Agency online services
Featured question
Questions
- What is the difference between registering for an australia.gov.au account and registering for agency online services through australia.gov.au?
- How do I register for agency online services through australia.gov.au?
- If I register for agency online services through australia.gov.au how do I prove who I am?
- What do I do with the Activation Code I've been provided by Department of Human Services?
- Where are my details held if I link my australia.gov.au account to an agency online account or I register for an agency online service through australia.gov.au?
- Do I need to register for multiple agency online services through the same australia.gov.au account?
- How do I access my online service accounts from australia.gov.au?
- Will my current online agency account still exist if I link my accounts through australia.gov.au?
- If I link my accounts, will my information be shared across the different agencies?
- Where are my Centrelink online letters?
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What is the difference between registering for an australia.gov.au account and registering for agency online services through australia.gov.au?
Registering for an australia.gov.au account will only provide you with an australia.gov.au account that is not linked to any agency online services.
You then need to link the account to participating agency online services by proving you own the agency record. Following these two steps registers you for an agency online account which uses your australia.gov.au account user ID and password for access.
If you already have an australia.gov.au account, at My Account, click on 'Link to online services.'
You will then need to select the online service you would like to link to.
Once you have proved you own the agency record, an agency online account will be automatically linked to your australia.gov.au account.
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How do I register for agency online services through australia.gov.au?
If you do not have an existing online account with one of the participating agencies listed below and want to use agency online services for the first time, you will need to register for online services.
Centrelink and Medicare
- When you register for Centrelink or Medicare online services, you will be prompted to register for or login to your australia.gov.au account.
- When you have registered, you will be taken to the "Link to Centrelink / Child Support / Medicare online services" page and given a choice of options.
- You can choose either the second option to enter an Activation Code or the third option to answer a series of questions to prove who you are.
- If enough correct answers are confirmed, you will have successfully proven you own the record.
- You will then be taken to your australia.gov.au My Account page.
- Your linked accounts will now display under My online services.
If you fail to answer sufficient questions for the service to which you are trying to obtain access, you can try again later when you have more information available, or visit any Centrelink, Medicare or Child Support Office with approved photo Proof of Identity (POI) documentation.
Child Support
- You will need to register for Child Support online services at register for CSAonline before linking your CSAonline account to your australia.gov.au Account.
- You will need your Child Support Reference Number in order to register with CSAonline.
Department of Veterans' Affairs
- You will need a registration number from the Department of Veterans' Affairs before you can begin the registration process.
- During the registration process you will be prompted to register for or login to your australia.gov.au Account.
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If I register for agency online services through australia.gov.au how do I prove who I am?
If you want to link to agency online services and don't have a current online service account or activation code, you can enter a process where you will be asked some personal details so that the agency can confirm your identity, then answer some questions related to the records you have with that agency.
For Medicare, you will need your Medicare card number, for Centrelink it is your Centrelink CRN and for Child Support, your Child Support CSRN.
Additional information that could be requested might include:
- the last doctor's visit for which you claimed a rebate,
- your specialist's name,
- your family income estimate,
- the bank account details that payments are made to, and
- receipt numbers and appointment dates.
If you are able to confirm your identity via this option, your australia.gov.au account will be automatically linked.
Note: The process of answering these questions may take about 15 minutes to complete.The questions asked are determined by the agency that supplies the online service. The answers you provide are passed directly to the agency that supplies the online service and are not stored by australia.gov.au.
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What do I do with the Activation Code I've been provided by Department of Human Services?
If a Customer Service Adviser from the Department of Human Services (DHS) has provided you with an activation code, follow the process below to activate your Centrelink, Child Support and/or Medicare Online Services accounts.
Note - your activation code will expire 14 days after it was issued.
- Either create a new australia.gov.au account or log into your existing australia.gov.au account.
- Go to Register for online services and follow the prompts.
- At the "Link to Centrelink / Child Support / Medicare online services" page, choose the second option and click 'Continue'.
- You will need to enter your activation code and just one of your Centrelink, Child Support or Medicare reference numbers. You can only use a reference number that is associated with the activation code.
For example:
• if you were given access to Centrelink Online Services, you will need your Centrelink Reference Number (CRN).
• if you were given access to multiple Online Services, e.g. Centrelink and Medicare, you will need one of your reference numbers - e.g. your Centrelink Reference Number (CRN); or your Medicare Card Number and Individual Reference Number (IRN) - see image below.
- After your account has been activated you will be taken to your australia.gov.au My Account page. You can click on your connected services through links under My online services.
Further information is available from Department of Human Services Online Services.
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Where are my details held if I link my australia.gov.au account to an agency online account or I register for an agency online service through australia.gov.au?
All details that you supply to an Australian Government agency online service through australia.gov.au are held by that agency in their own systems. Linking your agency online service to an australia.gov.au account does not cause the information to be held by australia.gov.au.
australia.gov.au does provide the option for you to enter some details for the personalisation of your account. In the future some information, (such as your address) may be used to answer questions asked through australia.gov.au. Your permission to do this will always be sought first.
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Do I need to register for multiple agency online services through the same australia.gov.au account?
No. Your australia.gov.au account is anonymous and you may choose to create a new australia.gov.au account for each agency online service you register for.
However, the benefit of having an australia.gov.au account is that you will only need to remember one user ID and password if you do use the same australia.gov.au account to register for different agency online services.
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How do I access my online service accounts from australia.gov.au?
- Select the Login button located on the top right of most pages within the australia.gov.au website.
- Enter your australia.gov.au user ID and password and answer one of your secret questions; Upon a successful answer, you will be taken to the australia.gov.au home page.
- Choose the MY ACCOUNT tab, located just below the search box.
- Under My online services, you will be see a list of agencies you are currently linked to. Click on the agency name to access your agency online account.
- Select the Login button located on the top right of most pages within the australia.gov.au website.
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Will my current online agency account still exist if I link my accounts through australia.gov.au?
Yes. While your australia.gov.au Account will provide you with one user ID and password, your separate accounts will still exist. Your australia.gov.au Account enables access to your agency account information through australia.gov.au.
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If I link my accounts, will my information be shared across the different agencies?
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Where are my Centrelink online letters?
To access your Centrelink online letters via your australia.gov.au account, please login using your australia.gov.au user ID and password, not your CRN. Your CRN is only required when you initially link to your Centrelink online services account.
Once you have logged in to Centrelink online services you can access your letters by selecting the 'Reminders and Letters' option on the left menu - it's generally the 3rd from bottom option on the menu.
If you do not have the 'Reminders and Letters' option you will need to contact the Department of Human Services - Centrelink for technical assistance. The options for contacting Centrelink are listed on their website at:
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/information/contact-us
