ABS Business Reporting Data Usage

When you connect ABS Business Reporting to Xero accounting software, you will be asked to select a specific business. When you authorise a connection you will grant ABS Business Reporting read-only access to that business’ reports and organisation settings.

When authorising a connection with Xero in ABS Business Reporting, users will also grant access to their: 

• name 
• email 
• user profile.

To help you to complete your report, the ABS will access the selected business’:

• chart of accounts
• profit and loss report
• trial balance report
• user details
• organisation details, including the Australian Business Number (ABN).

ABS Business Reporting can only view this information if a user has authorised a connection to the business and this access has not been revoked. You can revoke ABS Business Reporting access to your accounting software at any time through your accounting software’s application access controls.

When you connect ABS Business Reporting to MYOB accounting software, MYOB grants ABS Business Reporting access to any and all business ledgers associated with your MYOB account. MYOB APIs also grant access to any and all company files you have access to. Company files will contain information about the business, including business name and contact email. Company files may also contain details of employees, customers, suppliers, and personal contacts that the business has added, and could include names, addresses, email and phone numbers if these have been added to a company file.

During authorisation, you will be asked to select a specific business to report for. The ABS restricts ABS Business Reporting to only access information required to help you to complete your report for the selected business. This includes that business’ reports and organisation settings.

To help you to complete your report, the ABS will access the selected business’:

• chart of accounts
• profit and loss report
• balance sheet report
• company file, including the Australian Business Number (ABN).

ABS Business Reporting can only view this information if a user has authorised a connection to the business, and this access has not been revoked. You can revoke ABS Business Reporting access to your accounting software at any time through your accounting software’s application access controls. 

When you connect ABS Business Reporting to QuickBooks, Intuit grant the ABS access to a range or information about your QuickBooks account. This includes the name, address, contact email and phone numbers of businesses connected to your account. It may also include details of employees, customers, suppliers, and personal contacts that the business has added, and could include names, addresses, email and phone numbers if these have been added to the account.

During authorisation, you will be asked to select a specific business. The ABS restricts ABS Business Reporting to only access information required to help you to complete your report for the selected business. This includes that business’ reports and organisation settings.

The following link explains what data the ABS is able to access: Data Sharing Policy. 

To help you to complete your report, the ABS will access the selected business’:

• chart of accounts
• profit and loss report
• trial balance report
• company information, including Australian Business Number (ABN).

ABS Business Reporting can only view this information if a user has authorised a connection to the business, and this access has not been revoked. You can revoke ABS Business Reporting access to your accounting software at any time through your accounting software’s application access controls. 

Statistical information is collected in ABS Business Reporting for statistical activities including the collection, compilation, analysis and publication of statistics.   

If you choose to connect to accounting software, you will link accounts from your accounting software to report items as you progress through the application. You may also add manual entries against report items. This information will be saved by the ABS and report item totals generated from this information will be used in the production of statistics. 

If you do not connect to accounting software to report, you will enter information directly against each report item. The information you enter will be saved by the ABS and used in the production of statistics.

Please see Privacy at the ABS for more information on how the ABS stores statistical data. 

The ABS also collects your contact information. If you log in using your accounting software credentials, some of this information will be taken from your accounting software, and additional information is requested by ABS Business Reporting. Otherwise this information will be collected when you provide details to create an account. Contact information collected includes your: 

• name 
• email address 
• mobile phone number 
• role in the business.

This information is collected and stored to make communicating with you easier. This information may be used if the ABS wants to contact you with questions about your responses, or to contact you as part of our data collection activities.

We have conducted a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to consider potential privacy impacts on the privacy of individuals whose personal information is collected through ABS Business Reporting. The Privacy Impact Assessment includes a statement of compliance against each of the Australian Privacy Principles.

Further information on how the ABS stores non-statistical data can also be found on the webpage Privacy at the ABS. 

When you authorise a connection to accounting software in ABS Business Reporting, you will associate accounts from your accounting software with items in the report. This mapping of accounts against report items will be stored by the ABS. This allows ABS Business Reporting to pre-fill report items with associated accounts when you return to the application for to report again, removing the need to repeat the mapping process for each new report.  The ABS will only store the most recent copy of the mapping of your accounts against data items in the report. When a more recent report is submitted, it will overwrite the previously stored mapping. 

Further information on how the ABS stores non-statistical data can also be found on the webpage Privacy at the ABS. 

When a business is disconnected from Xero, the ABS will no longer have access to that business’ reports and organisation settings, including the: 

• chart of accounts
• profit and loss report
• trial balance report
• user details
• organisation details, including the Australian Business Number (ABN).

The ABS will also no longer have access through your accounting software to your personal details: 

• name 
• email 
• user profile.

The ABS will still have access to any information that was previously submitted in a report, including contact details, as well as the most-recent instance of data in the application. 

When a business is disconnected from MYOB, the ABS’ access key is deleted and ABS will no longer have access to that business’ reports and organisation settings, including the:

• chart of accounts
• profit and loss report
• balance sheet report
• company file, including the Australian Business Number (ABN).

The ABS will still have access to any information that was previously submitted in a report, including contact details, as well as the most-recent instance of data in the application. 

While ABS Business Reporting will no longer be able to access a business’ data once access is revoked, a connection will still exist. Please visit MYOB Account - Authorisation to log into your MYOB account and disconnect.

When a business is disconnected from QuickBooks, the ABS will no longer have access to that business’ reports and organisation settings, including the: 

• chart of accounts
• profit and loss report
• trial balance report
• company information, including Australian Business Number (ABN).

The ABS will still have access to any information that was previously submitted in a report, including contact details, as well as the most-recent instance of data in the application.