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Authorisation Certificates

In order to be able to access online services from ROS, a ROS Digital Certificate is required. This certificate needs to be uploaded in SimplePay so that RPNs (Revenue Payroll Notifications) can be requested from ROS and payroll information can be submitted directly to ROS through SimplePay.

Types of Digital Certificates

There are various ROS Digital Certificate types:

ROS Administrator Certificate (Employer): The ROS Administrator Certificate allows an Employer to access ROS on their own behalf. The Administrator Certificate has full access to all ROS functions and records for that ROS account.

ROS Sub Certificate/Linked Certificate (Employer): ROS Sub Certs can be set up by the ROS Administrator to make ROS access available to other users. The ROS Administrator can set the permissions on each Sub Cert to restrict access to ROS functions. More information on Sub Certs is available from the ROS Help Centre.

ROS Agent Certificate (Agent): An Agent Certificate allows Tax Agents (such as accounting firms) to access ROS and act on behalf of any clients they are linked to.

ROS Agent Sub Certificate (Agent): Agents can also set up ROS Sub Certs for other users, with various levels of permissions to ROS functions.

Each company in your SimplePay profile can be linked to one Digital Certificate.

Obtaining a ROS Digital Certificate

Administrator and Agent Digital Certificates are initially obtained when registering for ROS – ROS cannot be accessed without these certificates. Sub-certificates can be created online once logged into ROS by going to the Admin Services screen.

Tips on Best Practices for Digital Certificates

    • Upload a dedicated SimplePay sub certificate to identify on Revenue which actions are performed through SimplePay.
    • Limit who has access by ensuring that your SimplePay users are set up correctly. Only Admin users will be able to retrieve RPNs and submit to Revenue through SimplePay.
    • Delete your certificate from your computer after it is uploaded to SimplePay as it shouldn’t be shared or re-used again.
  • As with all authentication details, keep it private.

Managing Digital Certificates in SimplePay

To manage a Digital Certificate in SimplePay, go to the Profile icon and then click on ROS Auth Certs. There are two pages available:

Certificates

If you have previously uploaded a Digital Certificate, the details of this certificate will be displayed on the Certificates page, under the following headings:

  • Status: Displayed as either Active, Linked or Unlinked.
    • Active: The certificate has at least one company successfully linked.
    • Linked: The certificate is linked to a company in SimplePay, but none have a Success status.
    • Unlinked: The certificate has no companies currently linked.
  • Description: The description given to the certificate when it was uploaded to SimplePay.
  • Uploaded by: Who added the certificate to the SimplePay profile.
  • Uploaded on: When the certificate was added to the SimplePay profile.
  • Expires on: When the certificate expires.
  • TAIN: The data entered into the Agent ID (TAIN) field when uploading the certificate.
  • Permissions: Displayed as “Payroll-only” or “Payroll (with ERR)”.
  • Action: An Edit link for changing the companies linked to the certificate. When in a company, you can also link the company to a previously uploaded certificate by going Settings > Employer Filing Details and selecting the certificate from the ROS Auth Certificates field. For more information on Employer Filing Details, refer to the following article:

    Company Setup > Employer Filing Details

Add New Certificate

To upload a new certificate, go to the Add New Certificate page. The following fields are available:

  • Description: Enter a unique description that will help you to distinguish between different certificates added to SimplePay.
  • Certificate: Click on Choose File to locate the Digital Certificate on your computer.
  • Password: Enter the password that belongs to the certificate.
  • Permissions: Select “Payroll-only” if ERR has not been enabled on the ROS certificate or if ERR was enabled within the last 48 hours. Select “Payroll (with ERR)” if ERR has been enabled on the ROS certificate more than 48 hours ago.
  • Tax Agent ID (TAIN): If you are a tax agent (e.g. payroll bureau or accounting firm), enter your TAIN here. It is mandatory to specify a TAIN if the certificate is an agent certificate.
  • Link to companies: Select which companies in the SimplePay profile you wish to link the certificate to. You may need to still complete the Employer Filing Details for the company before you can link the certificate to the company.

To complete an upload of the certificate, click Save. You will then be redirected back to the Certificates page and the outcome of the upload will be displayed at the top of the screen. The following outcomes are available:

  • Success: The company is successfully linked to this certificate.
  • Unlinked: The company is not linked to any certificate.
  • Filing details incomplete: The Employer Filing Details page has not been completed.
  • Failure: There are one or more issues identified when trying to link the company to the certificate.
  • Linked to other: The company is already linked to a different certificate.

Please note: After uploading and linking a new ROS certificate, the status will initially display as “Unlinked.” Refresh the page to see the updated certificate status.