How do I unlock my myGov account?

myGov locks an account when the wrong password or code is entered too many times in a row. Services Australia also turns off your email address and mobile number as sign-in usernames at the same time, as a protective measure — which is why the unlock screen so often refuses the details you have always used. Start with the myGov username itself. If you cannot remember it, Forgot username emails it to the address registered on the account before you attempt anything else.

The unlock sequence itself is short. Enter your username and password on the sign in page, select Unlock your account now, enter the security code, answer your secret question, then enter a new password twice and select Confirm. myGov states plainly that you will not be able to sign in with your Digital ID, passkey or myGov app until the account is unlocked — so the alternative sign-in methods people reach for first are all switched off precisely when they are needed.

Keep going with wrong details and the lock becomes permanent rather than temporary. Services Australia says a permanently locked account may be closed altogether, and it closes accounts it has reason to believe are compromised, drawing on information from other agencies including the Australian Cyber Security Centre. That is the point at which recovery stops being self-service, so stop guessing after a couple of failed attempts and move to one of the routes below instead.

Where the unlock will not complete, myGov offers two exits. The first is recovery with a Digital ID: myID is currently the only compatible one, it must be at Strong identity strength, your name, date of birth and email address must match across both, and myID must not already be connected to the myGov account. The ATO's myID guidance sets out what lifts you from Basic to Standard to Strong — outside Western Australia that means an Australian passport, current or no more than three years expired, plus a second document such as a citizenship certificate, driver licence or Medicare card, and a one-off face verification check comparing a selfie to the photo on the passport.

The second exit is the myGov helpdesk. Call the Online Services Support Hotline on 132 307 and select option 1. It is open Monday to Friday 7am to 10pm and weekends 10am to 5pm local time, and closed on national public holidays. From overseas the number is +61 1300 169 468, option 1. The helpdesk deals only with the myGov account — not Centrelink, Medicare or the ATO — and if you ring on someone else's behalf, they must be with you, nominee or not.

The last resort is creating a new myGov account, and myGov flags the trap on its own sign in help page: if you need a new account and want to use the same email address as your old one, contact the helpdesk rather than trying it yourself. Once you are back in, add a passkey or connect a Digital ID — myGov lets you turn the password off altogether once one of those is set up, though you still need it to change your secret questions, sign in options or PIN. Check those secret questions while you are there. myGov signs you out after 15 minutes of inactivity, which is a common source of the hurried retyping that starts a lockout.