Getting ATO records for a lender: myID, RAM and your statement of account

Most online business loans don’t need anything from the ATO beyond what your bank statements already show. But when tax is part of the picture — an amount owing, a payment plan, or a loan that will pay the ATO directly — lenders often ask for an official record. Being able to produce it quickly can be the difference between funding this week and next.

The good news is that you can usually get these records yourself, online, in a few minutes once your access is set up. The not-so-good news is that setting up access for the first time can take longer than expected, which is why it’s worth doing before you need it.

Which ATO records might a lender ask for?

Record	What it shows	When it’s requested
Statement of account (integrated client account)	Balance owing, recent debits and credits	Any ATO debt, or a loan that pays the ATO
Lodged BAS	GST, PAYG and other amounts reported	To check turnover and lodgement history
Payment plan details	Instalment amount and schedule	Where you have an arrangement
Lodgement status	Whether returns and BAS are up to date	Larger loans, tax-related purposes
Correspondence	Notices, garnishee letters	Urgent tax situations

Your specialist will tell you which, if any, the matched lender needs. Often a statement of account is enough.

How do myID and RAM fit together?

There are two pieces to logging in to ATO online services for a business:

myID is the Australian Government’s Digital ID app. The ATO announced in November 2024 that myGovID was being renamed myID, and that existing users’ identity information carried over without needing to set up again. You use it to prove who you are.

Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) links your myID to your business. The ATO describes RAM as the service that authorises you to deal with the ATO online for a business, once it’s linked to your Digital ID. Once linked, you log in to ATO online services for business using myID, and RAM confirms you’re authorised to see that business’s records.

If you have both set up, downloading a statement of account is usually a matter of minutes. If you don’t, setting them up — particularly if an extra identity strength is needed — can take longer, so start early.

How do you download a statement of account?

The exact menu labels can change, but the general path is:

1. Log in to ATO online services for business with myID.
2. Select the business you’re acting for, if you have more than one.
3. Go to the accounts or payments area and choose the relevant account (often the integrated client account).
4. Select the period and generate a statement.
5. Save it as a PDF and upload it through the lender’s secure portal.

If menus have moved since this page was written, the ATO’s own help pages and online services search are the best guide. Don’t email the PDF to anyone who hasn’t been confirmed as your lender — see online loan scams.

What if your tax agent manages everything?

Plenty of business owners never log in to ATO online services; their tax or BAS agent does. That’s perfectly fine. Ask your agent for:

• a current statement of account
• copies of the last few lodged BAS
• details of any payment plan and whether instalments are up to date

Agents can usually produce these quickly. Let them know a lender may contact them to confirm details, and give your specialist their contact information if you’re comfortable doing so.

How do these records help your application?

Official records replace uncertainty with facts. If your application says you owe the ATO $38,000 on a payment plan (illustrative), and the statement of account confirms it with every instalment made, the lender can move on. Without the record, it has to estimate from bank statements — and estimates are usually conservative.

Records also help when the loan will pay the ATO directly at settlement. The lender needs the exact payout figure and the correct payment details. Our explainer on ATO debt and BAS in applications covers how lenders read your tax position, and funding ATO and BAS bills looks at using finance for tax.

What about payment plans set up online?

The ATO says that businesses with tax debts of up to $200,000 can generally arrange their own payment plan, either in online services for business or through the ATO’s automated phone line. If you do, keep the confirmation — lenders often want to see when it was set up, the instalment amount and that payments have been made since. A plan that was set up yesterday reads differently from one that’s been met consistently for six months, but both are better than no plan at all.

What if a record shows something you didn’t expect?

It happens more often than you’d think: a statement of account shows a penalty you’d forgotten, a BAS you thought was lodged is still outstanding, or a payment was allocated to the wrong period. Better to find that yourself than have a lender find it. Download your records before you apply, read them, and sort out anything unexpected with your tax agent or the ATO first. If it can’t be fixed quickly, tell your specialist when you send your enquiry — a known issue with an explanation is far easier to work with than a surprise halfway through assessment.

Ready to apply with your records in order?

If tax is part of your story, having your ATO records ready makes everything faster. Start a 60-second online enquiry and let the specialist know what you owe and whether there’s a plan in place. There’s no credit check to enquire, your details stay with one specialist rather than being shared around, and a real person will tell you exactly which records the right lender needs. Accurate tax details in the form mean we can match you to a lender comfortable with your position the first time.