Tax and Other Business Registrations

Tax Registrations

Registrations for the relevant taxing authorities come in the following forms

  • Tax File Number (TFN) Registration – Required as the business will be deriving income and thus will need to lodge an Income Tax Return.
  • Australian Business Number (ABN) – required as the entity will be carrying on an enterprise
  • Pay as You Go (PAYG) Withholding registration – required if the business is employing anybody.
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration – mandatory if GST income exceeds $75,000, however voluntary registration can occur with smaller businesses. Decisions regarding the number of times a BAS is lodged and how the GST is accounted for (i.e. cash or accruals) need to be made upon registration
  • Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) registration – required if Fringe Benefits are being provided.
  • Payroll Tax Registration – required if employee remuneration exceeds a certain level.
  • Land Tax Registration – required if landholding has a value exceeding a certain level.

Bentleys is able to assist you in determining if registration is required for any of the above, completing the application forms for registration and making decisions within the registration process.

Name Registrations

Business Names – Registered state by state and only when the same or a similar name is not already registered by someone else. As this becomes the identity for the entity, it is important that the name chosen is working for the business. 

Company Name – Registered across Australia with ASIC, and identified with an Australian Company Number (ACN). Again the company name can be the identifier of the business and it is important that the name chosen works for the business. 

Bentleys is able to assist in the registering of both the business and company names. Also, we have a Company Secretarial facility to enable all your Corporate dealings with ASIC to be taken care of.

Other Registrations

Trade Mark Protection – This is usually more specific than a name and can involve symbols, colours, phrases and writing styles. If you have an identifier that goes beyond the name and is valuable to the future prosperity of your business, it is worth considering this registration.

Domain Name registration – This is the name that is your business’ identifier on the internet, and this is important given the level of business activity that occurs within this medium. Registration of a business or company name in the circumstances above does not guarantee access to the same Domain name.

Local Government registrations – Depending on the type of business being operated, different licences may be required and thus a check should be made with the local Council in which the business will operate before commencing.