We have partnered with Patricia Holdings to allow you to register for an Australian Business Number (ABN) easily and quickly.
Any new company owner or trustee can use this service - you don’t need to have ordered a company or a trust from Patricia Holdings.
How the service works
You complete the application form online.
Most ABNs are issued immediately after submission.
So using this service, you can now set up your company or trust in the morning and be trading by the afternoon.
There may be delays in processing your application by the Australian Business Register (ABR) if they flag it for manual review. This often happens because not all the information required has been given, or the ABR is unable to verify it. A manual review can take up to 28 days.
To avoid delays, if you use the Patricia Holdings service, an experienced member of staff reviews your application prior to its final submission, which ensures that any possible problems are identified before submission rather than later. This can save time and money.
After an ABN has been issued, the information about it become availables on the ABN Lookup service.
What is an ABN?
An Australian Business Number is a unique identifier that allows the government, other businesses and consumers to recognise who is trading. It is an 11 digit number.
An ABN is often confused with other numeric business identifiers.
It is not the same as a Tax File Number, which identifies your business to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Nor is it an Australian Company Number (ACN), which is a 9 digit number issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An CAN is for companies only.
Do you need an ABN?
You do need an ABN before you go into business – i.e. start trading.
For example, you should register an ABN after registering your company, if you plan to trade.
An organisation may conduct many business activities using a single ABN, but each business structure needs to have a separate one.
Once your business has an ABN and use it on invoices:
- your clients are not required to deduct PAYG withholding tax of 46.5%
- it reassures your clients that your business is established
- it is a requirement to register for GST or open a business bank account