Questions and answers

You must hold an active and valid biosecurity entry (AIMS entry number). The AIMS entry number will be provided by the department at the time of an assessment or inspection of your goods.

Please call 1800 900 090 (Option 1 then Option 2) if you are unsure how to locate the AIMS entry number.

You can make a payment using the department’s secure online payment service by entering your AIMS Entry number when prompted, at the Reference Number Field. You can locate the AIMS entry number on the copy of the Direction, or Records of Service provided by the Department. Please call 1800 900 090 (Option 1 then Option 2) if you are unsure how to locate the AIMS entry number.

All active AIMS entries relating to biosecurity services can be paid online. Once your entry is finalised in AIMS, the entry cannot be paid via the portal. You will need to wait for an invoice to be generated via our finance system.

For payment of finalised entries, please use the tax invoice reference number (commencing with a 100 number) which is located on the AIMS invoice statement. If you have issues locating the AIMS tax invoice statement, please contact the AR&DM on 1800 647 531 (Option 2) or email ARhelpdesk@aff.gov.au.

The OPP only allows you to make one active AIMS entry payment at a time. If you have to pay several AIMS entries upfront, you will need to use the online payment service multiple times for each active AIMS entry payment.

Yes. If the payment is successfully processed, and if you hold an account with the department, you will receive the copy of the receipt at your nominated email address set up on your account in our finance system.

If you are not an account holder in our finance system and want to pay for an active AIMS entry, you will be requested to enter a preferred email address to receive a copy of the payment receipt.

You can also print the payment confirmation page which will reflect the payment receipt number, once the payment has been successfully processed via the online payment service.

Please keep the receipt as record to obtain your next direction or further services where required.

If you hold an account and receive the weekly AIMS invoice statements from the department, you can see the AIMS entry number and payment made via the online payment service on the next AIMS invoice statement run.

Please ensure you are entering the correct AIMS entry number on the online payment service. Please note that you can only pay an active AIMS entry which requires an upfront payment. Once your entry is finalised in AIMS, the entry cannot be paid via the portal. You will need to wait for an invoice to be generated via our finance system. You can use the tax invoice number as a reference when making payment via the online payment service. If you experience any issues, please contact the AR&DM Team on 1800 647 531 (Option 2) or email ARhelpdesk@aff.gov.au

Once payment has been made, please keep the receipt of the payment at hand. You will need to provide this to the department’s Client Contact Group (CCG) on 1800 900 090 (Option 1 then Option 2) for the AIMS entry to be released and finalised i.e., facilitating the release of your goods. In some cases, your goods may require further inspection necessitating an additional booking with the Department. Please discuss this when you contact the assessing officer or the CCG team.

Once payment has been made via the online payment service, the AIMS system will reflect the payment accordingly. The payment is recorded in AIMS in real-time and the inspecting officer/CCG officers would be able to view payment and advise on next steps. You also must provide the receipt details as proof of payment to the department via the Cargo Online Lodgement System (COLS) using the active Lodgement Reference Number (LRN) or by calling 1800 900 090 (Option 1 then Option 2). This will enable the department to promptly provide you with your next direction (if required) or a release of the goods from biosecurity control. Please note that your goods may continue to be held until such time as you have provided the receipt details via these approved channels.

We encourage clients to use the online payment service to make payments. This is a quick and efficient process and doesn’t require any manual intervention. In exceptional circumstances, where a payment cannot be made via the online payment service due to technical difficulties, please contact the AR&DM Team on 1800 647 531 (Option 1) or email ARhelpdesk@aff.gov.au.

Separate invoices are now issued for each AIMS entry. This means that you will be able to see charges per entry information on the actual invoice rather than trying to locate a range of invoice entries on a backing sheet. The number of invoices you receive will increase however, this provides better clarity and will significantly reduce the time it takes to reconcile your accounts.

Yes. The way you submit documents for biosecurity assessment lodgements has not changed. You can make payments for the AIMS entry number if you already have one, or you can request a new one. If you are an account client with the department, you can choose to pay when you receive an invoice from the new finance system. If you are unsure of your account or non-account status, please email AR Help desk.

Yes, you will need to provide a remittance advice with each payment made directly to the department (i.e. paying an invoice on the payment portal will not require a remittance advice but paying a statement will still require one). A remittance advice must be emailed immediately to direct.credit@aff.gov.au to allocate the payments to the invoices you want paid. Delay in sending this may cause penalties to be incurred.

The invoice or receipt is sent to your nominated email address and can take up to 15 minutes before it is received. If you do not receive your invoice or receipt within this timeframe, please contact the Accounts Receivable helpdesk on 1800 647 531.

Invoice copies requested through the online payment service will go the default email on your account. If you need to update the default email, or if you would like an invoice copy sent to a different email address, please contact AR Helpdesk (1800 647 531).

Yes, the invoice reference numbers have changed in the new finance system. In the old system the invoice had a reference number starting with ‘300’. In the new system, newly created invoices will have a number starting with ‘100’.

If you need to pay a specific invoice or invoices, you will need to pay each invoice individually online using a credit card, or pay through BPAY. If you are paying multiple invoices on a regular basis, then you should consider paying your statement balance using EFT.

If there is an unallocated credit on your account, you will need to contact the AR Helpdesk to have the credit applied.

Our preference is that you pay using the Online Payment portal or methods supplied on reverse of your invoice. However, if you are having difficulty, you will be able to call 1800 647 531 and pay over the phone by credit card.

Given the BSB on your invoice was established quite recently, it may be necessary to update the BSB table in your software. The BSB details can be found in the Australian Payments Clearing Association BSB Data.

Yes, you can still pay your invoice with the ‘300’ reference numbers.

The bank account details are on the second page of your tax invoice, under ‘EFT’ in the ‘How to pay’ box.

Your payment will sit unallocated on your account and must be manually allocated. A remittance advice must be emailed immediately to direct.credit@aff.gov.au to allocate the payments to the invoices you want paid. Delay in sending this may cause penalties to be incurred. See Payment allocation policy

Yes. You can pay multiple invoices by using your account code (e.g., 102010100000) as the BPAY reference. Ensure to use your current invoice reference for payment. Using incorrect reference can delay allocation.