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The ATO will stop accepting credit cards after 30 June 2027. Here’s what it means for your business.

The ATO will stop accepting credit cards from 30 June 2027. Here's what it means for your business and how to keep paying your tax bill on card.

Written byFabian Andreou

PublishedSeptember 30, 2026

Reading time3 minutes

The ATO has announced it will stop accepting credit card payments after 30 June 2027 If you pay your BAS, PAYG or income tax on card, that option ends in eight weeks.

Here’s the good news. You can still put your tax bill on your card. You pay pay.com.au by card, and we pay the ATO by bank transfer. The ATO gets its money. You keep your points, and the cashflow relief your card gives.

What’s changing

From 1 July 2027, the ATO will no longer take credit card payments. This includes American Express, Visa, and Mastercard credit cards.

Bank transfer (EFT) and BPAY will remain available through the ATO’s Online Services for Business.

The change follows the RBA’s review of card payments, which will see the end of card surcharges from 1 October 2026. In a statement, the ATO said:

“As a government agency, the ATO has decided it would not be appropriate for the cost of credit card merchant fees to be transferred to the community.”

Who this hits hardest

Small and Medium Businesses with large tax obligations. A $50,000 quarterly BAS is a lot of points to walk away from.
Businesses that use their card for cashflow. Card float gives you up to 55 days interest-free before the bill is due. Paying by bank transfer means the cash leaves today.
Points collectors. Tax is often one of a business’s biggest single expenses. Lose it, and your points balance drops.

How to keep paying the ATO on card

Sign up to pay.com.au with your ABN and add your Visa, Mastercard or Amex.
Add the ATO as a payee using your payment reference number.
Pay by card. We send the money to the ATO by bank transfer.

You earn your card’s full credit card points. (For American Express credit cards, this can be up to 2.25x more points by using pay.com.au, instead of paying direct) keep your cashflow, plus can earn PayRewards Points on top: 1 or 2 per $1, your choice on each payment.

Why not just pay by bank transfer?

You can. But you give up two things: points and time. On a $50,000 BAS payment, 2 PayRewards Points per $1 is 100,000 PayRewards Points. That’s before your card’s own points. Processing fees are typically tax-deductible, so talk to your accountant about what that means for you.