Business Name Registration and Renewal for Clients

Business name registration needs an available name, the correct holder’s details and an ABN or ABN application reference. Your practice lodges through ASIC Connect with written authority. A business name identifies the holder trading under it. Registration does not create a company.

How to Register a Business Name for a Client

Confirm the holder and authority before registering a client’s business name in ASIC Connect. A sole trader using their first name and surname alone generally needs no business name registration. Adding a brand or descriptive words changes that position.

If the client needs a company, complete registering a company before registering a separate trading name under that company. ASIC Connect accepts an ABN or the reference from an ABN application. The government’s Business Registration Service also lets the client apply for an ABN and business name together. See the ABN application steps for that separate task.

Keep written permission from the holder, including the approved spelling, registration period and authority to lodge. For an entity, establish that the person giving permission can act for it. Use your own authorised account.

Follow ASIC’s registration instructions in this order:

1. Check name availability. A green result permits an application. Amber needs ASIC assessment and red means unavailable.
2. Sign in to ASIC Connect and start a business name registration. You do not need an ASIC key for a new registration.
3. Enter the ABN or ABN application reference, then the proposed name.
4. Choose one or three years and enter the holder’s details and business addresses. Confirm the holder’s eligibility.
5. Review the spelling and holder, make the authority declarations and submit.
6. Pay the fee. ASIC requires payment within 10 business days of approval or the application is refused.
7. Save the confirmation and emailed record of registration. Confirm the name appears on the register under the intended holder before telling the client to use it.

An amber result needs assessment, so do not promise immediate registration. If confirmation is missing, check junk mail and contact ASIC with the transaction and payment details.

Business name registration does not give exclusive rights to the brand. A trade mark is a separate protection. Search existing trade marks before the client commits to signs or packaging.

Business Name Registration Cost and Fees

ASIC business name registration costs $47 for one year or $108 for three years. The same amounts apply to renewal. ASIC fees have no GST.

The Australian Government’s registration guide lists these registration amounts. One year reduces the immediate outlay. Three years gives a longer period before the next renewal. Neither period removes the duty to update holder details.

A business name registration is not free. A private registration website can charge well above the ASIC fee for handling the application. Start from ASIC’s government website or the government Business Registration Service. Check who operates a website before paying, especially when a notice looks like an official invoice. A service provider’s assistance is optional.

In your quote or engagement letter, show the ASIC fee separately from your practice’s service fee. Record which period the client authorises and whether ongoing renewal work is included. Explain the GST treatment of your own service separately from the GST-free ASIC charge.

One National Register, Not State by State

Business name registration in NSW, QLD and SA uses the same national ASIC register as registration in Victoria, WA and the territories. Your client needs one national registration, even if they trade across state borders.

ASIC’s national register replaced state and territory registers in 2012. Existing state registrations transferred automatically. For an older client, search the ASIC record before assuming their state certificate means a new application is needed.

When a client asks for another state registration, explain that the ASIC registration covers Australia. State licences or rules about professional titles can still apply to the business’s activities. Those requirements are separate from registering the name.

Business Name Renewal

ASIC sends a business name renewal notice at least 30 days before renewal is due, usually by email. Renewal costs $47 for one year or $108 for three years, with no GST. The government fee-change notice confirms the registration and renewal amounts.

Use ASIC’s business name renewal service for payment only. Enter the account number from the notice, or the linked ABN where accepted, and select the name. Choose the period, confirm authority and pay. Use ASIC Connect if details also need updating. After payment, confirm the register shows the new renewal date and save the emailed record.

Before renewal is due, assign the task in your practice’s renewal diary and confirm who receives ASIC notices. A former accountant’s email can leave the client unaware of a notice. If the notice is missing, check junk mail and the recorded contact, then request another from ASIC.

A missed renewal does not make the name immediately available to everyone. ASIC’s cancellation guidance allows renewal within two months of its notice of intended cancellation for non-renewal. After cancellation for that reason, restoration can be requested within six months. Nobody else can register the name for at least six months after cancellation.

After that period, the former holder must check availability and apply again if the name is available. Another person can then acquire it. Treat an overdue renewal as a task to resolve promptly, with the notice and register status in front of you.

Checking a Client’s Existing Business Name

Check the existing business name against the entity your client uses now, including its ABN and registration status. Search ASIC’s Business Names Register, select the name and read the holder, linked ABN and next renewal date. The business name lookup guide covers the wider search task.

If a bank or landlord needs evidence, establish whether they want the original record of registration or current register information. ASIC emails the record after registration and renewal. A current or historical business name extract can be bought from the search result. The original certificate-style record does not prove the registration is still current.

An ASIC key links an existing name to an authorised ASIC Connect account. It differs from the company’s corporate key and the holder’s ABN.

Recover access in this order:

1. Identify the registered holder and obtain its authority.
2. Look for the ASIC key in registration or renewal correspondence.
3. If missing, request a replacement through ASIC Connect. A new key cancels existing keys.
4. Link the name to your account and confirm it appears with the correct holder before updating details.

If the key goes to an old contact, use ASIC’s portal-key enquiry route for a new email address. Supply evidence of the holder or authorised representative’s role. A third-party request needs signed holder authority and the destination email. Keep that evidence and correct the notice contact after access is resolved. Never ask the previous accountant for their personal portal password.

What the Practice Records at Onboarding

Record the business name beside the holder and linked ABN, then make renewal ownership clear. Collect these fields in the client file:

• Business name, with the registered spelling.
• Legal holder and entity type.
• Linked ABN and the result of the holder match.
• One-year or three-year registration period.
• Renewal date and the staff member responsible for the reminder.
• Authorised ASIC account user and contact receiving notices.
• Authority to act, registration record and payment receipt.

Keep account passwords and ASIC keys in restricted credential storage. Record who has access in the client file without copying passwords into ordinary notes.

Compare the holder with the ABN details supplied on the form for new clients. Tax Genie’s entity registration form collects the information your practice needs for a business name application. Your practice uses those answers to prepare the ASIC lodgement.

In a fictional example, a sole trader incorporates but keeps trading under the same registered business name. The name remains held by the individual until transferred. Entering the company’s ABN in your tax software does not transfer the name.

When the holder changes, use ASIC’s business name transfer procedure. The existing holder starts the transfer and receives a transfer number. The new holder uses it to register the name with its own details and pays a registration fee. Update related ABN details as a separate task.

Close the onboarding task when the ASIC holder matches the intended trading entity, the ABN agrees and the renewal reminder has an owner. For a transfer, retain both the authority and the new registration confirmation before marking the change complete.