Table of contents

Overview

LodgeiT allows your clients to pay their ATO amount payable directly after e-signing an Activity Statement, with no extra steps required from you.

Clients can pay using a credit or debit card (including Apple Pay and Google Pay).

When paying with a credit card, clients can also take advantage of the following benefits:

  • Earn rewards – Maximise their full card reward program by paying their ATO amount with a rewards credit card.
  • Improve cash flow – Up to 55 days interest-free with an eligible credit card.
  • Fast and secure – Payments are processed instantly and securely.

How payments are directed to the ATO

Each Activity Statement includes a Payment Reference Number (PRN), which is unique to the client and is used to ensure the payment is correctly applied to their ATO account.

When a client pays by card, the payment is automatically directed to the ATO using this PRN, with no manual entry required from the client.

Enabling card payments for your clients

  1. Go to Admin > Settings and select Client Defaults from the left-hand menu.

    Client Defaults option in Settings

  2. Under the Payments section, tick Enable card payments for Activity Statements.
  3. Click Save.

    Enable card payments setting in Client Defaults

Once enabled, all eligible clients will be offered the option to pay by card after e-signing an Activity Statement.

How it works for your clients

Once you have enabled the feature, here is what your clients will experience:

  1. The client e-signs the Activity Statement as usual.
  2. After e-signing, instead of the standard thank-you screen, they will see a "Signed, thanks!" confirmation with a payment summary showing their entity name, the Activity Statement period, and the ATO amount payable. They click Pay by card now.

    Signed thanks confirmation with payment summary

  3. They are redirected to a secure payment page showing the full Payment Summary, including:
    • Payee: Australian Tax Office
    • Activity Statement period
    • Subtotal (ATO amount)
    • Processing fee
    • Total due

  4. When ready, they click Pay with Card to complete the payment.

    Secure payment page with payment summary

  5. Once payment is complete, the screen updates to "Payment Successful – Your payment has been processed".

    Payment successful confirmation screen

The client will also receive an email receipt confirming the payment. The payment will be applied to their ATO account using the PRN from the Activity Statement. Funds typically arrive at the ATO within 3 business days from the time of payment.

Eligibility

The payment option will only be shown to a client if all of the following apply:

  • The form being e-signed is an Activity Statement.
  • There is an amount payable to the ATO greater than $0.
  • The statement is not an amendment.
  • The feature is enabled in your Client Defaults settings.

Client email notifications

Your clients will automatically receive emails at the following stages:

  • After paying – a receipt with the subtotal, processing fee, and total charged.
  • Once funds reach the ATO – a payment success confirmation.
  • If their payment is declined – a notification with the reason and a link to retry.

Notes

  • A processing fee applies and is charged on top of the ATO amount. The fee is shown to the client before they confirm payment.
  • Funds typically arrive at the ATO within 3 business days from the time of payment.
  • The PRN is automatically retrieved from the Activity Statement. Clients do not need to look it up or enter it manually. Note that the PRN is unique to the client.
  • You can disable this feature at any time by unticking Enable card payments for Activity Statements in Client Defaults and clicking Save.