Online services for business is the ATO’s portal for running your business’s tax: lodging BAS, viewing accounts, paying, varying PAYG instalments and nominating your tax agent. Logging in needs two things – a myID (the Digital ID app, formerly myGovID) at Standard or Strong identity strength, and a link between you and the business’s ABN in Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM).
This guide covers the login steps, first-time setup for a principal authority, how to give staff and your bookkeeper access, the client-to-agent linking step every company and trust now has to do, and the errors that stop people getting in. Checked against the ATO on 6 October 2026.
If you are reading this because the login failed, jump to the errors table further down – nine times out of ten it is identity strength or a missing RAM link, and both are fixable today.
Key takeaways
- Login = myID + RAM. No username or password. The ATO requires Standard or Strong identity strength in myID.
- The principal authority links first. The business owner or director links their myID to the ABN in RAM, then authorises everyone else.
- myGovID became myID in November 2024 – same app, same ID, nothing to redo.
- Companies, trusts and partnerships must nominate their agent here before an accountant can act for them. The nomination lasts 28 days.
- “No relationship in RAM” and “identity strength not sufficient” account for most failed logins.
Which ATO login do you need?
| You want to… | Use | Log in with |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge your own individual tax return, check a refund | myGov (ATO linked service) or ATO app | myGov sign-in or myID |
| Lodge BAS, view business accounts, nominate an agent for an ABN | Online services for business | myID + RAM |
| Act for clients as a registered tax or BAS agent | Online services for agents | myID + RAM authorisation for the practice |
| Sole trader doing their own BAS | Online services for business, or myGov’s ATO service | Either |
What is Online services for business?
It replaced the old Business Portal and is where businesses – companies, trusts, partnerships, not-for-profits and sole traders – deal with the ATO online. From one login you can lodge and revise activity statements, view integrated client and income tax accounts, make payments and set up payment plans, view and vary PAYG instalments, update registration details, lodge Single Touch Payroll finalisations in some cases, send and receive secure mail, and manage the agents and staff who can act for the business. It is a separate system from Online services for agents, which registered tax and BAS agents use for their client work – our guide to the ATO tax agent portal explains that side.
How do you log in to Online services for business?
- Open onlineservices.ato.gov.au and choose Online services for business.
- Enter the email address linked to your myID.
- Approve the login in the myID app on your phone (a four-digit code or face/fingerprint).
- If you are linked to more than one ABN, pick the business you want to work in.
If step 2 or 3 fails, the problem is almost always your myID identity strength or a missing RAM link, covered below.
First-time setup: what the principal authority does
The principal authority is the person responsible for the business – a sole trader, a director of a company, a trustee or a partner. The ATO is explicit that the principal authority must be the first person to link to the business in RAM. The sequence:
- Set up myID. Download the myID app, enter your email, name and date of birth, then verify identity documents. The ATO says all its online services need a Standard or Strong identity strength – Standard means two Australian documents such as passport and driver licence. A Basic strength ID gives limited access only.
- Check the ABR. Your details on the Australian Business Register must match your myID – name, date of birth and your role (director, trustee, partner) – or RAM cannot verify you as principal authority. Fix the ABR first if a director has changed.
- Link to the ABN in RAM. Log in to Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) with your myID and link yourself to the business as principal authority.
- Authorise others. In RAM, add staff, your bookkeeper or a co-owner by name and email. They receive an authorisation request to accept with their own myID. The email can go to a work address – it does not have to match their myID email.
- Set permissions in Access Manager. Decide what each person can see and do (for example activity statements only).
myGovID became myID in November 2024
The app was renamed between 13 and 17 November 2024. Existing users kept their identity details and did not need to set up a new ID. Guides and emails that still say myGovID mean the same thing. Treat any message asking you to “re-verify for the new myID” as a scam – the ATO warned that scammers used the rename.
Nominating your tax or BAS agent (client-to-agent linking)
This is the step that catches most businesses the first time they change accountants. All entities with an ABN – except sole traders – must nominate a new tax or BAS agent in Online services for business before the agent can add them as a client. Companies, trusts, partnerships and SMSFs are all included.
