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The admin side of tax: paying the ATO, linking your agent and scams

How to pay the ATO

The quickest ways to pay are BPAY or the ATO's online services, and every method needs your payment reference number (PRN).

Find your PRN first. Your PRN is printed on your notice of assessment, activity statement or ATO payment slip, and it's also shown in your ATO online account. You'll have different PRNs for different types of tax, such as one for income tax and one for your BAS, so check you're using the right one. If you can't find it, ask us and we'll look it up.


Your payment options:

  • BPAY: Use Biller code 75556 and your PRN as the reference. Allow up to 4 business days for the payment to show on your ATO account.
  • Debit or credit card: Pay online through your ATO online account or the Government EasyPay service, or by phone.
  • Direct credit (bank transfer): Use the ATO direct credit account with your PRN as the reference. Get the account details directly from the ATO's payment options page, never from an email or text message.
  • Direct debit: Set up regular automatic payments from your bank account. Allow at least 7 working days for it to activate. We can set this up for you through our ATO portal.
  • Australia Post: If you have a payment slip with a barcode, you can pay in person at a post office.


A note on credit cards. Following the Reserve Bank's ban on card surcharges, the ATO has announced it will stop accepting credit cards directly. It will keep accepting them until 30 June 2027. After that date, debit cards, BPAY and bank transfer will still be available, and credit cards can only be used through third-party payment providers, which usually charge their own fees. If you currently have a payment plan linked to a credit card, talk to us about switching before the cut-off.


Can't pay in full? Don't ignore the debt. The ATO offers payment plans, and we can often set one up on your behalf. The earlier you tell us, the more options you'll have.


For full details, see the ATO's How to pay page.

How to add Lawson Accounting as your tax agent

What you need to do depends on whether you're an individual or a business.


Individuals and sole traders. Right now you don't need to do anything at the ATO. We add you to our client list using your details and our standard identity checks. The ATO is changing this, though. From a pilot in March 2027 and full rollout in November 2027, we'll send you a request and you'll confirm it in the ATO app or your myGov account. We'll let you know when that applies to you.


Companies, trusts, partnerships and SMSFs. Businesses with an ABN (other than sole traders) must nominate us at the ATO before we can access their records. This is called client-to-agent linking. It's a one-off step:

  1. Set up your myID (formerly myGovID) on your phone, if you haven't already.
  2. Link your myID to the business's ABN through Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM).
  3. Log in to Online services for business.
  4. Go to Profile, then Agent details. Under Agent nominations, select Add.
  5. Search for us by our registered agent number, 25758823, or by our practice name, and confirm.
  6. Let us know you've done it. The ATO doesn't notify us, and the nomination expires if we don't action it within 28 days.


You only need to do this once per entity, unless you change agents or we need different access later. If you get stuck at any step, call us and we'll talk you through it. The ATO also has a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Staying safe from ATO Scams

Scammers regularly pretend to be the ATO by phone, email, SMS and social media. Some of their messages look very convincing. A few simple rules will keep you safe:

  • The ATO will never email or text asking for your TFN, bank details or myGov login.
  • Don't click links in messages that claim to be from the ATO. Log in to myGov yourself by typing the address into your browser.
  • Genuine ATO calls show as "No caller ID". Never call back a number left in a voicemail or message.
  • Only pay the ATO using details from the ATO website, or from a notice you've confirmed in your myGov account.
  • If you're unsure, check first. Call the ATO on 1800 008 540, or call us. We can see what's on your ATO account and tell you whether the message is real.



If you get a scam, forward the email (or a screenshot of the SMS) to ReportScams@ato.gov.au, then delete it. If you've already shared personal details or paid money, call the ATO on 1800 008 540 and let us know straight away.


The ATO keeps a list of current scams on its Verify or report a scam page.

Need a hand?

If any of this is confusing, or the screens don't look the way we've described, get in touch. We'd much rather spend five minutes on the phone than have you stuck.



This article is general information only and doesn't take your personal circumstances into account. ATO processes change from time to time; the details above are current as at October 2026.

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