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As many of us discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the days of rolling up to your local Centrelink, ATO or Medicare office to lodge a claim or ask a question are long gone.
Instead of talking to real people, we now have to deal with the government via our myGov account and link it to the government agencies providing the services we need.
Using myGov is not always a smooth process. So here’s SuperGuide’s simple explainer on the myGov portal.
What is myGov?
The myGov portal is meant to be a simple and secure way to access government services online, although some users may disagree about it being simple.
Its aim is to provide Australians with a single online destination for accessing government services with one login and one password.
After registering, you receive an inbox that acts as a central place to receive messages (such as online letters and statements) from government agencies including:
- Medicare
- Australian Taxation Office
- Centrelink
- Child Support
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- My Health Record
- My Aged Care
- National Disability Insurance Scheme
- Australian JobSearch
- National Redress Scheme
- HousingVic Online Services
- Department of Health Applications Portal
- State Revenue Office Victoria
When you use myGov’s Update Your Details service, you can update your address and contact details with participating government agencies. These include the ATO, Centrelink, Medicare, Australian JobSearch and State Revenue Office Victoria.
How to use myGov
The first step when connecting with myGov is to create a myGov account:
- Go to my.gov.au and select ‘Create an account’.
- Read the terms of use, then select ‘I agree’ to continue.
- Enter an email address. (This address can only be used by one person and cannot be shared with another myGov account, such as one held by your partner.)
- You will be emailed a confirmation code, which you enter into your account application.
- You will be asked if you wish to add a security code to your account (see below).
- Enter your mobile number if you have one.
- Create a password.
- Choose and answer three secret questions. (These can be selected from a list or you can create your own, but the answers should be easy for you to remember.)
- This process creates your myGov account. You will also receive an email with your myGov username.
You can now set up your myGov inbox notification preferences or link your account to other government agencies such as the ATO.
Add protection to your account
If you wish to add more security to your account, you can use a single use security code to sign into myGov instead of answering your secret questions.
With this option, you receive a myGov security code via SMS to your mobile phone each time you attempt to sign into your account.
To use myGov security codes, sign in to your myGov account and turn on this option in the Account settings. Find more tips about protecting your security on the myGov security page.
You can also sign in to your myGov account with your myGovID digital identity if you have downloaded the app and verified your identity.
Make it tough to break in
Given the sensitivity of the private information held by government agencies and the danger of hacking, both logging in and linking to government agencies using myGov is designed to be secure. This means you need to provide proof of record ownership.
Access to your myGov account will only be granted after you successfully present several different types of identification.
When linking your account to a government agency like Centrelink, the evidence myGov requests will be personalised and based on information already held by the agency.
How to create links to government agencies
Once you have set up a myGov account, you can link to various government agencies. For example, to link to the ATO you need to:
- Log into your myGov account.
- Go to the Services page and find the ATO listing and select to start the linking process.
- Agree to myGov storing your legal name and date of birth.
- Provide additional information to identify your ATO record by answering a series of questions.
- Agree to the terms and conditions.
- Answer two questions from information in:
- A notice of assessment received in the past five years
- A PAYG payment summary received in the past two years
- A super account statement from the past five years
- A dividend statement from the past two years
- A Centrelink payment summary from the past two years
- Your bank account details (this must be the account you had your income tax refund paid into last year, or one that has earned interest in the past two years).
If you are a first-time tax lodger, you will need to call the ATO call centre to get a unique linking code to help complete this process.
What to do if things go wrong with myGov
If you have problems using myGov, answers to common questions are available on the myGov Help page.
You can ask the myGov digital assistant general questions about using myGov at any time. You can access the digital assistant from the box labelled Assistant in the bottom right-hand corner of all myGov pages.
You can also call the myGov helpdesk on 13 23 07 and select Option 1 (Monday–Friday 7am–10pm, Saturday–Sunday 10am–5pm).
Complaints or suggestions about myGov can be made using a Services Australia Feedback Form. If you use this form, you can either submit your feedback directly online, or sign in to your myGov account and select your Centrelink or Medicare online account and submit it there.
For problems linking the ATO to your myGov account, check the ATO information here.
This My Gov app is the worse. I accessed the Centrelink app filled it out then it tells me i must have a MyGov to connect. Well i started to fill the My Gov out and it kept telling me the CAN is incorrect which it isn’t and then the code is wrong. I tried to connect My Gov for 2 & half hrs. So distressing, i was stressed to the point i was sick in the stomach, i am 74 yrs old. The My Gov is so confusing and complicated. I still haven’t managed to connect, now I’ll have to go to Services and get them to help me.
Had an account and just deleted, it, such a terrible and unfriendly site to use. Can’t link my Tax to it which is shocking as it won’t accept the ABN number my super fund uses or my membership number I use. Won’t even bother to try using it again. heard a lot of bad stories about it but sad so say they are true.
Maybe if they used a proper web page design company instead of a perm government worker we wouldn’t have to try and go through all of the rubbish this site wants you to use.
