Top call centre questions

An Australian company is its own legal entity and will end in Pty Ltd, or Ltd. A company is required to have at least one officeholder (director), who is responsible for managing the company.

Different company types have different director requirements, for example, a public company must have at least 3 directors, section 201A has the requirements.

A business name is the name your business operates under. You need to register a business name if you conduct business under a name other than your own. You need to register a business name if you conduct business under a name other than your own or wish to use your company name without the legal elements from your company name (e.g. PTY LTD).

For more information, see What is a business name?

Where other government agency can help

You can register a business name using the Australian Government's Business Registration Service website.

If you don’t already have an Australian Business Number (ABN), you can apply for one at the same time.

Where ASIC can help

If you’re trying to apply for a business name with a suppressed ABN, please submit an enquiry online and provide the proposed name you'd like to register, as well as your ABN.

For more information, see How do I register a business name?

Log in to the business names portal via ASIC Connect.

You can also access various services for business name holders using the ASIC portals button on the top-right of every web page.

You can search your business name on ASIC's registers to check if your renewal is up to date.

If your business name renewal is overdue, and your business name is linked to an Australian Business Number (ABN), use our Business Name Renewal (Pay Now service). You can pay by Visa or Mastercard or request an invoice.

If your business name isn’t linked to an ABN, you will need to enter your account number or ASIC Key. If you do not have the renewal notice that contains this information, please submit your query online.

For more information see Renew a business name registration

There are a number of business name details you need to keep up-to-date.

See How to update business name details for more information.

If you're the current owner of a business name, you can request to transfer the ownership of your business name through ASIC Connect. For step-by-step instructions, see Steps to transfer a business name to a new owner.

If you already have the transfer number and want to know how to transfer the business name to a new ABN or new owner, see Steps to register a business name with a transfer number.

How ASIC can help

You'll need to submit an online enquiry to request a copy of your business name invoice.

Where Business Registration Service can help

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) do not provide an invoice for registrations made through the business.gov.au Business Registration Service. The Business Registration Service generates an email receipt on successful payment to ASIC, which is sent to your registered email account. Please check both your inbox and your junk mail for this email.

You can search our register for information on registered and cancelled business names. This includes the business name holder, their ABN, and any other details.

See Business names registers for more information.

A business name holder can authorise any person to lodge transactions with us on their behalf. This could be, for example, an accountant, a lawyer, a services provider or even a relative or friend. A business name holder may authorise more than one person, in addition to transacting with us themselves.

See Authorised lodgers for business names for more information.

The ASIC key is used for business names, self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) auditors and Australian financial services (AFS) licensees.

See ASIC key for more information.

If you've received an email and want to confirm it is from ASIC, you should check the email address it was sent from. Our business name notifications will come from the email address ASIC.Transaction.No-reply@asic.gov.au.

We will contact you by email 30 days before your business name's renewal is due.

If you've received an email claiming to be from ASIC and you are unsure of its authenticity, visit our Scams page for more information on how to protect yourself and how to notify ASIC.

Private service providers

Some private service providers may contact you offering to renew your business name on your behalf. You should carefully check the correspondence for any fees they charge over and beyond the renewal fees charged by us.

Find out more about private service providers, including what they can and can't do.

More information

See FAQ Is this investment or company legitimate? for research tips.

An Australian company is its own legal entity and will end in Pty Ltd, or Ltd. A company is required to have at least one officeholder (director), who is responsible for managing the company.

Different company types have different director requirements, for example, a public company must have at least 3 directors, section 201A has the requirements.

A business name is the name your business operates under. You need to register a business name if you conduct business under a name other than your own. You need to register a business name if you conduct business under a name other than your own or wish to use your company name without the legal elements from your company name (e.g. PTY LTD).

For more information, see What is a business name?

Log into the 'Company officeholders' portal, go to Services Login. 

You can also access various services for company officeholders using the ASIC portals button on the top-right of every web page.

Company officeholder’s can easily check their account balance online. If you haven’t already registered for online access, you will need the company’s corporate key. See Steps to sign up for online access and to log in.

Once logged in, select ‘View company details’ from the left-hand navigation menu, then select ‘Debtor details’.

This screen will display any balance owing on the company account.

Registered agents can also check the account balance of a company they manage by requesting an 'All Companies Debt Report' (RA67 online).

This will be issued back to your inbox and display in a report of companies you’re appointed to that have an outstanding balance.

We cannot update company details over the phone.

You’ll need to make changes using our online services. Find out more at Changes to company details.

If you haven’t registered for our online services, you’ll need the company’s corporate key. If you don’t have a corporate key and all of your addresses have changed, please see FAQ ‘How do I get a corporate key for my company if all of my addresses have changed?’.

See more on how to start, change or deregister company details below.

See our Director identification number page for an answer to this question and more.

Use the links below for more information.

Starting a company

• What business structure do I need?
• How do I choose a company name?
• Do I need a constitution?
• How many directors, secretaries and members does my company need to have?
• What form do I need to lodge to register a new company?
• What is a member and how can a person become one?
• What is the fee for registering a company?

Changing company details

• How do I update addresses with ASIC?
• How can I lodge forms with ASIC?
• What is the annual statement and what are my responsibilities in response to it?
• Where can I find all the company forms?
• Information about your company and the law
• How do I change details online?
• Register now to change details online

Deregistering a company

• What types of deregistration are there?
• How do I voluntarily deregister my company?
• What do I need to do and check before I apply to deregister?
• What happens when a company is deregistered?
• Why is my company’s bank account frozen?
• Why has my company been deregistered?

