Reporting open accounts and account changes

Reporting open accounts

When you determine that an individual holds a superannuation interest you must notify us via the MAAS no later than 5 business days after the day the account is opened (or such later date as the Commissioner may allow). For example, generally we consider that the individual holds a superannuation interest at the time the contribution is received, and sufficient details are known to identify the member. This is even if you have not yet allocated the money to a member account.

When you notify us of newly opened accounts through the MAAS all of the mandatory account attributes are required to be reported. The mandatory account attributes are:

• unique superannuation identifier (USI)
• member account identifier
• account phase
• account status
• contributions accepted
• inward rollovers accepted
• member outward rollover requests accepted
• government rollovers accepted
• defined benefit interest
• insurance
• grandfathering
• innovative income stream product.

See also

• TR 2010/1 Income tax: superannuation contributions
• Contributions reporting protocols

A MAAS message is required when you determine that the member holds an interest in the fund even when that interest is held for a minimal period.

Where you have accounts that open and close on the same day, or you need to pay out member benefits that day, you are still required to report a MAAS for that account. This includes for when the MAAS message you submit is to report the account as closed (only requiring the 4 mandatory fields to be completed).

Reporting account changes

Whenever there is a change to the account attributes relating to a superannuation account, you must notify us within 5 business days or such later date as the Commissioner may allow.

All of the mandatory member account attributes required to report an open account are also required to be reported in an update message, not just the attribute which is being changed.

Refer to the MAAS business implementation guide for message requirements relating to changes and updates to TFNs.

See also MAAS business implementation guide – ATO SPRMBRINFO business implementation guideExternal Link.

Where you are provided with updated personal details (name, date of birth, address) follow the applicable guidance as follows:

• Member detail update is required
• Member detail update is not required
• Changes due to a reversionary income stream
• Change of USI or member account identifier
• Reporting of grandfathering attribute
• Rollovers
• Changes in 'lost' status

Member detail update is required

If you receive a request from a member to update their family name and you are holding an unmatched response, it may be possible that the difference in family name may be the cause.

Report the updated member family name along with all the other attributes of the account. When we are able to match your member with the updated family name, our systems will then return a matched response and cancel the previous unmatched form.

Member detail update is not required

If a member tells you that they have changed their name or address and you are holding a matched response for the member:

• update your own systems with the new information
• report the new details to us when you have an account attribute update to report for the member
• advise the member to ensure they update their details directly with us so that any future reporting to us is properly matched to their records.

Changes due to a reversionary income stream

A superannuation income stream stops as soon as a member in receipt of the superannuation income stream dies. This is the case unless a dependant beneficiary of the deceased member is automatically entitled, under the governing rules of the superannuation provider or the rules of the superannuation income stream, to receive an income stream on the death of the member.

If a dependant beneficiary of the deceased member is automatically entitled to receive the income stream upon the member's death, the superannuation income stream continues.

When you are notified of the death of a member and the superannuation income stream automatically transfers to the beneficiary as described above:

• this is a legitimate change of account holder and the account identifiers can be re-used for the reversionary beneficiary
• you need to close the deceased member's account and open a new account in the name of the reversionary beneficiary
• if you choose to re-use the account number, ensure you complete all member account transaction service (MATS) prior to opening the account in the name of the reversionary beneficiary
• the 'account status date' of the new account is equal to the deceased member's date of death
• your record keeping would provide sufficient evidence of the date of death notification in the event that proof is required for timeliness of your message.

When you report the open account for the new member, an error may be returned. In these instances you may reprocess the transaction or lodge a request using the Super Enquiry Service to process the new account.

Change of USI or member account identifier

If the unique superannuation identifier (USI) or member account identifier (also known as the member account number) changes for a member account, you should submit a:

• 'close account' request, quoting the old USI or member account identifier
• separate 'new account' request for the new account (identified by the unique combination of the USI and the new member account identifier).

Reporting of grandfathering attribute

The grandfathering attribute is applied to a member for a specific financial year based on the status date reported on the MAAS message.

If there are no MAAS records with a status date within the financial year, we will use the grandfathering attribute on the most recently processed MAAS record that has a status date from an earlier financial year. This includes when calculating excess concessional contributions and additional contribution tax for Division 293 for a financial year.

 

 

You must report an updated MAAS with an account status date within the relevant financial year where:

• there is a change to a member’s grandfathering attribute for a particular financial year
• a member’s grandfathering attribute was incorrectly reported. An updated MAAS will need to be reported for each impacted financial year. Ensure that the correct account phase and account status are reported for that period. Take care not to erroneously re-open or close an account in order to complete the grandfathering attribute update.

To update a grandfathering attribute for 2017–18 or earlier years lodge a request using the Super Enquiry Service.

For more information, see Defined benefit funds – notional taxed contributions.