Most Australians paying their ATO tax bill don't realise this: the way you pay can be worth thousands of dollars in frequent flyer points.

Pay it directly to the ATO from your bank account, you earn nothing. Pay it on a credit card directly at the ATO, you'll pay a 1.45% Amex surcharge and earn reduced points (Amex caps government transactions at 0.5 points per dollar). Pay it through a third-party processor — Pay.com.au, Sniip, B2Bpay — you'll pay a similar surcharge but earn full reward points at your card's regular rate.

Or you can use Admiin (https://www.admiin.com) — which builds ATO card payment with full reward points directly into your accountant's lodgement workflow, free.

For a business owner with a $100,000 BAS bill on an Amex Qantas Ultimate card, the difference between paying the ATO direct and paying via a points-friendly processor is the equivalent of one return Business Class flight to Asia.

This is a complete comparison of the four options.

The 30-second version

• Pay.com.au — broadest network, multiple reward currencies, optimised for high-volume businesses. PayRewards points convertible.

• Sniip — best for individuals and personal Amex users. Mobile app focused. 1.99% + GST Amex business rate.

• B2Bpay — business-focused. Standard 1.2%, premium 1.55%, Amex 2.2%. Bonus Qantas Points (1.0 per $100 to ATO).

• Admiin — for accounting firms specifically. Builds ATO card payment with full reward points into the lodgement workflow itself. Free.

All four are legitimate. The choice depends on whether you're paying as an individual (Sniip), as a business directly (Pay.com.au or B2Bpay), or having your accountant handle it inside the lodgement flow (Admiin).

Quick comparison

Why this matters

A few quick facts:

1. The ATO charges card surcharges directly: ~1.45% for Amex, ~1.0% for Visa/MC. Pay direct, you get capped or reduced points (often 0.5 points/$1 instead of 1+).

2. Third-party processors charge similar surcharges but earn you full points at your card's regular rate.

3. For business owners with $50k+ tax bills, the points value typically exceeds the surcharge — often by 2x or 3x.

This is one of the most underrated revenue/perk opportunities for Australian business owners — and accountants who surface it to clients build genuine loyalty.

Pay.com.au: best for business volume

Pay.com.au is positioned as the business-focused payment processor with the broadest network. Their PayRewards points are convertible to multiple frequent flyer and rewards programs.

For high-volume business users, Pay.com.au's pricing is often the most competitive because it's volume-tiered and negotiable.

Where Pay.com.au wins

• Best for high-volume businesses

• PayRewards flexibility

• Business reporting

• Multi-user support

• Sophisticated reconciliation

Where Pay.com.au falls short

• Pricing isn't transparent (volume-negotiated)

• Less suitable for individuals

• Mobile experience less polished than Sniip's

• Not built into the accountant's lodgement workflow

Sniip: best for individuals and Amex points

Sniip is a Brisbane-based fintech optimised for personal use and Amex card holders. App-first, simple, and famously cheap for personal non-ATO Amex payments at 1.29% — though ATO payments specifically are at the 1.99% + GST business rate (since March 2023).

Where Sniip wins

• Best mobile app

• Lowest fees for personal non-ATO Amex (1.29%)

• Simple UX

• No subscription

Where Sniip falls short

• ATO Amex rate at business rate (same as competitors)

• No bonus points program

• Less business-grade reporting

• BPAY only (no direct deposit)

• Client has to use a separate app outside the lodgement workflow

B2Bpay: best for Qantas Points stacking

B2Bpay is the business-focused processor with a unique twist: you earn bonus Qantas Points on top of your credit card points — 1 Qantas Point per $100 paid to the ATO.

Pricing is publicly displayed:

• Visa/MC standard: 1.2%

• Visa/MC premium: 1.55%

• Amex: 2.2%

• Diners Club: 2.4%

Where B2Bpay wins

• Bonus Qantas Points (unique among processors)

• Transparent published pricing

• Best for Qantas Business Rewards members

• Direct deposit available (with caveat — see below)

• Diners Club acceptance

Where B2Bpay falls short

• Amex rate is highest of processors (2.2% vs Sniip's 1.99%+GST)

• Direct deposit doesn't pass through your reference (use BPAY for ATO)

• Less app-polished than Sniip

• Client has to use a separate platform outside the lodgement workflow

Admiin: ATO payment built into the lodgement workflow

Admiin (https://www.admiin.com) takes a completely different approach. Instead of being a separate tool the client uses after lodgement, Admiin builds ATO card payment with full reward points directly into the accountant's lodgement workflow — so the client pays the ATO in the same flow as signing the return.

The Admiin flow:

1. Accountant finishes the return

2. AI cover letter is generated

3. Client receives "Review. Sign. Pay" link

4. Client signs and verifies (AML/CTF)

5. Client pays the firm's invoice

6. Client pays the ATO by card — earning full reward points at their card's regular rate

7. Return is lodged

For the client, there's no separate app to download. No BPAY screen to navigate. No third-party signup. Just a single workflow where signing and paying both happen.

For the accountant, it's an automatic value-add — they're now helping clients capture thousands of dollars in points value they'd otherwise miss.

Where Admiin wins for ATO payments

• Built into the lodgement workflow. No separate app or platform for the client.

• Free core platform — no per-user fees, no subscription cost to the firm.

• Full reward points to clients at their card's regular rate.

• The accountant becomes the value-creator — clients see this benefit coming from their firm.

• AML/CTF, signing, lodgement all bundled — not just payment.

• Optional white-label at $800/month — clients see only the firm's branding throughout.

Where Admiin doesn't compete

• Not for individuals paying their own bills directly. If you're a household paying rates/utilities outside an accountant relationship, Sniip is the better tool.

