Australian Pty Ltd
Registration & administration

This is a blank checklist for your own progress, not the author's completed tasks. All steps are included. Check off tasks and fill in the tables directly on the page, or use the print action at the top to save a PDF.

• Click the boxes to record completed tasks. Checks and written records save automatically in this browser; English and Chinese share the same progress.
• Leave non-applicable tasks unchecked and add "Not applicable" with a reason. For tasks in progress, record the application date and next action.
• Replace "To fill in" with your own information. Keep Director IDs, personal TFNs and banking credentials separately and securely; omit them from any shared copy.
• The detailed steps follow below. The quick checklist near the end is useful for regular reviews.

1. Confirm the company structure

• Choose Proprietary (private) company.
• Choose Proprietary limited / Limited by shares, rather than a public or unlimited company.
• Confirm at least one director normally lives in Australia; directors must be at least 18 and eligible to hold office.
• Identify directors and shareholders and prepare their details.
• Decide whether to appoint a secretary; an ordinary Pty Ltd generally does not need one.
• Identify the Public Officer and authorized application contact.

Shareholders' liability is generally limited to the unpaid amount on their shares. Directors may still have personal liability in circumstances such as personal guarantees, unlawful conduct, insolvent trading or certain tax obligations.

2. Choose the company name

• Choose the English legal name, for example EXAMPLE PTY LTD.
• Check name availability with ASIC.
• Search for identical or similar trade marks with IP Australia.
• Check the domains you need, such as .com.au, .au, .com and .ai.
• If registering immediately, apply for the name through BRS; a separate paid name reservation is generally unnecessary.

Company names, trade marks and domains are separate systems. Registering a company name does not grant exclusive trade mark rights.

3. Have a Director ID ready

Official service: ABRS — Apply for a director ID.

• Install or update myID on your phone.
• Verify your identity using suitable identity documents.
• Prepare your personal TFN, ATO residential address and the verification information required.
• Sign in to ABRS and apply for a Director ID.
• Store the ID securely; if you already have one, do not apply again.

Applying for a Director ID is free. Australian permanent residents are not automatically ineligible to be directors simply because they are not Australian citizens.

4. Gather registration details

• Company name and contact email.
• Registered Office.
• Principal Place of Business.
• Each director's or secretary's legal name, date and place of birth, and usual residential address.
• Shareholders' names, addresses, share numbers and classes.
• Written consent to appointment from directors and other relevant officeholders.
• Written consent to membership and share subscriptions from shareholders.
• Main business activity description.
• Payment card or another payment method currently supported by BRS.

Example share structure — not a statutory minimum:

If you declare shares fully paid, make sure the capital has actually been paid and retain payment and accounting records.

5. Select the registrations

Open BRS and choose Register a company.

• Select Australian Company and Company Name.
• Consider applying for an Australian Business Number (ABN) at the same time; an ABN application is free.
• If trading under the company's formal name, a separate registration of the same business name is generally unnecessary.
• Assess whether GST, PAYG withholding or other tax registrations apply; do not select them automatically.

6. Select the company type

• Type of company → Proprietary (private) company.
• Sub-type of company → Proprietary limited.
• Check the summary shows Company Class: Limited by shares.

7. Enter the company name

• Name allocation → Create a new name or use your existing business name, if you have not reserved a name.
• Enter the main name, for example EXAMPLE.
• Legal element → PTY LTD.
• Click Check.
• Continue if available. Manual decision means manual assessment is required; it does not mean approval or rejection.

8. Enter ABN and tax information

• For a new business, Reason for ABN application is generally New business in Australia.
• Enter a truthful and reasonable ABN start date.
• Answer Business activity ending within 3 months according to your actual plans.
• Leave Tax agent registration number blank if you have not appointed a tax agent.
• Answer Australian resident for taxation purposes according to the company's tax residency.
• For an ordinary for-profit company, Income Tax exempt is generally No.
• For an ordinary for-profit company, Non Profit Organisation is generally No.
• Answer Government controlled, Agricultural property and similar questions accurately.
• Choose the Main business activity closest to your actual main activity.

Software or AI businesses may see options such as Customised software development service, Software development, Computer system design and related services or Software publishing. Choose according to actual activities, rather than to qualify for banking or promotional offers.

