Preparing for a new myGov account

Email address and mobile phone

Because myGov lets you store and access your private information, a secure username and password are essential to help keep your private information safe.

To create and use your secure username and password, you will need access to:

• your own active email address, and
• your mobile phone with an active mobile phone account and number is highly recommended.

Email for signing in

Your email address is what you will use to sign in to myGov each time you use it. So, it's important to use an email address that you have access to and can log into whenever you like.

You should have your email address – and the password you use to check your email – handy for the next activity where we'll go step-by-step through the process of creating a myGov account.

Mobile phone for text messages

While you don't need a mobile phone number to set up a myGov account, it is recommended as it allows for greater protection of your personal information.

Adding your mobile phone number to your myGov account means that each time you sign in to myGov, the my.gov.au website will send you a text message with a code to ensure it is you who is trying to access your account. You'll need to enter the code to complete signing in securely.

eSafety tip

To help keep your information private, you should only use your own email address and mobile phone number for myGov, not the email or phone number of a relative or friend.

Choosing secret questions

When you set up your myGov account, you will be asked to provide answers to some secret questions. These are questions where only you can know the answers, and are another way that myGov helps maintain the security of your personal information.

The myGov website will let you choose three from a list of questions, and all you need to remember are the answers you give to those questions.

Why do I need to choose secret questions?

The secret questions will let you access your myGov account if you forget your myGov password, or no longer have access to the mobile phone you use to sign in.

The secret questions don’t let you sign in, but they will let you set a new password or choose a new mobile phone number to use.

Well done!

This is the end of the Preparing for a new myGov account activity. You learned that you'll need an email address and a mobile phone number to set up an account, and to provide answers to some secret questions.

Next up is the Setting up your new myGov account activity. It will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a new myGov account.