Information about SEER
Australia - Sharing Economy Reporting Regime (SERR)
What’s in this article:
- General information about SERR
- Who is in scope under SERR
- Information required under SERR
- Common FAQs
- How we collect and share SERR data
General information about SERR
Since 1 July 2023, Hostelworld as an operator of an electronic distribution platform (EDP) has complied with the reporting requirements of SERR under which we have a legal obligation to report information about our hostel partner properties in Australia to the Australian Tax Office (ATO). An SERR submission is made by Hostelworld to the ATO bi-annually before 31 January (containing information from 1 July to 31 December) and 31 July (containing information from 1 January to 30 June) every year.
Who is in scope under SERR
Hostelworld collect, verify and report tax information about our hostel partners with properties located in Australia or one of its external territories. Please refer to the ATO website for further detail.
Information required under SERR
A seller is defined as a hostel property. Renting a property is a customer having a hostel stay in the property.
- Registered Business Name and Seller Trading Name (if applicable)
- The address of the property being rented out
- Sellers phone number and email address
- Business registration number
- Tax identification number (TIN)
- Goods and services tax number (GST)
- Expected revenue a hostel has received from a customer. Note this might differ to local records as Hostelworld cannot track cancellations for non-free cancellation bookings which may have taken place after a booking has been made.
- Hostelworld’s commission, the deposit we collect from a customer when they check out on our site
- Number of bookings
- Number of rented days / hostel bed nights
Common FAQs
Where and how do I provide Hostelworld with these details?
Details can be entered into your Inbox account here: property set up - > business identifiers tab
What is a business registration number?
The Australian Business Number (ABN) is a unique 11-digit identifier issued to all entities registered in the Australian Business Register (ABR).
What is a TIN number?
A tax file number (TFN) is unique 9-digit identifier issued by the ATO. An ABN can also be entered in this field.
What is a GST number?
A GST number is a unique 11-digit identifier – it is the same as an ABN. If registered for GST an ABN can be entered in this field.
Will anything change in how taxes are processed due to SERR data reporting obligations?
SERR doesn’t require any changes in the way taxes are processed. We expect that the ATO will use data provided by platforms to evaluate the correctness and completeness of your tax submissions.
How we collect and share SERR data
Legal basis for collecting data under SERR
There is a legal obligation on Hostelworld to share the data of platform users who receive income from renting properties located in Australia or one of its external territories.
We are collecting your data to comply with our legal obligations under SERR.
Who will Hostelworld.com share my data with?
Hostelworld.com will share your data with the ATO for SERR compliance purposes.
If I remove my property or my property is deactivated from Hostelworld, will my information still be shared?
If you made transactions within a reporting year and decided to close the property for bookings, your data will still be shared with the ATO for SERR purposes to the date of closure, as we must share with the ATO all transactions made on our platform.