ATO to retire AUSkey on 27 March

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has confirmed that it will retire AUSkey on 27 March, giving agents just over six weeks to set up their myGovID.

by | 11 Feb, 2020

Agents urged to set up myGovID with AUSkey to retire in 9 weeks

A spokesperson for the ATO has said that AUSkey will be replaced by myGovID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) on 27 March.

“We can now advise that AUSkey and Manage ABN connections will close at 11.59pm AEDT Friday, 27 March 2020,” the spokesperson said.

The ATO, however, could not confirm whether an extension of this deadline is possible.

MyGovID is a digital identity credential that helps agents prove who they are when accessing government services online.

It is now available as an app through the Apple and Google Play stores, and can be used with most Apple devices using iOS 10 or above and most Android devices using Nougat 7.0 or above.

The ATO said on Monday that so far, the myGovID app has been downloaded a total of 492,936 times.

‘Simple set up’

According to the Tax Office, setting up myGovID on a compatible smart device should take “only a few minutes”, but agents are being warned they will need to do it before their practice can move over to the new process.

“To prove your identity on myGovID you’ll need to enter your full name, date of birth, and email address. The email address should belong to you – don’t use a shared email address,” an ATO notice reads.

“You’ll also need any two of these four Australian identity documents: passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate or Medicare card.”

Last week, the ATO spokesperson also advised that it will support tax professionals who need some assistance in the form of field visits from 10 February.

“We anticipate that visits will take between 45-60 minutes and will occur at the premises of tax professionals,” a spokesperson for the ATO said.

“Tax professionals can request a visit from us via our online booking system. A link will be sent via email.”

Advising that its employees will not be targeting businesses through these visits, the ATO assured that it is covering off on the myGovID transition as part of its regular series of seminars for businesses.

The Tax Office will also be launching an outbound telephone campaign that will target tax professionals it has identified may need assistance to make the transition.

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