If you have ever been told to “just check it on myGov” and wondered what that actually means, you are not alone. myGov sounds like one more government website, but it works a little differently from most. Here is the simple version.
Quick answer: myGov is the Australian Government’s single sign-in for a group of federal government services. Instead of a separate username and password for Centrelink, Medicare, the Tax Office and others, you have one myGov account that connects to them all. You sign in once, then step through to whichever service you need. It is run by Services Australia on behalf of the Australian Government, and you can find it at my.gov.au.
How myGov works, in plain terms
Think of myGov as the front door of a building, not one of the rooms inside it. myGov itself does very little on its own. The real work happens in the services behind it: your Centrelink payments live with Centrelink, your Medicare claims live with Medicare, and your tax records live with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
What myGov does is hold those doors together. Once you link a service to your myGov account, you no longer need to remember a separate login for it. You sign in to myGov, pick the service, and you are taken straight through. Link each service once, and it stays linked and ready for next time.
Using myGov is voluntary. Nobody is forced to have an account, but in practice most federal government dealings now run through it, and without one you will often need to phone or visit a service centre in person instead.
How to get started with myGov
Setting up an account takes a few minutes, and there are two things worth knowing before you start. First, you cannot create a myGov account inside the myGov app. You need to create it on the myGov website first, and only then can you use the same account in the app. Second, your account must use a personal email address that only you can access, and that email cannot already be used for another myGov account.
The usual steps are:
- Go to my.gov.au and select Create account.
- Create the account with your email address, or with a Digital ID if you already have one. With email, you will be sent a code to confirm it, and a second code if you add a mobile number.
- Create a password. It must be between 10 and 64 characters and include at least one letter and one number.
- Set up multifactor authentication, which is an extra sign-in check only you can pass. You can choose a passkey, an authenticator app, or codes sent by SMS.
- Choose three secret questions and answers, which help you recover your account later if you get locked out.
That is the whole account. At this point it is an empty doorway: it does not do much until you link a service to it.
How linking a service works
After you sign in, you choose “View and link services” and pick the service you want, such as Centrelink, Medicare or the ATO. Linking is usually a one-time step. The service will ask you to prove you are who you say you are, often by answering questions or giving details only you would know, such as details from a tax notice, a bank account or a payment summary. Once that check passes, the service is linked.
From then on, signing in to myGov and selecting that service takes you straight in, with no second username and password to remember. You can link as many services as you need, and you can see the full set of services you can connect in our list of myGov linked services.
Services you can link include Centrelink, Medicare, the ATO, Child Support, My Health Record, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), My Aged Care, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Workforce Australia. Some state services have also started joining, but myGov is mainly a federal doorway.
What you can actually do once you are in
That depends on which service you open, because each one keeps its own records and tools. A few everyday examples:
- Centrelink: report income, manage payments and update your details.
- Medicare: check claims, view your immunisation history and get your Medicare card details, including a digital Medicare card.
- ATO: view tax documents and manage your tax affairs online.
- My Health Record: see your health information in one place.
Beyond the services themselves, your myGov account gives you a secure Inbox, where linked services send you messages, and a way to update your contact details with participating services. You can also create a digital Commonwealth statutory declaration through myGov. What you cannot do is treat myGov as a record of everything: if you update your details in myGov, that does not automatically update every linked service, so check each service’s own records too.
The myGov app vs the website
The website and the app open the same account, so it comes down to which device you are on. The website is where you create your account and where you get the full set of options. The app is the handy version for your phone: you sign in with the same details and reach the same linked services, and you can get notifications when a new Inbox message arrives.
If you only ever use a computer, you may never need the app at all. If you mostly use your phone, the app saves you opening a browser every time. Either way, nothing is stored in one and missing from the other: it is one account, two doors.
myGov and myID: what is the difference?
This is the part that confuses most people, because the two names sound alike and they work together. In short, myID is how you prove who you are, and myGov is where you go once you have proved it. myID is the Australian Government’s Digital ID app: you set it up with identity documents such as your driver licence or passport, and it gives you an ID strength, Standard or Strong.
You can connect your myID to your myGov account and use it as a sign-in option. You need at least a Standard myID to sign in to myGov with it, to create a new myGov account with it, or to link Centrelink, Medicare or Child Support. A Strong myID is needed to recover access to your myGov account if you cannot sign in with your usual details. We explain the full split in our guide to myGov vs myID.
Your myGov Inbox, and how to spot a fake message
When a linked service has something for you, the message lands in your myGov Inbox. That matters for safety: a genuine myGov message waits for you inside your account after you sign in yourself. It does not arrive as a link you are told to tap in a text message or email.
The real government will never text or email you a link to log in, never ask for your password, and never demand payment by gift card or threaten you with fines if you do not act straight away. So if a message claiming to be from myGov pressures you or includes a login link, do not tap it. Open the app or the website yourself, the way you normally do, and check your Inbox there. If nothing is there, the message was not real.
Keeping your myGov account safe
A few plain habits cover most of the risk. Use a strong password that you do not reuse anywhere else. Keep the mobile number and email on your account up to date, because that is how sign-in codes and recovery messages reach you. Never share your password or a sign-in code with anyone, even someone who sounds helpful on the phone: the government will never ask you for them. And if a sign-in code arrives when you were not trying to sign in, do not enter it anywhere, because someone else may be trying your account.
Common problems, and where to find the fix
Most myGov trouble comes down to a handful of issues. If you cannot sign in at all, or your codes are not arriving, work through our guide to fixing myGov sign-in problems. If you are wondering whether you can run two accounts, for example one for yourself and one for someone you help, the short answer is that each person has their own account tied to their own email, which we cover in our article on whether you can have two myGov accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Is myGov free?
Yes. Creating and using a myGov account costs nothing.
Do I have to have a myGov account?
No, it is not compulsory, but most federal services now expect you to use one, and without it you will usually need to phone or visit a service centre instead.
Is myGov the same as myID?
No. myID proves who you are; myGov is the doorway to government services. You can use myID to sign in to myGov, but they are separate things.
Can someone else use my myGov account for me?
Do not share your login details. myGov has its own arrangements for acting on someone else’s behalf, and sharing your password or codes puts your personal information at risk.
What if I get locked out of myGov?
Use the recovery options on the sign-in page, including your secret questions or a Strong myID if you have one set up. If that does not work, contact the service directly, as myGov support pages direct you to the service for account problems it cannot fix itself.
The easiest way to think about myGov is this: one login, all your federal services behind it, and a secure Inbox for anything they need to tell you. Set it up once, link the services you actually use, and the next time someone says “check it on myGov”, you will know exactly where to go.
