The DSP Architecture Reference Group (DARG) meeting was held online on 29 July 2026.
Participation is available to those Digital service providers listed as DARG members for the 2025–26 years.
Key outcomes
Landscape overview
2026-27 ATO Corporate Plan & ATO Strategy
The DSP Strategic Working Group (SWG) transitioned to the Digital Partners Stewardship Group (DPSG) on 1 July 2026. The ATO is now reviewing how the DPSG, SWG and DARG will interact in future, to ensure continued strong engagement with DSPs, and ongoing effectiveness as feedback channels.
Reflections from the DSP Strategic Working Group (SWG)
Meeting topics and points of interest from the SWG held on 3 June 2026 were brought to the group for discussion and awareness, including:
- international tax administration trends and worldwide reporting obligations
- Tax Practitioner Board (TPB) AI guidance (TPB (I) D62/2026: The use of Artificial Intelligence and the Code of Professional Conduct (Exposure Draft) released for industry review
- future payments and the ATO payments ecosystem.
SBR1 Decommission
An update was provided on the progress of SBR1 decommissioning activities, including the planned retirement of Payment Summary services and the future replacement of ABN Registration services.
Key points:
- Payment Summary services are planned to be decommissioned, with removal from EVTE targeted for September and production removal scheduled for March 2027.
- Replacement ABN Registration services are being designed and will be delivered as enhanced services rather than a like-for-like migration to SBR2 or DSG.
- Existing ABN Registration services will remain available while the replacement solution is developed
- New DSP access to the ABN Registration service set is restricted but access requests may be considered with a valid business case.
Cyber security update
The ATO continues to strengthen protection and resilience against evolving cyber threats, supporting a safe, reliable and secure digital environment.
Super Product Register
A new, improved Super Product Register is now available on the Software Developers Website. Additional product information has been included to support employers in selecting solutions that meet their SuperStream obligations.
Key points:
- Product details are supplied and maintained by DSPs through Online Services for DSPs.
- The register will be updated regularly, and future enhancements will provide greater visibility of product functionality and service delivery models.
Delivery insights and future program
Members were provided with the key program initiatives, service changes and delivery timelines planned for the 2026-27 financial year, including:
- new DSG Property Settlement API to replace the existing online solution
- continued XBRL-to-XML conversion, including a consolidated Rental Property Schedule
- Payment Summary Service moving from SBR1 to SBR2/XML
- Payday Super enhancements, including mandatory qualifying earnings reporting from 2027.
Full details are available in the DARG presentation materials and the DWIS Product and Program Delivery Roadmap.
BBRP & SRP
An update was given on the future usage of BBRP and SRP in relation to MTAS TT27 changes.
Discussion focused on remediation activities, callback functionality, and future event-driven approaches to reduce processing overhead and improve the user experience.
Key points:
- BBRP and SRP transaction volumes - increased by approximately 10-15% year-on-year, with particularly strong growth in SRP usage.
- SBR2 processing – continued growth, with transaction volumes increasing from 1.7 billion to 1.9 billion transactions over the last year.
- DSG transaction volumes - increasing significantly and continued growth is expected as new services are introduced.
- Growing demand for real-time processing is placing increased pressure on shared backend infrastructure and mainframe capacity.
- Future discussions will consider the optimal use of BBRP and SRP for different service types, with a focus on strengthening support and capability across both channels.
Member comments:
- Increasing reliance on synchronous SRP services may create scalability and cost challenges, as batch processing is generally more efficient for large transaction volumes.
- DSPs typically prefer SRP due to its responsiveness and reliability. Improving BBRP performance, response certainty and callback capabilities, could encourage greater use of batch processing.
Non-individual pre-fill: implementation options
Discussion focused on options for delivering non-individual pre-fill data, with support expressed for a targeted and scalable approach, avoiding the complexity of a large consolidated pre-fill service.
The group’s preferred approach, ‘Option 2: Implement a pre-fill API per data category/area’, would initially focus on trust distribution data while allowing for future expansion as requirements become clearer.
Key points:
- The proposed model would reduce unnecessary data retrieval, support future growth and avoid complexities associated with combining multiple internal services in a single API call.
- Future architecture options could include pre-populated data stores and event notifications to reduce system load and improve performance.
Member comments:
- Inclusion of a summary endpoint that returns metadata and last updated information would allow software to identify and retrieve only changed data.
Polling guidance
Insights and feedback sought from DSPs on whether or not combining all polling related information into a single document will improve the DSP experience.
Discussion focused on consolidating polling guidance into a single document to establish one source of truth and improve usability, consistency and maintenance. The proposal does not change existing polling requirements but aims to bring all current guidance together in one location before addressing broader polling issues in future.
Key points:
- Existing guidance content has been consolidated without changing requirements or behaviour.
- Future work will focus on reviewing feedback and addressing identified polling issues through both guidance updates and system improvements.
Member comments:
- Some references still require users to consult multiple sources, limiting the benefit of having a single source of truth.
- Suggested including service-specific SLAs within the guidance to provide clearer expectations on polling frequency, timeframes and when to report missing responses or errors.
- Future event-driven solutions and webhooks should complement polling rather than replace it – with guidance explaining how both approaches should operate together.
Client-to-agent linking (CAL) for individuals and sole traders
Following consultation, and a post-implementation review, the proposed Client-to-Agent Linking (CAL) solution for individuals and sole traders has shifted to an agent-initiated model.
Key points:
- A pilot is planned for 2027 - dates TBC.
- Agents will initiate a nomination through Online Services for Agents (OSfA) or software.
- New Digital Services Gateway (DSG) APIs will support: submission of agent nominations and retrieval of nomination status reporting.
- CAL will become a mandatory onboarding step for new individual and sole trader client relationships following full implementation.
Dynamic PAYGI
The project team provided an early update on the proposed Dynamic PAYG Instalments initiative. Consultation is expected to commence shortly, with capability planned to be available from July 2027.
The initiative aims to support dynamic PAYG instalment calculations through software solutions. While detailed design work has not yet commenced, the ATO has indicated it is exploring two complementary capabilities: a calculation API that performs the calculation, and a code-retrieval endpoint that enables software providers to download and implement the same calculation logic within their products.
Key points:
- The proposed design includes an API-based code retrieval service enabling DSPs to access and implement the latest calculation logic within their products.
- The proposed calculator would use data already held within software products, not requiring calls back to ATO systems or additional pre-fill services during calculation processing.
- The proposed service would initially utilise an authenticated API model to support audit, evidence and governance requirements.
Member comments:
- Potential benefits of an API-based code retrieval approach includes maintaining consistency between deployed calculator logic, and downloadable software implementations.
- Members generally indicated support for a multipart response format as a flexible and reusable approach for future use cases involving both structured data and file delivery.
Other business
- The November DARG meeting will be face-to-face in Melbourne.
- Further updates on DARG, SWG and stewardship group arrangements will be provided at the November meeting.
Next meeting
Wednesday 18 November 2026 in Docklands, Melbourne
If you have any questions, contact the secretariat by email at DPO@ato.gov.au or raise a ticket through the DSP service desk.
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