Registering a company in Australia is not one single form. It is two related jobs: putting the company on the Australian companies register, which ASIC manages, and sorting the tax and business-name registrations that sit alongside it. This guide walks through both in order, starting with the records to gather so the registration itself is a data-entry task rather than a series of interruptions.
The practical reason to prepare first is simple: registration asks for details about the company, the people behind it and the addresses attached to it. If those details are not agreed before you start, you either abandon the session or submit something you later have to correct on the public register.
What you are actually registering
Two government systems matter here, and they do different things.
The company itself. As ASIC states, if you choose a company as your business structure, you must register it on the Australian companies register, which ASIC manages. ASIC's "Register a company" page is where you register your company, apply for a company name and get an Australian Company Number (ACN).
The tax and business registrations. The Australian Government Business Registration Service, accessed through register.business.gov.au, combines a number of key government business and tax registration forms in one place. According to that service, registering for an Australian Business Number (ABN) is free, and you can register for a business name or taxes at the same time.
A company name and a business name are separate things, and the same business can need both. ASIC publishes separate guidance on registering a business name and on registering a new business, which is worth reading before you assume one registration covers the other.
Before you start: records and decisions to prepare
The table below separates what the official sources confirm from what you should verify for your own situation. Treat the "verify" column as questions to put to ASIC, the ATO or your adviser — not as statements of the rules.
| Prepare before you start | Why it matters | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Your preferred company name, plus alternates | You apply for a company name through ASIC as part of registration | Confirmed by ASIC |
| Whether you will trade under a name different from the company name | Business name registration is a separate step, and can be done with your ABN registration | Confirmed by business.gov.au and ASIC |
| Full details for each officeholder and member | Registration collects details about the people involved; errors become public-record corrections later | Practical interpretation — confirm the exact fields with ASIC |
| The address details the register requires | Company details must be kept up to date on the register afterwards | Obligation confirmed by ASIC; exact requirements to verify |
| The company's intended activities | Determines whether you need licences or further registrations beyond the company itself | Practical interpretation — see ABLIS below |
| Whether the activity needs a licence | The Australian Business Licence & Information Service (ABLIS) is the government source for licence information | Confirmed by business.gov.au |
| Whether you need an Australian financial services (AFS) licence | ASIC publishes dedicated guidance on applying for an AFS licence | Confirmed by ASIC |
| Whether audits will require auditor registration | ASIC publishes separate guidance on auditor and authorised audit company registration | Confirmed by ASIC |
| Which tax registrations you need | Taxes can be registered at the same time as your ABN | Confirmed by business.gov.au |
Two items in that list deserve a word of warning. Licensing is the one most often discovered late: if the company's activity is regulated, registering the company does not authorise the activity. And if the company's structure or activities may require audited financial reporting, ASIC's auditor registration guidance is a separate pathway with its own requirements.
Step-by-step walkthrough
Step 1 — Confirm a company is the right structure. ASIC's guidance frames company registration as the step you take if you choose a company as your business structure. Do this before registering, because changing structure later is not an edit to a form.
Step 2 — Check for service status notices. business.gov.au publishes service disruption notices affecting business name and company registrations; at the time of writing it reported an intermittent issue that may affect those registrations. Check the notice before you book time to complete the process, and keep any reference you are given if a session is interrupted.
Step 3 — Search and settle the company name. Decide your preferred name and have alternates ready. A name that is unavailable will otherwise stall the application mid-session.
Step 4 — Register the company with ASIC. ASIC's "Register a company" page is the starting point: register your company, apply for a company name and get your ACN. Work from the prepared records so each field is entered once, correctly.
Step 5 — Record the ACN. The ACN is the identifier that follows the company onto the register and into its dealings. Store it with the company's foundational records.
Step 6 — Register for an ABN and related taxes. Use the Australian Government Business Registration Service at register.business.gov.au. Per that service, ABN registration is free and you can register for a business name or taxes at the same time. Doing these in the same session avoids re-entering the same details across separate forms.
Step 7 — Register a business name if you trade under one. This can be handled alongside the ABN registration, or through ASIC's business name guidance if you are doing it separately.
Step 8 — Check licensing through ABLIS. Use the Australian Business Licence & Information Service to identify licences that apply to the activity. Where the activity is financial services, ASIC's AFS licence guidance applies instead.
Step 9 — Set up the company's records before trading. ASIC identifies maintaining company records and the company share register as ongoing obligations. Establish them at the start, while the founding details are still in front of you, rather than reconstructing them later.
Step 10 — Plan for keeping details current. ASIC also identifies keeping company details up to date on the Australian companies register as an obligation. Diary a recurring review of the registered details so changes are lodged when they happen.
After registration: what the obligations look like
Registration is the beginning of a reporting relationship, not the end of a task. The obligations ASIC identifies are straightforward but continuous: keep the company's details up to date on the Australian companies register, maintain company records, and maintain the company share register.
In practice, the failure mode is drift — an address changes, an officeholder changes, a shareholding changes, and the register keeps the old information because nobody owned the update. Assign the responsibility to a named person at registration time and record it in the company's own records.
Questions to verify with the official sources
These are questions, not answers. Confirm each against ASIC, the ATO or your adviser before you rely on it:
- Which officeholder and member details does ASIC require at registration, and in what format?
- What address and office requirements apply, and what are the rules for changing them?
- What are the current rules on company name availability?
- Does your intended activity trigger a licence identified through ABLIS, or an AFS licence under ASIC's guidance?
- Which tax registrations are appropriate for your circumstances?
- Do your activities create audit obligations that require ASIC auditor registration?
- What fees, if any, apply to your registration and renewal? Fees change; check ASIC and business.gov.au directly rather than relying on any secondary summary.
Next steps
- Open ASIC's "Register a company" page and read the current requirements before you enter anything.
- Fill in the preparation table above, marking anything you cannot yet answer.
- Check business.gov.au for current service disruption notices.
- Register the company and record the ACN.
- Complete your ABN, business name and tax registrations through the Business Registration Service.
- Check licensing through ABLIS, and auditor requirements through ASIC if relevant.
- Set up the company records and share register, and assign ownership of keeping register details current.
If you are still deciding between structures, or comparing business finance once the company exists, the guides at /money/home-loans/ may be relevant. Where your situation involves specific tax, migration or legal questions, /match/ can help you identify the type of professional to speak to — but registration itself is something you can complete directly with ASIC and business.gov.au.
This article is general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial or migration advice, and it does not account for your individual objectives, circumstances or needs. Requirements, fees and processes change; confirm current details with ASIC at asic.gov.au and the Australian Business Registration Service at register.business.gov.au, and consider speaking to a qualified adviser before acting. Australian Ltd is not a lender, broker, government body or regulator, and does not approve registrations.