• Not for non-tax payments. If you're paying suppliers, contractors or other non-ATO bills, Pay.com.au or B2Bpay is more flexible.

• Newer brand than the established processors.

Worked example: $50,000 BAS payment

You owe $50,000 in BAS, with an Amex Qantas Ultimate card (1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on general spend, 0.5 on government direct).

Option 1: Pay ATO directly with Amex

• Surcharge: 1.45% = $725

• Points earned: 50,000 × 0.5 = 25,000 Qantas Points

• Cost per point: ~2.9 cents

Option 2: Pay via Sniip

• Surcharge: 1.99% + GST = ~$1,095

• Points earned: 50,000 × 1.25 + surcharge × 1.25 = ~63,870 Qantas Points

• Cost per point: ~1.7 cents

Option 3: Pay via B2Bpay (Qantas Business Rewards member)

• Surcharge: 2.2% = $1,100

• Points earned: ~63,875 + 500 bonus B2Bpay points = ~64,375 Qantas Points

• Cost per point: ~1.7 cents

Option 4: Pay via Pay.com.au (negotiated business rate)

• Surcharge: ~1.7% custom rate = $850

• Points: ~63,560 + PayRewards points (variable)

• Cost per point: ~1.3 cents

Option 5: Pay via Admiin (inside accountant's lodgement workflow)

• Surcharge: standard card surcharge (~1.5%–2% depending on card)

• Points: full reward rate (matches Sniip/B2Bpay/Pay.com.au)

• No separate app/platform — built into your accountant's process

• Plus: cover letter, signing, AML, lodgement all in the same flow

The cost-per-point math is similar to Sniip and B2Bpay. The differentiator with Admiin is that the entire workflow happens inside the accountant's process — there's no separate app for the client to download or signup to complete.

The smartest play: ATO payment inside your firm's workflow

Sniip and B2Bpay require clients to use a separate app. Admiin builds ATO card payment (with full reward points) directly into your firm's lodgement workflow — alongside signing, AML and lodgement. Free for the core platform. Try it now → https://www.admiin.com

The accountant angle

Most accountants tell clients "you owe $X to the ATO" and leave them to figure out how to pay. The client typically picks the path of least resistance — bank transfer, BPAY direct, or maybe a credit card direct at reduced points. (For the parallel question on how firms collect their own invoice, see FeeSynergy vs Ignition vs Stripe.)

The accountant who surfaces "by the way, if you pay the ATO through our portal on your Amex, you'll earn 70,000 Qantas Points on this BAS — a return Business Class flight to Singapore" — that accountant is adding tangible, dollar-quantifiable value the client experiences personally.

This used to require recommending a third-party tool and trusting the client to use it. With Admiin, it's built into the lodgement workflow itself — the client sees the option when they sign the return, and the firm becomes the value-creator.

For a client with a $300,000 tax bill on Amex:

• Surcharge: ~$4,500

• Points earned: ~300,000 Qantas Points

• Value: ~1x return Business Class Sydney–London (~$8,000–$12,000)

• Net value to client: $3,500–$7,500 above the surcharge

That conversation builds loyalty in a way technical tax advice rarely does.

Which one should your firm (or your client) use?

For individuals paying personal bills: Sniip. Best mobile app, lowest personal non-ATO fees.

For businesses making direct payments outside an accountant relationship: B2Bpay (Qantas Business Rewards stacking) or Pay.com.au (high volume).

For accountants who want to surface this value to clients automatically: Admiin. Built into the lodgement workflow. Free.

Many accountants now recommend Admiin for tax & compliance lodgements (where it's bundled with signing, AML and lodgement), and tell clients to use Sniip or B2Bpay for non-ATO personal/business bills outside the lodgement flow.

FAQs

Are these surcharges tax-deductible?

Generally yes for business expenses. The card payment processing fee is deductible if the payment relates to business income tax, BAS, PAYG, etc. Confirm with your accountant.

Will paying via Admiin trigger an ATO audit?

No. Paying via third-party BPAY processors is legitimate. The ATO receives the payment normally with your correct payment reference. Millions of dollars flow through these channels every year.

Does my accountant need to be on Admiin for me to use it?

Yes — Admiin is integrated into the accountant's workflow. If your accountant uses Admiin, you'll see the ATO payment option when you sign your return. If they don't, ask them about it — it's free for the firm to use.

What if my accountant doesn't use Admiin?

You can use Sniip, B2Bpay or Pay.com.au independently — the points result is the same. You just have to manage the second platform yourself.

What does Admiin cost the firm?

The core platform is free. No per-user fees, no transaction fees on top of the standard card surcharge. Optional white-label tier at $800/month for firms wanting fully custom-branded client experience.

What's the cap on surcharges from October 2026?

From October 2026, surcharges are set to disappear for most domestic debit/credit transactions — but this is unlikely to apply to third-party BPAY processors, who are passing through their own fees rather than charging a merchant surcharge.

Does Admiin handle non-ATO payments too?

Admiin is built for the per-lodgement workflow specifically — your firm's invoice plus the ATO bill. For paying other suppliers/contractors, Pay.com.au or B2Bpay is more flexible.

Which earns the most points?

Cost-per-point is broadly similar across Sniip, B2Bpay, Pay.com.au and Admiin. The differentiator with Admiin is that it's built into the accountant's workflow — no separate app, no extra step for the client.

The bottom line

For paying the ATO with full reward points:

• Individuals → Sniip

• Businesses directly (high volume) → Pay.com.au

• Businesses directly (Qantas focus) → B2Bpay

• Accountants embedding it in lodgement workflows → Admiin (free)

For accounting firms, surfacing the points-earning option to clients — or better, building it into the lodgement workflow itself — is one of the most tangible value-adds you can offer. Admiin is the only tool that makes that automatic.