Sharing economy reporting regime

SERR key dates

The Sharing Economy Reporting Regime (SERR) began from 1 July 2023 for reportable transactions made through an electronic distribution platform (EDP) for the supply of:

• taxi travelExternal Link
• ride-sourcing
• short-term accommodation (90 consecutive days or less).

The SERR will begin for transactions made through an EDP for other reportable supplies including services, asset hire and certain intangibles from 1 July 2024.

EDP operators must report transactions made through their platform twice a year. The reporting periods are:

• 1 July to 31 December – report must be submitted by 31 January of the following year
• 1 January to 30 June – report must be submitted by 31 July of that year.

Why we collect this information

The information collected under the SERR will allow us to:

• increase community confidence in the integrity of the tax and super systems
• identify and educate participants who fail to meet their registration or lodgment obligations and help them comply
• gain insights from the data to help us develop and implement engagement strategies to improve voluntary compliance – including educational or compliance activities
• obtain intelligence to increase our understanding of behaviours and compliance profiles of participants in the sharing economy, such as ride-sourcing or service providers.

Platforms that must report under SERR

If you operate an EDP you must report certain transactions involving supplies for consideration made through your platform.

An EDP is a service that:

• allows sellers to make supplies available to buyers (for example, booking accommodation or a car ride, or renting out a handbag or lawnmower)
• is delivered via electronic communication.

An EDP can be, but is not limited to:

• a website
• internet portal
• gateway
• application
• online store
• online marketplace.

Platforms are not an EDP if they only provide:

• carriage services that transmit electronic communications
• access to payment systems or payment processing services
• advertising that makes buyers aware of products and links them to a seller's website.

Transactions reportable under SERR

EDP operators must report details about payments made to sellers for supplies made through their EDP that are connected with Australia.

When is a supply made through an EDP?

A supply is made through an EDP if payment, and any related discussions, negotiations, or other activities are carried out on the platform. For example, if the EDP has a 'click to chat' option or call centre that a buyer uses to make enquiries before purchasing via an online checkout, the supply will still be made through the EDP.

For more information, see LCR 2018/2External Link GST on supplies made through electronic distribution platforms (paragraphs 19 to 47).

Types of supply that must be reported

For reporting periods ending on or before 30 June 2024, EDPs must report transactions related to the supply of:

• short-term accommodation
• taxi travel
• ride-sourcing.

For reporting periods starting on or after 1 July 2024, transactions for supplies that must be reported include:

• taxi travel
• ride-sourcing
• short- and long-term accommodation and shared business spaces
• hiring assets, including personal assets such as car storage or business space
• services including food delivery, professional services or performing tasks
• intangible assets, such as eBooks, apps or games, software, videos or podcasts
• tips and gratuities (regardless of how they are described including as a gift or donation) given through the EDP in connection with a supply made through the platform.

Supplies that are connected with Australia

A supply is connected with Australia if the:

• thing is done in Australia, for example a service provided in Australia
• seller makes the sale through a business they carry on in Australia
• sale is of a right or option to purchase something that would be connected with Australia
• purchaser of the sale is an Australian consumer.

Examples of supplies that are connected with Australia include:

• hiring an asset that is located in Australia, such as a car
• providing accommodation that is located in Australia, but not accommodation located outside Australia
• food delivery service in Australia.

For more information, see GSTR 2019/1External Link Goods and services tax: supply of anything other than goods or real property connected with the indirect tax zone (Australia).

EDP operators do not need to report details of all supplies made through their EDP. Supplies that do not need to be reported include:

• where an amount of the payment for the supply must be withheld under Division 12 in Schedule 1 to the Tax Administration Act 1953, for example, for salary and wages
• where the operator and seller are members of the same tax consolidated or multiple entry consolidated group
• the transfer of the title or ownership of goods or real property
• financial supplies, such as financial securities trading
• the sale of vouchers, such as a gift cards, with a specified monetary value that can be redeemed for goods or services
• supplies where the EDP operator is also the supplier of the service or digital product
• those completed including payment being made to the supplier before the SERR started for that type of supply.

Exemptions for taxi travel, ride-sourcing and short-term accommodation

Exemptions for certain supplies of taxi travel, ride-sourcing and short-term accommodation are currently in place.

For more information, see:

• LI 2023/36 Taxation Administration (Reporting Exemptions for Electronic Distribution Platform Operators – Relevant Accommodation and Taxi Travel) Determination 2023

Supplies made through multiple EDPs

Where a supply is made through multiple EDPs, the operator of an EDP (the first platform) isn't required to report details about the transaction if:

• the supply is also made through at least one other EDP
• the first platform doesn’t provide payment directly to the supplier
• another EDP operator provides all or part of the payment to the supplier and has a reporting obligation under SERR for that transaction
• the operator of the first platform notifies us in writing on or before the due date for the reporting period in which the supply was reportable.

If you are unsure whether the operator of another EDP has a reporting obligation, you need to seek confirmation from them before you apply this exemption. If you can't get confirmation that another platform has a reporting obligation, you shouldn't rely on this exemption.

Listed entities and wholly-owned subsidiaries

EDP operators don't need to report transactions made through their platform where the supplier is:

• an entity listed on an approved stock exchange
• a wholly owned subsidiary of an entity listed on an approved stock exchange.

Large commercial properties used to provide short-term accommodation

EDP operators don't need to report transactions involving the supply of short-term accommodation for a reporting period if the property is a 'substantial property' in relation to that reporting period.

