To connect Software Assistant to the ATO's practitioner lodgment service (PLS) and enable prefill and lodgement, you will need to first setup the machine credential. Please note, the software ID is not required due to the fact Software Assistant is not a cloud software.

Refer to the ATO's instructions on how to download the machine credential from the link below.
https://info.authorisationmanager.gov.au/guide-how-to-install-a-machine-credential

If you need help to download the machine credential you should contact the ATO's support line on 1300 287 539 (select option 3 for RAM enquiries) between:

• 8.00am and 8.00pm, Monday to Friday
• 10.00am and 4.00pm (AEST), Saturday and Sunday.

To enable the ATO's extension (ATOBE) on Chrome:

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. At the top right, click More   More tools  Extensions.
3. On the ATO's extension, click on the Toggle icon.

To enable the ATO's extension (ATOBE) on Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click/tap on the Menu button, and click on Add-ons.
3. Click on Extensions.
4. On the ATO's extension, click on Enable.

Make sure to reset the internet browser before going to the RAM website. To access the RAM website, click on the link below.
https://authorisationmanager.gov.au/#/login

Once you have downloaded your M2M credential, please follow these steps to enable authentication via M2M on Software Assistant.

1. Navigate to the Software Assistant Options.
2. Click on the ATO tab.
3. For the M2M location, leave it as default if you have saved the M2M credential file in the default location given by the ATO. Otherwise, choose the custom option and select the location where you have saved your machine to machine credential.
4. Enter your M2M password.
5. Click ‘Ok’.

You may encounter the error 'ERROR_TAXONOMY_LOAD' when validating or trying to lodge a return.

For example: ERROR_TAXONOMY_LOAD: An error occurred while loading taxonomy "file://C:/Program Files (x86)/Software Assistant/Assistant/SBR2/Taxonomy/schema/ ..."

This error is due to McAfee Total Protection security software flagging a false positive. 

Click on the guide below for instructions to resolve this error:
Validation/Lodgment - ERROR_TAXONOMY_LOAD

How to troubleshoot CMN.ATO.GEN.XMLXX validation error

CMN.ATO.GEN.XML01 and/or CMN.ATO.GEN.XML04 validation errors will appear in your validation form with the error CMN.ATO.IITR.730488 and this means there are issues with the data recorded in the income items on the tax return.

Try to resolve the validation errors by following the steps below.

1. Highlight the CMN.ATO.GEN.XML04 or CMN.ATO.GEN.XML03 and open the validation report (see circled icon).
   
    
2. In the validation report, you will see “The element ‘……’ in namespace”. This will list the worksheet associated with the error. In this case, it is the Gross Interest worksheet in which the data has imported from the prefill.
   
    
3. “List of possible elements expected” will mention what field in the worksheet is missing. If the worksheet is not necessary and there is no amount then delete it. If the worksheet is necessary, please fill in the expected fields in the worksheet.

Most worksheets cannot have a blank value in them so if there are any records with just the description, please delete the entire row and try to validate again.

After installation or update you will need to register the software otherwise you will not be able to use the software.

Please note that the registration details are the same details used to login to the Software Assistant website portal and not the password used to log into the program.

To register the software, click on the 'Go to registration form' link on the login screen or click on the Windows Start Menu and search for 'Register Assistant'.

1. Then on the Registration Form, make sure 'Registration user' checkbox is unticked
2. Enter your registered email address in the username field. Password field should be greyed out
3. Tick the modules that you have subscribed for
4. Then click Register
5. A new sign in window will appear with your email address already entered. Enter your password and click Login
6. You will then be returned to the registration form and the message 'User logged in successfully' will appear. Click OK
7. You will then see the message 'Registration completed'. Click OK and the registration form will automatically close
8. You have now successfully registered the software.