Frequently asked questions

Changes to existing online services customers

We are improving our online services. From 28 January 2012, you will be required to register for an australia.gov.au account when you log on to your existing CSAonline account.

With an australia.gov.au account, you can link your Department of Human Services Online Services accounts – this applies to Child Support services, Centrelink services and Medicare services. You can also choose to link up your Department of Veterans’ Affairs Online Services account.

Once you have registered for a new australia.gov.au account, record your new australia.gov.au user ID and password to use each time you log in to CSAonline.

Next time you log on through CSAonline with your old user ID and password, you will receive a reminder message to use your australia.gov.au user ID and password.

You can also use your single australia.gov.au user ID and password through the Department of Human Services website.

You will only have to remember your australia.gov.au user ID and password to access multiple government online services.

For more information, please visit australia.gov.au

australia.gov.au — frequently asked questions

What is australia.gov.au?

australia.gov.au is an entry point for all Australian Government authorised information and services.

Why do I have to use australia.gov.au?

The move to using australia.gov.au is part of our long-term commitment to make services more accessible, convenient and easier to use.

If you already have a CSAonline account - registering for an australia.gov.au account will enable you to link each of your existing Child Support, Centrelink and Medicare individual account/s to your australia.gov.au account.

With an australia.gov.au account you will only have to remember one user ID, one password and one website to access your online services for Child Support, Centrelink or Medicare.

In the future, we will be moving to one online services portal for all Department of Human Services transactions. The existing online services portals for Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support will be phased out over the next couple of years.

How do I register for an australia.gov.au account?

To register for an australia.gov.au online account, please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to australia.gov.au
  2. Select the ‘Login / Register’ link near the top right-hand corner of the page
  3. Select the 'Register Now' button
  4. Enter in a password, then confirm the password
  5. Create five secret questions and answers
  6. Once registration is complete, you will be assigned an australia.gov.au user ID, and returned to the 'My Account' summary page.

How do I create an australia.gov.au password?

The password you create must be between 7 and 20 characters and contain both letters and numbers.

Passwords are case sensitive, so you can use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters for example:!, @, #, $, %, ^, &, and *.

Increase your password's strength by creating passwords that are difficult to guess. Avoid words you would find in a dictionary and names and dates familiar to people who know you.

If you have JavaScript enabled in your browser, you will be able to view the password meter which illustrates the strength of your password.

If you do not have JavaScript enabled in your browser, you may wish to review the password tips above and consider if your current password is strong enough.

What happens if I have forgotten my australia.gov.au password?

To reset your forgotten password please follow the steps below:

  1. go to australia.gov.au
  2. Select the ‘Forgotten your password’ link
  3. Enter your User ID and select ‘Continue’
  4. Answer two of your previously recorded secret questions, then select ‘Continue’
  5. Type in a new password
  6. Confirm your new password then select ‘Continue’
  7. Your password has been reset – select ‘Return’ to continue to the Login page

How do I change my australia.gov.au User ID?

An australia.gov.au user ID, once assigned, cannot be reset. If you forget or lose your australia.gov.au user ID, you will need to register for a new account.

If you had linked your agency accounts, you will need to link those accounts again to the new user ID.

What happens if I have forgotten my secret questions and answers?

If you are unable to answer your previously recorded secret questions, you will need to create a new australia.gov.au account and re-link your Department of Human Services account/s.

To re-register for an online account please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to australia.gov.au
  2. Select the ‘Login / Register’ link near the top right hand corner of the page
  3. Select the 'Register Now' button
  4. Enter in a password, then confirm the password
  5. Create five secret questions and answers
  6. Once registration is complete, you will be assigned an australia.gov.au user ID, and returned to the 'My Account' summary page.

How do I delete my australia.gov.au account?

To delete your australia.gov.au account, please follow the steps below:

  1. Select the ‘Login/Register’ button on the top right hand side of the australia.gov.au screen.
  2. 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.
  3. Select the ‘My Account’ tab.
  4. Click on ‘My Login Settings’ from the left column.
  5. Choose ‘Continue’; select ‘Delete Account’ from left column.
  6. Choose ‘Yes’ to confirm deletion.
    Note: Account deletion is permanent. You cannot undo this action. You can, however, create a new australia.gov.au account at any time.

I am unable to access online services due to a system error

Please attempt to use the site again later there may have been intermittent server issues, which is why you were unable to log on. We apologise for any inconvenience you may have experienced and appreciate your patience.

How do I link my existing accounts?

Before you link your australia.gov.au account with your Department of Human Services account(s), you need to have successfully registered for an online account with one of the participating agencies: 

To link your australia.gov.au account to your existing Department of Human Services account (s), please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to australia.gov.au
  2. Select the ‘Login/Register’ button on the top right hand side of the screen.
  3. Enter your australia.gov.au user ID and password and select ‘Continue’
  4. Answer your secret question and select ‘Continue’
  5. Select ‘My Account’ from the top menu bar to go to the ‘My Account’ page.
  6. Select the ‘Register for agency Online Services’ link under the ‘My Online Services’ heading and follow the process.

I have now registered for an australia.gov.au account, but how do I access my CSAonline account via australia.gov.au?

To navigate to CSAonline via australia.gov.au, follow the steps below:

Will my CSAonline 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 CSAonline account will still exist and you will still be able to access your account information through CSAonline or through the Department of Human Services website at humanservices.gov.au.

Note: we want to make using our online services easier for you. In the future, you will be required to use an australia.gov.au account to access your current online services accounts.

If I register for an australia.gov.au online account, will I automatically be registered for Child Support, Medicare and Centrelink Online Services?

No. If you are not already registered for any of the Department of Human Services Online Services, you will need to register for at least one account before you can link them to your australia.gov.au account.

If I link my accounts, will my contact details be shared across the different agencies?

No. Any information you provide will not be automatically shared across the Department of Human Services. In the future, if you choose to update your personal contact details, it will only be shared with your consent.

How do I know my australia.gov.au account is secure?

You will be asked to refer to the terms and conditions on australia.gov.au

A number of measures are taken to make sure your account is secure. These include:

You can make sure your account is secure by:

How do I know if I have an australia.gov.au account?

You will receive a letter to confirm that you have registered and linked your Department of Human Services Online Services account with australia.gov.au. If you are unsure whether you have already registered for australia.gov.au in the past, you can register for a new australia.gov.au account.

Update personal information

Any information you provide will not be shared across the Department of Human Services programs. You will need to update your contact details through each program’s Online Services.

I would like to provide some feedback.

We welcome all feedback as an opportunity to initiate improvements and improve convenience for all Child Support, Centrelink and Medicare customers using Online Services. Please use the ‘Contact Us’ form located on the australia.gov.au website. We will use your feedback to continue to review our current practices.