contain 2 or more spaces between names. |
The name field has more than one space between the names. |
Insert one given name per field, or only allow one space between names. |
Re-submitting files
If you originally sent multiple files as a single compressed file and you receive an error, you don't need to re-send all the files, only the file that has the error.
You should not re-send files that have successfully lodged or successfully lodged with warnings. If you want to change the data reported in a file that was successfully lodged or successfully lodged with warnings/possible errors, you need to lodge an amendment.
Files that are duplicates will be identified and rejected during the validation process. The duplicate file will not be processed.
Email notification
When you lodge or test a file you can choose to receive an email notification when the validation report is available.
In Online services for business:
- Select File transfer then Lodge.
- Check the box to receive the email notification and enter an email address.
- Test or lodge your file.
In Online services for agents:
- Select Reports and forms, then File transfer.
- Select Lodge.
- Select the checkbox Send a notification when validation report is ready and enter an address.
- Test or lodge your file.
You can opt out of this service at any time. If you are using Online services for business, deselect the check box the next time you test or lodge a file.
If you are using Online services for agents, select or deselect the checkbox Send a notification when validation report is ready.
Choosing an email address
The notification email address is recorded for your organisation rather than for a specific user within the organisation. Only one email address can be stored.
If multiple people in your organisation will use file transfer, it may be best to use a group email address that all users can access.
Alternatively, the notification email address can be updated each time a file is submitted for testing or lodgment:
- If someone in your organisation has previously opted to receive notifications, the email address they entered will be shown.
- If the email address is changed, the new address will be used for all notifications, including for any file validations in progress (which may have been requested by other users in your organisation) and files that we subsequently send through file transfer.
- If you use your personal email address, any reports sent by us through file transfer will go to your personal email address, not the organisation’s address.
- Notifications can be sent only by email. SMS notification is not available at this time.