9. Enter company addresses

• Enter the actual Registered Office.
• Enter the actual Principal Place of Business.
• Answer Will the company occupy the address? accurately.
• If the company does not occupy its registered office, obtain the required written consent from the occupier.
• Answer Will the address be the main place of business? accurately.
• Confirm postal addresses and arrangements for receiving mail.

You may use a residential address where requirements are met. This does not automatically make all household expenses deductible for the company.

10. Enter Business Associates and shares

• Add at least one eligible Director.
• Add at least one Shareholder; the same person can hold multiple roles.
• Appoint a Public Officer.
• Add a Secretary if appointing one.
• Select No for Ultimate holding company if there is no parent holding company.
• Check officeholders' residential addresses are their actual usual residential addresses.
• For ordinary shares, select ORD — ordinary as the share class or type.
• Enter the number of shares and the paid and unpaid amounts per share.
• Answer Beneficially held? according to whether the registered shareholder holds the beneficial interest.
• Click Allocate shares and check the allocation.

11. Contacts, declarations and submission

• Add an ATO Authorised Contact; for a one-person company this may be the director.
• Enter accurate contact names, positions, email addresses and phone numbers.
• Review the structure, name, addresses, dates of birth, identities and share details.
• Confirm written consents and share subscription documents are prepared.
• Confirm company and ABN declarations only when all information is accurate.
• Submit and pay the registration fee.
• Save the receipt, BRS Application Reference and ASIC Reference Number.

If the status is Payment in progress, check the payment status before making another payment.

12. Save official documents

• Confirm the company status is Registered.
• Download the Certificate of Registration, including the ACN.
• Check the ABN outcome and download the ABN Advice when successful.
• Save BRS and ASIC receipts and important application references.
• Watch for ASIC correspondence and store the Corporate Key securely.
• Check company details in ABN Lookup.

13. Open a company bank account

• Choose a business transaction account that supports an Australian Pty Ltd / Company.
• Compare monthly fees, electronic transaction fees, debit cards, overseas purchases, SWIFT receipts and exchange rates.
• Prepare the registration certificate, ACN, ABN, addresses, director and beneficial owner information.
• Apply using the company's legal name; do not select Sole Trader.
• Enable two-factor authentication and limit account access to authorized people.
• Keep company income and expenses separate from personal accounts.

Compare whether banks such as CBA, Westpac, NAB and ANZ offer a suitable $0 monthly fee option for your company. Check entity eligibility, monthly fees, charges and promotional terms on the application date.

14. Record share capital and other funding

• Check whether the share capital declared during registration has actually been paid.
• Retain bank records or other lawful evidence of shareholders' capital payments.
• If paying by bank transfer, a description might be Share Capital - 100 Ordinary Shares, where accurate.
• Record the paid amounts in the member register, capital records and accounts.
• Record personal loans or advances to the company separately from share capital and business revenue.

15. Domains, email and brand

• Check eligibility before registering .com.au; an ACN can generally support eligibility as an Australian commercial entity.
• Record the domain registrant, DNS provider, renewal date and administrator.
• Set up business email, such as hello@, accounts@ or support@.
• Choose forwarding or full mailbox hosting and test both sending and receiving.
• Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC according to the email service.
• If building a lasting brand, assess a word mark application through IP Australia.

Software and SaaS brands often consider Class 9 for relevant software goods and Class 42 for SaaS or software development services. Select classes and descriptions based on actual goods and services. A trade mark application is not a prerequisite for company registration.

16. Establish Corporate Records

Corporate Records/
|-- 01 Incorporation/
|-- 02 Constitution and Rules/
|-- 03 Directors and Officeholders/
|-- 04 Shareholders and Shares/
|-- 05 Resolutions and Minutes/
|-- 06 ASIC Annual Reviews/
|-- 07 ATO and Tax/
|-- 08 Banking and Finance/
|-- 09 Contracts/
`-- 10 IP and Brand/

• Registration certificate, ABN Advice, ASIC correspondence and Corporate Key.
• Director Consent and Secretary Consent, if applicable.
• Shareholder or Member Consent.
• Register of Members.
• Share issue and capital payment records; issue share certificates where required.
• Initial sole director resolution and other relevant resolutions.
• Accounting records, bank statements, supplier invoices and customer contracts.
• Store Director IDs, personal TFNs and banking credentials separately and securely.

