Using myGov and myID: How to Access Australian Government Services Online

More and more government tasks in Australia happen online now. Sorting your pension or a payment with Centrelink, claiming through Medicare, checking your tax with the ATO. The account that opens most of those doors is called myGov, and there’s a second piece called myID that often works alongside it. If you have ever felt unsure about what these are or how they fit together, you’re far from alone.

The good news is that both are free, both are run by the government, and once they’re set up you barely have to think about them again. This guide walks through what myGov and myID actually are, how to set them up, and how to keep them safe.

myGov and myID: the difference

This is the part that trips most people up, and the names being so similar doesn’t help. The two things do different jobs.

myGov is the destination. It’s the website where you sign in and reach your linked services all in one place. myID is more like a key. It’s an app on your phone that confirms you really are who you say you are, and you can use it to sign in to myGov instead of a username and password. You might remember it by its old name, myGovID. It was renamed myID in late 2024 to cut down the confusion with myGov, though nothing changed in how it works.

myGov	myID
A website at my.gov.au	An app on your phone or tablet
The place you reach Centrelink, Medicare and the ATO	A way to prove who you are, and to sign in to myGov
Sign in with a username, password and a security code	Set up once, then confirm your identity in the app
Everyone dealing with government services needs one	Optional, but handy and sometimes required

Here’s the point that saves a lot of worry. You can do most everyday things with just a myGov account. You only need myID when you’re setting up certain services for the first time, or when a service asks for a stronger identity check. So don’t feel you have to do everything at once.

What you can do with a myGov account

A single myGov account links a wide list of government services, so you’re not juggling a different login for each one. Common everyday uses include:

• Managing the Age Pension or another payment with Centrelink, part of Services Australia. Our guide on using the ATO and Centrelink online safely covers this in detail.
• Making a Medicare claim, checking your card details, or viewing your history.
• Checking your tax and any refund with the ATO.
• Viewing your health information through My Health Record, or managing aged care through My Aged Care.
• Reaching the 2026 Census. This year, for the first time, you can access the online Census form through myGov. If you subscribed through your account, a link to complete it is sent to your myGov Inbox, ready for Census night on 11 August 2026.

You link each service to your myGov account once, and after that they’re all reachable from the one home page when you sign in.

How to set up a myGov account

Setting up a myGov account takes only a few minutes. The safest way to start is to type the address yourself, my.gov.au, rather than following a link from an email or text.

1. Go to my.gov.au and choose Create account

Type my.gov.au into your browser, or use a saved bookmark. Choose the option to create an account, and follow the prompts.

2. Enter your email or mobile

You’ll be asked for an email address or mobile number. This is how myGov confirms it’s really you each time you sign in, so use one you check regularly.

3. Create a strong password

Pick a password you don’t use anywhere else, especially not the same one as your email. A short phrase with a few numbers is easy to remember and hard to guess. If that feels fiddly, our guide on how to create a strong password breaks it down step by step.

4. Set up your sign-in security

myGov sends a short code to your phone or email each time you sign in, on top of your password. It’s a small step that makes your account much harder for anyone else to get into. Our guide on setting up two-factor authentication explains how this works if it’s new to you.

5. Link your services

Once you’re in, you can link Centrelink, Medicare, the ATO and others. Some link straightaway using details they already hold. Others may ask you to confirm your identity, which is where myID can help.

myID: the digital identity app, and when you need it

myID is the app that proves who you are online. You’d set it up when a service needs to be sure of your identity, or simply because you’d rather sign in to myGov with the app than type a password each time. It’s free, and you download it from the App Store on an iPhone or Google Play on an Android phone.

You can also connect your myID to your myGov account and use it as a sign-in option, by choosing “Sign in with Digital ID” on the myGov sign-in page. To sign in this way, your myID needs to be at Standard strength. Using myID to sign in is voluntary, so you can still use your username and password whenever you prefer.

When you set it up, you choose an identity strength. There are three levels, and which one you need depends on the service.

• Basic. Just an email sign-in. Enough for some services, but not the higher-security ones.
• Standard. You verify at least two Australian identity documents, such as your driver licence and your Medicare card. This is the level most people end up using.
• Strong. You add a photo step, taking a selfie that’s matched against the photo in your passport. Some services ask for this level.

To set it up, download the app, open it, and follow the prompts to enter your details and choose your strength. You’ll need a smartphone or tablet, a personal email address, and to be aged 15 or over. If the documents or the photo step feel like a lot, there’s no rush. You can start at Basic and strengthen it later when a service actually asks.

Keeping your myGov and myID safe

Because these accounts connect to your pension, your tax and your health record, they’re worth a little care. None of this is complicated.

Keep your sign-in security turned on, so a password on its own is never enough for someone else to get in. And use a different password for myGov than for your email.

Watch out for fake myGov messages too. This is one of the most common scams in Australia. The real myGov and Services Australia will not text or email you out of the blue asking you to “verify your account” or claim a refund through a link. If you get a message like that, don’t tap the link. Go to my.gov.au yourself by typing the address, the same way you would with your bank. If you’re not sure what a dodgy message looks like, our guide on how to spot text message scams is a good primer. And never share your password or a security code with anyone, even someone claiming to be from the government.

If you get stuck

Forgotten your password or sign-in details? On the myGov sign-in page there are links to help you recover them, using the email or mobile number linked to your account. If you’re really stuck, or you think someone else may have got into your account, you can call the myGov help desk on 132 307 and choose the myGov option. A real person can help you sort it out.