Paying Your BAS Without a Credit Card: What Changes After 30 November 2026

For years, lots of small business owners have paid their BAS on a credit card.
It bought them a few extra weeks before the money actually left their account, which made a big difference when cash was tight.

That option is ending. After 30 November 2026, the ATO will no longer accept credit cards for tax payments. This page explains what has changed, what your options are, and how I use a tool called Shift in my own business to help manage BAS and cash flow.

What the ATO has changed

• After 30 November 2026, you can’t pay the ATO by credit card. This includes BAS, income tax, PAYG and other tax debts.
• Why? New rules have banned card surcharges. The ATO has said it doesn’t think it’s fair for the community to carry the cost of credit card fees, so it’s dropping credit cards instead.
• Payment plans linked to a credit card need to be switched to a different payment method before the next instalment due after 30 November 2026. The ATO is writing to people who have these plans.
• Other ways to pay still work, including BPAY, bank transfer (EFT) and debit card.

You can see the ATO’s full list of payment options at ato.gov.au/howtopay.

Why this matters for your cash flow

Here’s a simple example. Say your quarterly BAS is $15,000. In the past, you might have put it on a credit card and paid the card off a few weeks later, once more customer payments had come in.

From December, that $15,000 needs to come straight out of your bank account on the due date, or you’ll need another plan. For a business with lumpy income, that can put real pressure on the bank balance at the wrong time.