A proprietary company whose sole director is also its sole shareholder has special statutory arrangements. The ordinary replaceable rules do not directly apply; assess whether a constitution is appropriate for the actual structure.

17. Set up ATO administration

• Verify your identity with myID.
• Link the company ABN through Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) as eligible.
• Access ATO Online services for business.
• Confirm the company TFN, company income tax and other registration obligations.
• Establish bookkeeping for income, expenses, assets, share capital and shareholder transactions.
• Keep supporting documents and separate personal consumption from company expenses.

A Company Tax Return is different from personal myTax. Companies generally cannot complete and lodge their income tax return directly in Online services for business in the same way as personal myTax. Use an ATO-supported company lodgment channel or a tax agent.

18. Assess GST and BAS

• Assess whether GST turnover meets or is expected to meet the usual A$75,000 compulsory registration threshold.
• If below the threshold, consider whether voluntary GST registration is appropriate.
• If GST-registered, meet BAS obligations on the cycle assigned by the ATO.
• If registered for PAYG withholding or subject to PAYG instalments, check BAS or IAS obligations.
• If not GST-registered, do not incorrectly add GST to ordinary invoices.

A Business Activity Statement (BAS) can cover GST, PAYG withholding and PAYG instalments. It is not the annual company income tax return.

19. Prepare an invoice template

• Legal business name, for example EXAMPLE PTY LTD.
• ACN or ABN displayed as applicable.
• Invoice number, invoice date, customer and service description.
• Amounts, payment terms and company bank details.
• Correct use of Invoice or Tax Invoice for the company's GST status.
• Check required company name and ACN displays on contracts, the website and invoices.

ASIC annual review — around the registration anniversary

• Review the ASIC Annual Statement.
• Check directors, registered office, principal place of business, shareholders and shares.
• Pay the annual review fee by the deadline at the applicable rate.
• Assess whether the company can pay its debts when due, based on its actual finances, and make the required solvency resolution.
• Retain a positive resolution in company records; check ASIC notification requirements for a negative resolution or failure to pass a resolution on time.
• Report company changes as required during the year; do not wait for the anniversary to update everything.

ATO and financial year tasks

• Organize records to 30 June if using the standard Australian financial year.
• Confirm the applicable company tax return deadline; do not assume the personal self-lodgment deadline of 31 October applies.
• Lodge company tax returns and applicable BAS or IAS on time.
• Check company tax, PAYG, GST and employee super obligations where applicable.
• Review domain, email, software and banking renewals.

Before registration

• Company structure: proprietary limited by shares.
• Company name, ASIC search, initial trade mark search and domain checks.
• Director ID.
• Directors, shareholders, Public Officer and Secretary, if any.
• Addresses, identity details and main industry.
• Share class, numbers and paid and unpaid amounts.
• Required written consents.

During registration

• BRS: Australian Company and ABN.
• Correct company type and class.
• Name check and approval status.
• Accurate ABN and tax information.
• Reviewed addresses, people, shares and declarations.
• Paid ASIC registration fee.
• Saved references and receipts.

After registration

• Registration certificate, ACN and ABN Advice.
• Corporate Key.
• Pty Ltd company bank account.
• Capital payments and accounting records.
• Domain, email and invoice template.
• Corporate Records and member register.
• RAM and ATO Online services for business.
• GST, BAS and PAYG assessment.
• Trade mark assessment, if appropriate.
• ASIC annual review and company tax return reminders.

• Australian Government — Business Registration Service
• ASIC — Register a company
• ASIC — Company annual review
• ASIC — Company rules and constitutions
• ABRS — Apply for a director ID
• ABN Lookup
• ATO — Online services for business
• Relationship Authorisation Manager
• IP Australia — Trade marks
• auDA — .com.au domains
• ASIC — Fees for commonly lodged documents
• ATO — Registering for GST

Additional notes:

To fill in.

Based on the general Australian Pty Ltd registration process in 2026. This template is an operational reference, not legal, tax or financial advice. Fees, forms and obligations may change; check current official requirements before submitting.