ATO statement of account: pull it before you ring about an ATO deadline

“We owe the ATO about eighty grand” is where most ATO funding conversations start. The trouble is “about”. By the time the loan is ready, interest has been added, a second account turns out to be overdue too, and the figure is a few thousand dollars higher than anyone planned for.

The fix takes ten minutes: pull your statement of account from the ATO before you ring.

Where do you find it?

In Online services for business. According to the ATO, you can:

• view an account summary showing each account’s payment reference number, any overdue amount and the account balance
• view and download transactions in CSV or HTML format, filtered by date
• see payment plan details — due dates and the status of past instalments — if you have one
• set up a payment plan online for debts under $200,000

To log in, you’ll need your Digital ID and to be authorised for the business in Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). If your accountant or bookkeeper normally handles this, ask them for the statement — registered agents can access it too.

What should you look for?

Item	Why it matters
Each account listed	Businesses often have separate accounts — integrated client account, income tax, others
Balance on each	The total you need to fund
Overdue amount	What’s already past due, as opposed to coming due
PRN for each account	Payments must use the right reference to land in the right place
Recent transactions	Shows interest, penalties and payments already made
Payment plan status	Whether an existing plan is current or in default

If there’s a debt on an account you didn’t know about, better to find it now than after the loan settles.

Why does the payment reference number matter?

The ATO says each account has a different PRN, and you use it for BPAY and other payments. Pay against the wrong PRN and the money can land in an account that isn’t the one with the deadline — leaving the urgent debt looking unpaid while the issue is sorted out. When funds are paid directly to the ATO from a loan, the PRN is one of the most important details to get right. See paying the bill directly.

Why not leave payment to the due date?

Because the ATO says it can take up to four business days for a payment to be visible on your account in online services. For an ordinary BAS, that’s mostly about peace of mind. For something like a director penalty notice, where the date really matters, plan to pay well before the last day and keep the payment receipt as evidence.

What does the statement tell you about interest?

Download the transactions and you’ll see general interest charge added along the way. The ATO says GIC compounds daily — including on debts in a payment plan. From 1 July 2025, ATO interest charges are also no longer tax deductible. If the balance is growing faster than you expected, interest is usually why. The GIC guide looks at what that means for choosing between a payment plan and funding.

What to send with it

Along with the account summary and transactions, have:

• any ATO letters or notices with dates on them
• your lodgement status — are all BAS and returns lodged?
• details of any payment plan, current or past
• your accountant’s contact details

Then start the enquiry or call 1300 752 188 with the exact figure in front of you.

An illustrative statement check

Illustrative example only. A café owner believes she owes about $42k on her BAS. Her statement of account shows $44,900 on the integrated client account once interest is added, plus an overlooked $6,200 on a separate income tax account that has just fallen overdue. Funding is sized at about $51k, not $42k, and paid against both PRNs directly. Without the statement, she’d have been short on day one.

What if you can’t log in to Online services for business?

This is one of the most common hold-ups on an ATO deadline, and it’s worth solving before the day you need it. Access depends on two things: a Digital ID for the person logging in, and that person being linked to the business in Relationship Authorisation Manager. If the principal authority — often a director — set things up years ago and nobody else has access, only they can add you.

Practical options if you’re stuck:

• Ask your registered tax or BAS agent. Agents can see your accounts and send a statement, usually the same day.
• Ask the principal authority to log in and authorise you, or to download the summary and transactions themselves.
• Use recent ATO correspondence as a stopgap — a notice or statement letter shows a balance at a point in time, though it won’t include interest added since.

Whichever route you take, aim for a figure that’s no more than a day or two old when funding is sized. The ATO balance moves daily while interest is accruing, and a few days’ difference can matter on a large debt.

Know the exact number before you ring

An exact ATO figure, with PRNs, is one of the most useful things you can bring to the call. Asking the Deadline Desk what’s possible involves no credit check, and we don’t circulate your details among a stack of lenders. A real person looks at your ATO position and calls you back.

Please enter the full ATO balance from your statement on the enquiry form, not an estimate — accurate figures are what let us size the funding right first time. Or ring 1300 752 188.