- Log in to Online services for business.
- Select Profile, then Agent details.
- Under Agent nominations select Add.
- Search for the agent by registered agent number (Nanak Accountants is 26113345), confirm, complete the declaration and submit.
Your agent then has 28 days to add you as a client; after that the nomination expires. You can use Extend for another 28 days from the day after you submit. The ATO’s client-agent linking steps page has screenshots.
Common login errors and how to fix them
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Your identity strength is not sufficient” | myID is at Basic | Verify two identity documents in the app to reach Standard |
| “No relationship in RAM” or no business listed | Your myID is not linked to the ABN | Principal authority links first, then sends you an authorisation; accept it with your myID |
| Principal authority cannot link | ABR details do not match myID, or the role is not recorded | Update the ABR (director, trustee or partner details) and retry |
| Authorisation email never arrived | Wrong email, or request expired | Ask the authorisation administrator to resend; check junk folder |
| Accountant cannot add the business | Agent nomination not done or expired after 28 days | Nominate (or extend) under Profile > Agent details |
| Pages time out or will not load | ATO system maintenance | Check the ATO system maintenance page before changing anything |
Giving staff and your bookkeeper the right access
RAM controls who can act for the business; Access Manager controls what they can do. Give each person their own myID and authorisation – never share a login, which breaches the terms of use and leaves you with no audit trail. Typical set-ups: the bookkeeper gets activity statement and payroll permissions; a co-director gets full access; an admin assistant gets view-only. Review authorisations when someone leaves, the same day they leave, and when the principal authority changes, link the new one before the old one departs.
Rule of thumb
Get Online services for business working before you need it. Nominating an agent, extending a nomination, responding to an ATO letter or varying a PAYG instalment all run through it, and the myID verification plus RAM linking cannot be done in a rush on a BAS due date.
What can you do once you are in?
- Lodge, revise and view BAS and other activity statements.
- View your integrated client account, income tax account and payment history.
- Pay, set up a payment plan, or check a due date.
- View, vary or lodge PAYG instalments.
- Update business registration details (addresses, contacts, GST and PAYG withholding registrations).
- Check superannuation guarantee obligations and lodge super guarantee charge statements if needed.
- Nominate, extend or remove a tax or BAS agent, and see which agents are linked.
- Send and receive secure mail with the ATO – written and tracked.
FAQ about Online services for business
What is the difference between myGov and myID?
myGov is a website where you access government services, including the ATO for your personal tax. myID (formerly myGovID) is the Australian Government’s Digital ID app on your phone that proves who you are. Online services for business is accessed with myID and RAM, not with a myGov login.
Can a sole trader use Online services for business?
Yes. A sole trader is the principal authority for their own ABN and links their myID to the ABN in RAM directly. Many sole traders find it simpler to manage BAS and PAYG instalments through myGov’s ATO service instead – both work.
Why does Online services for business say I have no relationship in RAM?
Your myID exists but has not been linked to the business. The principal authority must link their own myID to the ABN in RAM first, then send you an authorisation request. Until you accept that request with your myID, the ATO cannot connect you to the ABN.
What identity strength does myID need?
The ATO says all of its online services can be accessed with a Standard or Strong identity strength, which means verifying at least two Australian identity documents in the app. A Basic strength ID gives only limited access.
How does my business nominate a tax or BAS agent?
In Online services for business, select Profile, then Agent details, then Add. Search for the agent’s registered agent number, confirm the details, complete the declaration and submit. The agent has 28 days to add you, and you can extend the nomination by another 28 days.
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Talk to a registered tax agent
If your business is stuck at the RAM step, needs its ABR details fixed, or wants an accountant who will handle the ATO through the agent portal so you rarely need to log in yourself, Nanak Accountants can help. Call 1300 626 258 or book your free 15 minute consultation.
This article is general information only and is not personal financial or tax advice. Login requirements, the myID rename and client-to-agent linking rules were checked against ATO and RAM sources on 6 October 2026.
