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When a business owner engages a professional advisor for tax, compliance, or strategic matters, one of the initial steps is to ensure the business is correctly linked to the ATO’s Online Services for Business platform.
It’s common for business owners to mistakenly believe that their personal myGov access will suffice — however, managing business affairs online requires a separate, dedicated setup.
This guide outlines the process for adding an ABN to the Online Services for Business portal and addresses the most frequent hurdle: identity strength errors.
Accessing the Correct ATO Portal
To access ATO services for your business (not your personal tax), you don’t log into myGov. Instead:
- Head to ato.gov.au
- Click “Log in” in the top-right
- Choose “Business” Log In
You are logging in as yourself on behalf of your business. That’s the key difference.
Logging in with myGovID
This is not your myGov account. It’s myGovID, which you manage via a mobile app.
Here’s what happens:
- The website asks you to enter your myGovID email
- It pings your myGovID app on your phone
- You open the app and approve the login
- You’re redirected back to the ATO business portal
So far, so good.
If you haven't set up myGovID yet, click here.
What to do if no businesses are linked?
Should there be no businesses linked: the page will look like this:
You simply need to click Link an ABN, and it will take you to the Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM).
The ATO’s Online Services for Business and the Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) are two distinct systems that work together. The ATO portal is the service itself — where you manage your business obligations. RAM, on the other hand, is the tool that controls who has permission to access those services on behalf of the business. They operate independently, but both are required: one provides the platform, the other manages user access.
Common Roadblock: “Strong Identity Strength Required”
While attempting to add your business, you may encounter the following error:
“Strong identity strength required
Your Digital Identity doesn’t meet the identity strength required to link your business.”
The issue stemmed from having only a standard strength myGovID — which is suitable for most personal services, but not sufficient for linking a business ABN.
What You Need to Do (Without a Passport)
Upgrading to strong identity strength typically involves uploading a passport through the myGovID app.
The problem? Like many Australian's, you may not have a passport.
The solution: contact the ATO directly:
- 📞 Phone: 1300 287 539
- 👉 Options: Press 3, then 1
- 💬 Say: You need to link a business but don’t have a passport for myGovID
The ATO operator, after verifying you identity, will provide you a special linking code, which allowed you to successfully connect you business to their myGovID profile.
Enter the Code and Finalise the Link
Once you enter the code, your business will be successfully added, giving you full access to all features within the Online Services for Business platform — including BAS, notices, registrations, and, most importantly, the ability to grant agent access (which will be covered in a separate article).