MyGov is just another avenue for harvesting people’s data while taking no responsibility for what may happen to that data. People are forced to have an email eddress, yet Australian government doesn’t provide any free Australia-hosted email service. People have to register email accounts with foreign gmail, hormail, yahoo, etc and submit to their snooping.
People are also often forced to provide a mobile phone number, yet in Australia nobody can legally obtain a mobile phone munber without handing their ID and personal details over to some telecommunication corporation. Mobile phone services aren’t free either.
So basically Australian govt demands that the citizens forfeit their personal safety and privacy and give money to foreign corporations just to be able to use MyGov.
A huge flaw with the MyGov system is that each time you get locked out for some reason, you have to create a damn new account. This is stupid to start with, but it’s made worse by the fact that you can’t use the same email address. How many people will bother creating a whole new email address just for this system? Why can’t they just reset the account or delete it so you can reuse your email address? The business analysis done on this system is very poor indeed and an embarassment for the Australian Government. Outsourcing doesn’t work and this is proof.
Why does the mygov site for lodging your daily code for work for the dole activity not work , this is a waste of time , when it tells you to contact your service provider for help they can’t do anything , this is a waste of time , they then tell you to ring centrelink , you can’t do yhis either because you are supposed to be working , make sure things work before implementing something on the site . no wonder people go off .
Is it now compulsory for Australian citizens to use computers to get essential services?
Is it now compulsory for citizens to have a bank account to be eligible for welfare?
Is it compulsory now to have a mobile phone, unless you want to forfeit your right to income support?
There is no basis in law for any of these things.
The Department of Human Services causes extreme hardship for people not complying with processes and policies which serve only the interests of public servants and which have no basis in law.
They literally starve their “customers” into submission.
How about putting the politians whom make the rules for Centrelink on a payment for six months and do the same for all Centrelink employees.why don’t the employer employee rules apply to government jobs.
When will Centrelink take responsibility for their mistakes.a family member of mine has incurred a debt of $7000 due to a centre link mistake. I do really hope somebody will hack the system.then it might get the politicians that think it’s working might get it right. all this technology is not the answer! maybe if all these Centrelink employees where put on the other side of the counter somebody might fix the system.
If you have setup security code to be sent to your mobile, and happen to change mobile numbers, you apparently can’t get anyone to update your data so you can keep using your mygov account. You have to create a new account, meaning you need a new email address since your current one is attached to the mygov account you can no longer use. This has to be the most ridiculous system in the history of IT. Banks update your details for you over the phone. Why can’t mygov do the same? Well, you’d have to be able to reach them for that, which doesn’t seem possible either. Called 132307 and waited over 30 minutes on 2 occasions, more than 10 minutes on 3 more occasions, before giving up.
I hear you Vincent!!! I wasted 1 hour at work today, then another hour just now at home, all for trying to access first MyGov, then Medicare. I had the same initial problem you mention (change MP #). When creating new email etc etc still DID NOT WORK, I too called that number, waited, listened to the instructions about what to click on, and wrote them down. Went back to the website and, low and behold, there was no such thing to click on!!! Eventually, I’ve gotten past My Gov and, on typing in my recently-newly-created Medicare password, was denied access!!! I’m feeling VERY ready to complain but, no, I’ve been locked out for another 2 hours. ANGER
What has happened to MyGov?
I can no longer update the value of my smaller assets. i.e. Bank balance, motor vehicle values, etc.
How is it possible to stop visiting Centrelink and do all business on MyGov when it is impossible to update it?
I have set MyGov some years ago linked Centrelink, ATO, Medicare.
I am 75 years old retired July 2016 and receiving a part pension.
Now, I have tried to adjust my assets a couple of times, I was able to access my Assets and adjust my bank and Super pension balances.
Saved the data and exited.
A couple of months later I had to adjust my bank balance. The system would not allow me “Account cannot be accessed at this time”
Tried to ring Centrelink waited more than an hour, no response.
I had to go to a Centrelink centre.
They could not give me a reason why. They could access/unlock my account. So far this has happened 3 times.
I have reasonable computer knowledge, but feel sorry for people who don,t
“Account cannot be accessed” doesn’t mean it’s a Centrelink problem. It could’ve been your network or wi-fi at home at the time.
Just waiting for this site to be hacked, everyone’s personal details all over the web. Not a matter of if, just a matter of when.
Of course it doesn’t address the issue of older, or poorer people without access to the internet, or people unable to access the internet, etc.
I am still waiting on the SMS number to log on to centrelink after it was allegedly sent.
All seems great in theory but as we know it will end up as a “screwup” for lots of people, causing untold stress and misery. I use both visits to the offices and MyGov and personal contact is far more productive. Also what happens to the homeless, elderly with no internet access and the increasing number of low income families and individuals who will not be able to afford private/ confidential Internet access in the future?
In many cases technology is delivering an environment that is inaccessible to millions and will lead to an Australia many will not want to be part of.