Find your business.
Type your ABN or your business name. We look it up on the Australian Business Register, fill in your details, and tell you straight away if you are already registered for GST.
Answer four questions.
Turnover, start date, cash or accruals, and how often you want to report. "Not sure" is a fine answer: an agent checks every one of them before anything is lodged.
We review and lodge.
Registered BAS Agent 25972850 lodges it direct to the ATO. You are emailed the moment it is confirmed, usually within 4 business hours.
- Threshold
- $75,000$150,000 for a not-for-profit
- Deadline
- 21 daysfrom realising you will pass it, not from passing it
- Our fee
- $119 + GST$130.90 inc, tax deductible
- Turnaround
- 4 business hoursusual confirmation time
How it worksHow to register for GST in Australia.
GST registration is added to an existing ABN, and you must register once your GST turnover reaches $75,000, within 21 days of realising you will reach it. Registering means choosing a start date, an accounting basis and a reporting cycle. Those three answers are what most people get wrong, and they are the reason a five-minute form is worth getting right the first time.
- Have an active ABN. GST attaches to an ABN, so the ABN comes first. If you do not have one, our sister service ABN Assist registers ABNs, usually same-day, and can add GST in the same application. It is run by the same practice as GST Register.
- Decide four things. Your start date, which can be backdated up to four years; your expected turnover; cash or accruals; and monthly, quarterly or annual reporting. The section below works through the trade-offs.
- Lodge it. The form above sends it to Registered BAS Agent 25972850, who reviews the four answers and lodges direct to the ATO for a flat $119 + GST.
- Charge GST from the effective date. You are told the date the registration takes effect. From then you add 10% to taxable sales, issue tax invoices, and lodge a BAS each cycle. Confirmation usually lands within 4 business hours.
Ready when you are. Start with your ABN or business name. The first step takes about ten seconds.
Find my businessWhen to registerWho has to register for GST.
Registration is compulsory once your GST turnover reaches $75,000, or $150,000 for a not-for-profit organisation. Taxi, rideshare and limousine drivers have no threshold and must register from their first fare, and so must anyone claiming fuel tax credits. Turnover is tested on a rolling twelve months, looking both back and forward, so one large contract can put you over.
| Who you are | When you must register |
|---|---|
| Sole trader, partnership, company or trust | At $75,000 GST turnover At a threshold |
| Not-for-profit organisation | At $150,000 GST turnover At a threshold |
| Uber, DiDi, Ola or Bolt driver | From the first fare. Register now |
| Claiming fuel tax credits | Regardless of turnover Register now |
Warning: You have 21 days from realising you will reach $75,000 to register. Rideshare drivers must be registered before their first fare.
Think you have crossed it? Look your ABN up and we will tell you straight away whether GST is already registered.
Check my ABNWhat it costsWhat GST registration costs.
$119 + GST, which is $130.90 including GST, and the fee is tax deductible. Backdating is an optional $25 + GST, and adding PAYG withholding registration in the same lodgement is $30 + GST. There is no subscription and nothing to renew. You see the exact total before you pay, and payment is only taken at the last step. Our full price list has every figure, including GST cancellation at $139 + GST.
$119 + GST, nothing until the last step. You can fill the whole form and see the total before you pay anything.
Start my registrationYour three choicesThe three choices on the form, and how to make them.
Those three answers are what most people get wrong, and they are the reason a five-minute form is worth getting right the first time.
Your start date, and whether to backdate.
Backdating lets you claim GST credits on purchases made since the backdated date, but you will also owe GST on sales in that period. Say you bought $8,800 of equipment in March: backdating to 1 March recovers $800 of GST credits. If you also made $33,000 of sales in that window, you now owe $3,000 of GST on them, so you are $2,200 worse off. Annual reporting can only start from 1 July of this financial year, so backdating earlier than that rules it out. Our agents check the arithmetic before lodging, and the backdating calculator does it here.
Cash or accruals.
On a cash basis you account for GST when money moves. On accruals, when the invoice is issued. Invoice a customer $5,500 on 25 June and get paid on 10 July: on accruals the $500 of GST falls in the June quarter and you pay it before the customer has paid you. On cash it falls in the September quarter. Cash is available to most small businesses and is the kinder option on cash flow. The full comparison is here.
Monthly, quarterly or annual.
Quarterly is the default and suits most small businesses. Monthly returns GST credits faster, which suits a business spending heavily on stock or equipment. Annual reporting is only available under $75,000 of turnover, and not if you have backdated before 1 July of this financial year, which is why the form above stops offering it once your answers rule it out. You can change cycle later. The due dates for each cycle are here.
Not sure on any of the three? "Not sure" is a fine answer. A registered BAS agent checks all three before anything is lodged.
Start and let us checkAfter you registerWhat happens after you register.
From your effective date you add 10% to taxable sales, and you must issue a tax invoice for any sale over $82.50 including GST. You then lodge a business activity statement each cycle, reporting the GST you collected and the GST credits you are claiming back on business purchases. The difference is what you pay, or what comes back to you.
Not everything you sell carries GST: GST-free and input-taxed supplies are treated differently, and when to charge GST and when not to covers the common cases. On the other side, GST credits are what make registration worth having, and they need a valid tax invoice over $82.50. If the first BAS is the part you are dreading, start with what a BAS actually is.
QuestionsOther questions.
Do I need an ABN before I can register for GST?
Yes, GST registration attaches to an ABN. If you don't have one yet, our sister service ABN Assist can register your ABN (usually same-day), then we add GST to it.
Can I register a company, trust or partnership?
Yes. The registration attaches to the entity's own ABN, not to you personally, and the form asks for the details of whoever is authorised to act for it: a director, trustee or partner. If you run more than one business under one ABN, one GST registration covers all of them.
I think I am already registered. How do I check?
Use the free GST status lookup. Enter the ABN and it queries the Australian Business Register live, and shows whether GST is registered and the date it took effect. If it already is, you do not need this service, and the form above tells you the same thing once it looks your ABN up.
What does the $119 cover?
Getting the start date, backdating and reporting cycle right the first time, lodged by a registered BAS agent and usually registered within 4 business hours, with phone support at every step.
Not sure you need GST at all? Start with the honest guide: Do I need to register for GST?, or check any business's status with the free GST status lookup.
Still got a question? Call 1800 546 526 during business hours, or start the form and ask as you go.
Register for GST