How to Find Your ABN in Australia

How to find your own ABN🔗

Several ways, quickest first:

• ABN Lookup (free, no login): go to abn.business.gov.au and search your business name, trading name, or your own full name. Sole traders, note your ABN is registered in your personal name, so if a trading-name search draws a blank, try your first and last name.
• Check your documents: any tax invoice you have sent shows your ABN, as does your original ABR registration email, ATO notices, business bank statements, and your accounting software settings (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks all store it).
• ATO Online Services via myGov: the authoritative source. Log in, then Tax, Manage, ABN details, which also confirms whether it is active or cancelled.
• The ABR portal with your myID: shows full details and lets you update your address or GST registration.
• Your tax or BAS agent: they can pull it up instantly through their agent portal if all else fails.

An ABN is not a TFN or an ACN🔗

This trips a lot of people up, so it is worth being clear:

Your TFN (Tax File Number) is a private 9-digit personal identifier: never put it on an invoice. An ACN (Australian Company Number) is a 9-digit number ASIC issues to registered companies only, so if you run a Pty Ltd you have both an ACN and an ABN (the company's ABN is its ACN with two check digits added). Your ABN is the business identifier that goes on invoices and is publicly searchable. If you are choosing between structures, our sole trader vs company guide explains when an ACN enters the picture.

How to look up someone else's ABN🔗

There are good reasons to check another business's ABN before you pay them: to verify they are legitimate, to check whether they are registered for GST (if not, you cannot claim a GST credit on their invoice), to confirm the entity name matches who you think you are dealing with, and to avoid the no-ABN withholding trap.

What ABN Lookup shows (and does not)🔗

What the ABN status means🔗

The status field tells you one of two things. Active means the ABN is current, though GST registration is shown separately, so an active ABN does not automatically mean the business charges GST. Cancelled means it was cancelled, either voluntarily or by the ATO (for example, if it decided the business was no longer carrying on an enterprise), and a cancelled ABN cannot be used on invoices.

If your ABN is cancelled🔗

First confirm it on ABN Lookup and note the cancellation date. If you are still operating, you need to reapply through the ABR, and you may get the same number back if you are the same entity. Our guide on reactivating a cancelled ABN covers the whole process, including the enterprise test. Do not use a cancelled ABN on invoices in the meantime, because the payer would be required to withhold 47%.

Frequently asked questions🔗

Sources🔗

1. ABN Lookup, search any ABN
2. Australian Business Register
3. ATO, no-ABN withholding

General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. It does not take your circumstances into account. ABR and ATO tools can change, so verify details with the ABR or a registered tax agent before acting.