If we issued an invoice to you electronically through our online portals, it can be viewed in your inbox for up to 90 days after the issue date. If it's been longer than 90 calendar days, or you didn’t receive your invoice online, you can request a copy by submitting an online enquiry.

For information on Annual Statements see Where your annual statement is sent.

We cannot waive fees over the phone.

We can only consider waiving a fee where there were issues beyond the control of representatives of the entity which prevented them from lodging on time or making a payment.

For more information on examples where we will consider waiving a fee, please see the Ask ASIC to review a late fee page.

How to apply

To apply for a fee waiver, follow the below steps.

We cannot reinstate companies over the phone.

To reinstate a company, follow these steps:

We generally can't provide an update on the progress of your application until a decision has been made. This process can take up to 28 calendar days.

We recommend sending your application by registered post so you can confirm the date we received your application. You can then use this as an indicative time frame of when your application should be processed.

If we do require further information from you to process your application, we will contact the lodging party of the Form 581.

When making an application, it's important to provide as much information as you can. This will avoid any processing delays if we need to contact you to request further information.

Common reasons for delays in the processing of reinstatement applications include:

• Supporting evidence was not provided for reinstatement in section 3 of the application. You can find examples of sufficient evidence in Regulatory Guide 83 Reinstatement of companies.
• Payment of the fees advised in step 1 not yet made.

See Corporate key page to read the following information:

• How can I get my corporate key?
• How do I use my corporate key?
• Where is my corporate key sent?
• How can I get my corporate key sent to an alternate address?
• Cancelling your corporate key.

A corporate key can only be issued to an address currently listed for a company. Each time a corporate key is issued, any previous corporate keys are automatically cancelled.

If you can’t receive a corporate key to an address already listed because all of the company’s addresses are out of date, you’ll need to update the company’s addresses first.

If you’ve already registered for online access, you can Change of company details to lodge the form online.

If you haven’t registered for online access and need to update your company address details, please send us an online enquiry and include:

• the company’s name
• Australian Company Number (ACN)
• your full name
• date of birth
• place of birth
• your role within the company (e.g. director, secretary), and
• the company’s current registered office.

If we can confirm the details you’ve provided match our records, we will contact you with information to assist with updating your address. Once updated, we will issue a new corporate key to you in the mail.

We cannot take payments over the phone.

When making a payment, pay each invoice on its own. You should include your unique reference number in the payment description.

See Fee payments, and queries for information on:

• ASIC fees
• ASIC invoices
• Checking your account balance
• Missing payments
• Refunds
• Payment options
• Fee waivers
• Late fees
• ASIC industry funding.

You will not receive a payment confirmation or receipt.

Check your account balance to see whether your payment has been received. The account balance will reflect your payment within 3 business days (depending on the method used).

To check your account balance:

• If you are checking for a company, login to the company officeholders portal.
• If you are checking for a business name, submit an online enquiry, and we will process your request within 5 business days.

Note:

• If you have a registered agent your invoice will be sent to your agent.
• If you do not have a registered agent or online access, your invoice will be sent to your registered office address. You can contact us to have a copy of your invoice reissued if you have not received your invoice.

If you've registered for online access, you can download a copy of your invoice for up to 90 calendar days after it has been issued.

After 90 days, if you need another copy of an invoice, you will need to contact us and provide your details.

The company must pay the annual review fee within 2 months from its annual review date or late fees will apply.

See How do I apply for a fee waiver for my company? FAQ above for more information.

Refer to the ASIC Connect troubleshooting tips if you are experiencing issues submitting the fee waiver form or report technical difficulties.

Understand the warning signs of a scam. For more information on scammers targeting ASIC’s customers and how to notify ASICs, visit our Scams page. 

ASIC cannot provide advice on specific companies or investments. Conduct your own research by following steps below to check if an investment is real.

Please note that company registration or licensing is not a guarantee. It does not mean that the business is viable, or its business model is sound.

Ask the business questions

• Do they have an Australian financial services (AFS) licence?
• What is their address?
• How does the investment work? If you don’t understand how an investment makes money, or the salesperson can’t explain it clearly, do more research before you invest.

Do your own research on the company

ASIC website:

• Search for the company’s name or AFS licence number on our professional registers.
• Search for the company’s prospectus on ASIC’s Offer notice board.
• Read investing and financial advice to check and investment offer.

Moneysmart website:

• Make sure the company is not on our list of companies you should not deal with and does not mention any organisation on our list of fake regulators and exchanges.
• Read investment scams to do a safety check and help reduce risk.

Further information

• We encourage you to get independent financial advice before you invest.
• Read Dealing with businesses and companies for steps you can take to reduce the risks of being swindled by unreliable operators and fly-by-night businesses.

Visit What to do if you’ve been scammed to find out what action to take, and who to contact for information or assistance.

Find out more about Crypto scams on Moneysmart.

Find out more about Identity theft on Moneysmart.

If you are enquiring about an Australian Business Number you will need to contact the Australian Business Register. These enquiries are not handled by us.

Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) is responsible for delivering the director ID initiative. Visit the ABRS website for more information, to apply or watch an instructional video to help company directors apply online.

If you want to complain or provide feedback about Director ID application, also visit the ABRS website.

ASIC is responsible for enforcing director ID offences set out in the Corporations Act 2001. It is a criminal offence if directors do not apply on time and penalties may apply. Visit our director identification number page for FAQs and more information.

See Other regulators and organisations to find out which other department may be able to assist with your enquiry.