Based on a multilevel model considering enough bound electronic states of atoms, we theoretically study the role of the transition dipole phase (TDP) in the attosecond transient absorption (ATA) spectrum of helium in intense laser fields. By solving the stationary Schrödinger equation with B-spline basis sets, we first calculate the transition dipole moments with well-defined phases between the bound states. Using the modified multilevel model, we reveal that the TDP plays an important role in determining the spectral structures if two or more paths populate the excited states from the ground state. Our multilevel model with the accurate TDP is convenient to address the origin of atomic ATA spectral structures by freely removing or adding specific electronic states and has been justified by comparing with the ATA spectra via directly solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Hopefully, further incorporating macroscopic propagation into the model will provide indepth physical insights into experimental ATA spectra. © 2019 Author(s).