How To Register A Business In Australia
ABN, business name, domain, GST and a bank account — what to register first in Australia, what each costs, and the mistake that is expensive to undo.
This takes about an hour and is mostly free. The reason to get the order right is that one of these steps can make you rebrand.
The order
1. Check the name is actually available. Before anything else. Search the ASIC business names register, the trade marks register, and whether the domain and the social handles are free. Founders who skip this and fall in love with a name they cannot use pay for it in rework.
2. Get an ABN. Free, through the Australian Business Register, and usually issued immediately. Everything else needs it.
3. Register the business name with ASIC — only if you trade under something other than your own legal name. Small annual fee, cheaper for three years.
4. Buy the domain. After the name is confirmed, not before.
5. Open a business bank account. Not strictly required for a sole trader, and you will still want one. Mixed personal and business transactions turn into an expensive mess at tax time.
6. GST, when you reach the threshold. Optional below it, and worth thinking about rather than defaulting to yes.
The step everyone skips
Checking the trade marks register.
A business name registration is not ownership of the name. Someone with a registered trade mark in your class can require you to stop using it, and they occasionally do — usually after you have printed everything.
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Sole trader or company
Most people start as a sole trader. It is cheaper, simpler, and the structure can change later.
A company makes sense when liability is a genuine concern, when the tax position justifies it, or when you are taking on investors or partners. That is an accountant's question, not ours.
What matters more: do not let the decision stall you for three months. The structure is changeable. The customers you did not go and get are not.
What you do not need yet
- A trade mark. Worth it once the business is proven and worth defending.
- A separate ABN per idea. One ABN covers multiple business names.
- A registered office service, unless you specifically want your address off the public record.
- An accountant on retainer. One conversation at setup, then again before your first tax return, is plenty at this stage.
Then the actual work starts
Registration is administration, not progress. Nobody has bought anything yet.
The next decision — what to build first, and what to ignore — is the one that decides whether the business works. Get the paperwork done in an afternoon and spend your attention there instead.
Questions people ask about this
What do I need to register to start a business in Australia?
At minimum an ABN, which is free through the Australian Business Register. If you trade under anything other than your own legal name you also need a business name registered with ASIC, which costs a small annual fee. GST registration becomes compulsory once turnover reaches the threshold, and a separate business bank account is strongly advisable from day one.
How much does it cost to register a business name in Australia?
ASIC charges a modest fee for one year or a discounted rate for three, and an ABN is free. The registration itself is one of the cheapest parts of starting — the expensive mistake is building a brand, a domain and printed material around a name you had not checked first.
Do I need an ABN before I get a website?
Yes, and before you buy the domain. Securing the ABN and business name first confirms the name is available and not already trademarked. Founders who design a logo and buy a domain before checking sometimes have to start again — the cost of doing it in the right order is an hour.
When do I have to register for GST in Australia?
Once your turnover reaches the registration threshold, or immediately if you drive taxis or rideshare. Below that it is optional, and registering early has a real trade-off: you claim GST credits on purchases but must add GST to your prices, which matters if you sell to consumers rather than businesses.
Should I be a sole trader or a company?
Most people start as a sole trader because it is simplest and cheapest, then move to a company when liability, tax or investors make it worthwhile. This is a question for an accountant rather than a web agency — but do not let it delay you, because the structure can be changed later and the first customer cannot be recovered.
Or talk through your setup, free first.