Business numbers and names
Your corporation may need an Australian business number (ABN) as a unique identifier for tax purposes. ABNs are allocated by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Find out if you need an ABN.
You need to register a business name if you run a business under any name that's not your own. You can register a business name and apply for an ABN at the same time through the Business Registration Service.
If you already have an ABN and just need a business name, you can register a business name directly through ASIC.
You can update most of your business information online with the ATO. Note that some kinds of information need to be updated through a paper form – for example, if your business name needs updating, request a 'Change of registration details' form (NAT 2943).
Tax registrations
The size of your corporation and the sort of activities it carries out may mean that you need to apply for additional tax registrations, such as GST. The Business Registration Service has a tool that will help you decide what you need.
Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission
A charity is a not-for-profit organisation that is for the benefit of the public. There are a number of benefits to registering your corporation as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), including tax concessions.
The ACNC has information on its website for Indigenous corporations that are also charities.
Here are some tips for getting ready to register your corporation as a charity:
- make sure all of your corporation's details are correct—such as name, document access address, and the names, contact details and date of birth for all directors and officers
- be clear about your corporation's charitable purpose (your object/goal/aim) and that it benefits the public
- think about what 'subtype' of charity your corporation might be—there's a list on the ACNC website
- review your rule book to ensure the charitable purpose is clear, it has a rule about being a not-for-profit and a rule about what happens to assets when your corporation winds-up
Contact ACNC for information about who can register as a charity, the registration process, and ongoing obligations to the ACNC. The ACNC has Aboriginal Liaison Officers who are available on the phone to help.
Updating your information
ORIC and the ACNC have an agreement that a corporation needs only to keep information updated with ORIC and ORIC will share that information with the ACNC to save the corporation updating it twice.