First-time company owners
You are moving from sole trader to Pty Ltd, or starting fresh. You want the constitution, shares and registrations done properly.
Registered with ASIC, ready to trade.
We set up your Pty Ltd (private) company with ASIC, the body that registers companies. From name check to ready to trade, tax registrations included.
How it works
Five steps between a name and a trading company.
Before step one, we check that a company is the right structure. If a trust fits better, we say so before you pay for anything. You get the scope (what the job covers) and the price before we lodge. The price does not change unless you change the scope.
Name check
We check your name is free on the ASIC register.
ACN issued
ASIC registers the company and issues its ACN (Australian Company Number, nine digits).
Constitution and registers
We prepare the rule book, the consents and the share registers.
Tax numbers
We apply to the ATO (the tax office) for the company's tax numbers.
Ready to trade
The company can send invoices, pay wages and send its first BAS (the GST form) to the ATO.
What you get
One folder with the whole company in it.
A bank, a lawyer or the ATO will ask for these later. You have them in one place from the start. Changing directors, shares or the constitution later means extra ASIC forms.
- A company name that is free on the ASIC register. We can reserve it while you decide.
- The certificate of registration from ASIC. It shows the ACN and the date registered.
- A constitution (the rule book for how the company is run). The shareholders sign it and adopt it as the company's rules. If the standard rules in the law suit you, we use those instead.
- Directors, secretary and shareholders recorded with signed consents. Shares set up as agreed, with a share certificate for each holder.
- The registered office (the address ASIC sends notices to) and the main place of business, both recorded. If the office belongs to someone else, we get their written consent. We also write up the minutes of the first directors' decisions.
- The ATO tax registrations listed below, as each is issued.
- Us as your ASIC registered agent. ASIC's yearly review, notices and any change to directors, shares or addresses go through us. Each year the directors must say the company can pay its debts (a solvency resolution). We prepare it for them to sign.
Tax registrations
ABN, TFN, GST and PAYG, in one go.
A new company needs its own tax registrations before it invoices anyone. We apply for them once ASIC issues the ACN. Our Tax & Compliance service handles the lodgements after that.
- An ABN (Australian Business Number). The company puts it on invoices and uses it with the ATO.
- A TFN (tax file number) for the company itself. It is separate from each director's own TFN.
- GST (goods and services tax) registration. GST is the tax added to most sales. We register when your turnover (total sales) requires it, or earlier if that suits you. At the same time we set the BAS cycle. BAS is the form you send the ATO for GST. The cycle is how often you send it.
- PAYG withholding registration before you pay the first employee or director. PAYG withholding is when the company takes tax out of wages for the ATO. The company can do this from day one.
Who it's for
Your first company, or the fourth in a group.
Either way, the paperwork has to be right for the structure (the legal setup of your business) to work.
Groups adding an entity
You need one more entity (a company or trust) in your group. That could be a new trading company or a holding company, which owns other companies or assets. It could also be a corporate trustee, a company that runs a trust. It sits inside a structure we have planned with you under Business Structuring.
Sole traders who only need registrations
You want an ABN, GST or PAYG withholding registration on its own, with no company. We set it up and link it to your ATO account.
From you
The seven details we need to lodge.
Send these by email or WhatsApp. We prepare the documents for you to sign.
- Two or three company names you would like, with your favourite first.
- Each director's full name, date and place of birth, home address and director ID. A director ID is a number every director must get from the ABRS (the government business registry, run by the ATO) before they are appointed. If you do not have one, we point you to where to apply.
- The secretary's details, if you are appointing one.
- The share structure: who holds shares, how many, what type and what they paid for them.
- A registered office address in Australia. If the address belongs to someone else, we need their written consent to use it.
- The main place of business, if it is different from the registered office.
- Photo ID for each officeholder and shareholder. We check identity before we lodge.
Related services
Often set up alongside a company.
A company is one part of a structure. These are the pieces that usually sit next to it.
Business Structuring
Company, trust, partnership or a mix. We advise on the structure that fits your business before anything is registered. We weigh up growth, tax and asset protection (keeping what you own safe).
Learn moreTrust Setup
Discretionary and unit trusts (two common kinds of trust). We register the corporate trustee company with ASIC. We also get the trust's own ABN and TFN.
Learn moreGet in touch
Start the company this week.
- Proposed name
- Director ID
- Home address
- ID document