Proving who you are to link your myGov account to the ATO – Easy Read

This document has been written by the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

When you see the words ‘we’, ‘our’ or ‘us’ it means the ATO.

This Easy Read document is a summary of another document.

You can find the other document on our website at Information you need to link myGov to the ATO.

You need to prove who you are to link your myGov account to the ATO.

You will need to answer 2 questions.

The questions can be about 6 types of information:

• bank account details
• superannuation account statement
• Centrelink payment summary
• dividends statement
• notice of assessment
• PAYG payment summary.

This guide will help you answer the questions.

You can ask someone for help if you need to.

What is it?

Your bank account that:

• earned interest in the last 2 years

or

• that your tax refund was paid into.

If you used a tax agent, you may not be able to answer this question.

What do you need?

You need your:

• BSB number. BSB is short for Bank State Branch. It is a 6-digit number which identifies your bank branch
• account number.

Do not use spaces or dashes when entering the numbers.

Need help finding it?

Find this information:

• on your bank statement
• in your bank's mobile app or online banking.

What is it?

A statement that shows how much money was put into your superannuation (super) fund account.

How old can it be?

You need a statement from the last 5 years.

The super fund account must have had money put into it in the last year.

What do you need?

You need your:

• member account number (up to 16 characters)
• super fund’s Australian business number (ABN). This is often in the small print at the bottom of your statement. There may be more than one ABN on your statement to try.

Need help finding it?

Phone your super fund.

What is it?

A summary of all the money Centrelink paid you in a year.

How old can it be?

You need a statement from the last 2 years.

What do you need?

You need your taxable income. This means the income used to work out how much tax you need to pay.

If your taxable income is $0 you cannot use this question.

Do not use:

• a $ sign
• cents
• commas
• spaces.

For example, if your taxable income was $8,376.84 you would enter 8376.

Need help finding it?

If your myGov account is linked to Centrelink, you can sign in to get the information online.

If it is not linked, go to the Services Australia website to find out how to phone them.

Their website is www.servicesaustralia.gov.auExternal Link

What is it?

A statement with information about the dividends you received from shares in a company or investment fund.

How old can it be?

You need a dividends statement from the last 2 years.

What do you need?

You need your investment reference number.

Enter all the numbers. Do not use spaces or dashes.

Need help finding it?

Look at emails or letters from the company or investment fund or phone them.

What is it?

We send you a notice of assessment after we check your tax return.

It shows your:

• taxable income
• tax refund or tax debt amount.

How old can it be?

You need a notice from the last 5 years.

What do you need?

You need:

• the date of issue. Enter the date as dd/mm/yyyy. For example, 03/09/2020.
• our reference number. Do not use spaces.

Need help finding it?

If someone does your tax for you (like a tax agent), ask them for this information.

What is it?

PAYG is short for Pay As You Go. A PAYG payment summary shows all the money an employer paid you.

It can also be called an income statement or a group certificate.

You get it from your employer:

• at the end of the financial year
• when you leave a job.

How old can it be?

You need a statement from the last 2 years.

What do you need?

Your gross income. This means income before you pay tax.

Do not use

• a $ sign
• cents
• commas
• spaces.

For example, if your income was $37,500.29 you would enter 37500.

Need help finding it?

Ask your employer for a copy.

You can also ask us by phoning 13 28 61.