A property is a substantial property if at least 2,000 transactions were made through their EDP for the property over the 12-month period ending on the last day of the reporting period.

If the property was only listed on the platform for part of the 12 months before the last day of a reporting period, the number of transactions needed to meet the definition of substantial property is proportionally adjusted to reflect the shorter time the property was listed on the platform. This is done by dividing the number of days the property was listed on the platform in the 12 months ending on the last day of the reporting period by 365 then multiplying the result by 2,000.

To calculate the number of transactions made through an EDP for a property, each distinct address is considered a separate property. This means all transactions made in relation to multiple rooms at a single address (such as in a commercial hotel) would be considered to be made in relation to a single property. When there are separate addresses within a building (such as apartments in a complex), each apartment is a separate property. You don't include transactions for the property facilitated by another EDP, or those made directly with the property itself in your calculation.

Taxi travel taking place outside Australia

Where a supply of taxi travel made through an EDP takes place entirely outside Australia, (including the external territories) it is not reportable, if:

• the driver has given the operator of the EDP an address outside Australia
• the taxi travel took place outside of the indirect tax zone including the external territories
• the amount paid to the driver for the taxi travel was paid to an account held with a financial institution outside Australia
• the EDP operator has no information available that indicates the driver is a resident of Australia for tax purposes.

Transitional arrangements for small platforms

Arrangements are in place to help eligible small EDP operators meet their SERR reporting obligations in the first 2 reporting periods.

Small EDP operators providing taxi travel, ride-sourcing or short-term accommodation services aren't required to report for a reporting period ending on or before 30 June 2024 if:

• their EDP was operating on or before 30 June 2023
• their platform was not operational on or before 30 June 2023 and started operating on or before 31 December 2023
• less than $1 million (including GST) of reportable transactions were made through their EDP in the 12 months ending on the last day of the reporting period
• they notify us in writing before 29 February 2024 for the reporting period ending 31 December 2023, or 31 July 2024 for the reporting period ending on 30 June 2024 or, if you ask for an extension of time and we agree, the day we notify you in writing that you must notify us.

Eligible EDP operators that choose not to rely on the exemption have an extension of time to lodge their reports for these first 2 reporting periods:

• for the reporting period ending 31 December 2023, reports must be lodged on or before 29 February 2024
• for the reporting period ending 30 June 2024, reports must be lodged on or before 2 September 2024.

For more information, see:

• LI 2023/35 Taxation Administration (Transitional Exemptions for Reporting by Electronic Distribution Platform Operators – Relevant Accommodation and Taxi Travel) Determination 2023

How to report under SERR

EDP operators must prepare their report in the approved form. This is a validly generated XML file.

A report is only considered lodged in the approved form if the form is complete. Failure to properly complete this form may result in an error and rejection of the report. You will need to ensure any errors are resolved before you can re-lodge.

For more information, see the Software developers website.

EDP operators that have an ABN need to lodge their report through Online services for business.

Overseas platform operators without an ABN need to lodge via Online services for non-residents.

We will work with EDP operators and intermediaries to assist with data quality and data reporting.

When to report under SERR

Which period to report a transaction in

The period in which you need to report a reportable transaction depends on when you pay the supplier. You report the transaction in the reporting period in which payment for the supply is made to the supplier. This is important where the making of the agreement for the supply, supply and payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier occur in different reporting periods. Where this occurs, the operator of an EDP must report the transaction in the period when it pays the supplier, not the reporting period when the agreement or delivery of the supply occurs.

What to report when part of a supply occurs prior to the start of the first reporting period

The SERR started on 1 July 2023 for taxi travel, ride-sourcing and short-term accommodation. The SERR starts for other industries and reportable transactions on 1 July 2024.

The supply of taxi travel, ride-sourcing or short-term accommodation made through an EDP must be reported (unless an exception applies) if:

• the booking, the supply and payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier all occur on or after 1 July 2023
• the booking is made prior to 1 July 2023, however the supply and payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier occur on or after 1 July 2023; or
• the booking and the supply occur before 1 July 2023 but the payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier is made on or after 1 July 2023.

For other industries and types of supply covered by the SERR, these will be reportable under the SERR if:

• the booking, the supply and payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier all occur on or after 1 July 2024
• the booking is made prior to 1 July 2024, however the supply and payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier are made on or after 1 July 2024, or
• the booking and the supply are made before 1 July 2024 and payment by the operator of the EDP to the supplier is made on or after 1 July 2024.

What details to report under SERR

EDP operators should include the information in their reports specified in the approved form. EDP operators need to ensure the information reported is accurate. This includes taking reasonable steps to ensure the information provided by sellers is correct and systems are in place to collect the information needed for the report.

The ATO is authorised to collect tax-related information about transactions from EDPs, including information to identify the seller for these transactions. By reporting the information required under taxation third-party reporting, EDPs are not breaching the privacy laws.

A full list of key fields is available on the Software developers website.

Penalties for reporting incorrectly under SERR

EDP operators must have appropriate systems and procedures in place to ensure the information they include in their reports to us is correct.

EDPs must take reasonable care to:

• collect the required information from sellers
• ensure seller information is recorded correctly and updated as needed
• correct errors when they are identified.

Penalties may apply for late or incorrect information provided.

We will work with you so that you understand your reporting obligations and have access to all the information you need to prepare and lodge your report.

Further information

Relationship managers are available if you need further support.

If you have any questions or need support in understanding or meeting your SERR obligations, email sharingeconomyreporting@ato.gov.au.