Suitable for: Anyone who is thinking of starting as a sole trader

Tax Difficulty: Beginner

Airtax Experience: First time users

Time to read: 2-3 minutes

The Australian Business Number (ABN)

An Australian Business Number (ABN) is a unique 11 digit number that identifies your business or organisation in Australia. You will need an ABN if you are required to be registered for GST. 

With Airtax, you can submit a request for a free ABN registration easily in 5 minutes*.

To set up your ABN, simply follow these steps:

1. Login to your Airtax account or create a new account by signing up to Airtax here if you don’t already have one.
2. Select ABN from your Dashboard
3. Airtax will then prompt you to fill out the information for your ABN application. Then click 'Register' when you’re done.
4. We will then register your ABN with the ATO and send you an email including your new ABN once it has been processed. This generally takes 1-3 business days unless there are issues with the information you have submitted, in which case our support team will be in contact.

Please note, if you indicate that you are a rideshare driver or have a business income greater than $75,000 we will automatically register you for GST also.

In the meantime, you can start preparing your BAS with Airtax. You just need to add your ABN to your account before you submit.

How to register your ABN for GST if you already have an ABN:

If you already have an ABN and you need to register it for GST, you can do so for free using Airtax. To register for GST, simply login to your Airtax account and select GST from your dashboard. It will only take you 5 minutes to fill out the form, and we’ll have you registered in 1 - 3 days.

Alternatively, you can start your BAS, which will then prompt you to register your ABN for GST before you submit it.  

Please note, once you are registered for GST you will be required to lodge a regular BAS for each period from your GST registration date. When you register for GST through Airtax, we will register you on a quarterly basis, meaning your BAS lodgements will be required every three months.

Where you can get more help:

• Feel free to search for other topics in the Help Centre
• If interested, consider using our Business Assist service to discuss with a qualified Tax Specialist about your BAS (recommended for first time users)

• If you want to speak to someone about your current Airtax income tax return, book in a Tax Assist call or Tax Professional call with a tax specialist.

This document merely provides a broad outline of the subject and is necessarily general in nature.  If you require specific advice, which is tailored to your specific circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact us (fees would apply).

*ABN / GST registration is free where this can be completed automatically, which is almost all cases. In the event we need to contact the ABR / ATO on your behalf via a phone call, this will be charged at $49 through our ABN Assist service, or you can contact the relevant parties yourself for free. We will remind you of these options first if this situation were to ever arise.