How to start a business in Australia: what it costs and what to set up online
Updated November 2, 2026 · 6 min read
To start a business in Australia, most new owners need six things online before opening day: an ABN, a registered business name unless you trade under your own name, a domain, a Google Business Profile, a simple website, and a way to take card payments. The registrations, the domain and the Google listing cost under A$100 in 2026; the website and card payments are where costs vary. Do them in that order, because the domain and the Google listing depend on the steps before them, and allow up to two weeks for Google to verify your business.
The checklist, in order
| Step | Cost in 2026 | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ABN | Free | Often issued straight away; up to 20 business days if your application is reviewed. Everything below needs it. |
| 2. Business name | A$47 for one year, A$108 for three | Not needed if you trade under your own name, such as “John Smith”. “John Smith Gardening” needs one. |
| 3. Domain | About A$21–23 a year for .com.au | A .com.au needs an ABN and a name linked to your business. Register it early, even before the website. |
| 4. Google Business Profile | Free | Only for businesses that meet customers in person. Verification can take up to two weeks. |
| 5. Website | Varies widely | The one step where prices range from a builder’s monthly plan to a custom build. |
| 6. Card payments | Terminal and card fees | Surcharges on the main card networks ended on 1 October 2026. |
| GST | Free to register | Required if you expect GST turnover of A$75,000 or more in your first year. |
Costs come from the Business Registration Service, ASIC’s business name fees from 1 July 2026, and the current price lists of large Australian domain registrars, several of which also offer cheap first years.
How much it costs to start a business
Trading as a sole trader is the cheapest way to start. A company costs more to set up and to keep, but separates the business from you.
| Structure | To set up | Every year |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | ABN free; business name A$47 for one year or A$108 for three | Renewing the business name |
| Company | A$636 to register with ASIC | A$342 for the annual review |
Fees from 1 July 2026, according to business.gov.au. Add what you need to trade: the domain, the website, card payments and any licence your industry requires.
Why the order matters
ABN first. An ABN is free and usually arrives immediately, but the ABR can take up to 20 business days when it reviews an application. You need it, or its application reference number, to register a business name, and you need it for a .com.au domain.
Business name before the domain. The business name is the legal name customers see on your invoices and signs. ASIC requires one whenever you trade under anything other than your own name. Registering it first means your domain can match it.
Domain before the website. Under auDA’s licensing rules, a .com.au must belong to a company or someone with an ABN, and must match your business name or the goods and services you sell. business.gov.au suggests registering one early, even if the website isn’t ready, so the name is yours. A domain gives you no trade mark rights, though; if the name matters to your brand, look at a trade mark too.
Google listing once the premises is set up. Google Business Profile is free, but only businesses that meet customers face to face, at a shopfront or by visiting them, are eligible. Google picks the verification method. A live video call means showing your signage and equipment at the business, and a postcard code can take up to 14 days to arrive. Start once the fit-out and signage are in, and leave yourself two weeks.
How much website you need on day one
Customers will look for you on their phones. In the six months to June 2025, 97% of Australian adults used a mobile phone to go online and 87% bought goods or services online, according to ACMA’s 2026 report. Social media helps people find you, and Australia Post’s eCommerce report 2026 found 60% of shoppers use it to discover products. A social page alone, though, rarely answers the basic questions: when are you open, what does it cost, and can I book?
| Business | Needed on day one | Can wait |
|---|---|---|
| Café or takeaway | Opening hours, menu, address, phone | Online ordering |
| Salon, studio or clinic | Services, prices and online booking | Packages and memberships |
| Shop | Address, hours, what you stock | An online store |
| Mobile service, such as cleaning or repairs | Service area, a quote request form, phone | A customer portal |
Our assessment. One clear page that works on a phone beats five pages that don’t.
Taking card payments from October 2026
From 1 October 2026, businesses can no longer add a surcharge to eftpos, Mastercard or Visa payments, whether credit, debit or prepaid, following the Reserve Bank’s decision. American Express and UnionPay dropped surcharging on the same date, and PayPal on 5 October. You can still choose which payment methods to accept and offer a discount for cheaper ones, according to the RBA’s guidance, but card fees now belong in your prices.
Cards are how most customers will pay. In the RBA’s 2025 Consumer Payments Survey, cards made up 73% of payments and cash 15%, and 43% of people paid by tapping a phone in the survey week. Cash still matters for small amounts: about one in four payments under A$10 was made in cash.
The legal basics that apply online
- Privacy. Most businesses with turnover of A$3 million or less aren’t covered by the Privacy Act, but health service providers are, including allied health and complementary therapists, whatever their size, says the OAIC. A covered business needs a privacy policy, and from 10 December 2026 it must also explain any decisions a computer program makes about people. Even if you’re exempt, protect what your booking and enquiry forms collect.
- Marketing emails and texts. Under the Spam Act, you need consent before you send them, must say who you are, and must include an unsubscribe option that works within five working days, according to ACMA. Ask for consent at the counter or in your booking form from the first day.
- Reviews. Writing or arranging fake reviews is illegal under the Australian Consumer Law. An incentive for reviewing you is allowed only if it is offered for any review, good or bad, and you say so, according to business.gov.au.
- GST. You must register within 21 days once you expect GST turnover of A$75,000 or more, including in your first year, says the ATO. GST is 10%, so decide early whether your prices include it.
What can wait until you’re open
- An online store, a loyalty program or an app: wait until customers ask for them.
- A newsletter: collect consent from day one, but you can start sending later.
- Paid advertising: see what the free Google listing brings first.
- Custom software: wait until you know which jobs repeat every day.
Keep fixed costs low in year one
In 2025–26, 460,461 businesses started in Australia. Of those that opened in 2022–23, 49.2% were still trading in June 2026: 50.4% in accommodation and food services and 46.2% in retail, according to the ABS. The essentials above cost little. Spend on bigger systems once you know what your customers actually use.
Small businesses with fewer than 20 full-time staff, and sole traders, can get up to five hours of one-on-one digital advice for a small fee through the government’s Digital Solutions program, including on websites, selling online and data privacy.
Sources
- ABS: Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2022 – June 2026 (August 2026)
- Business Registration Service: registration types and fees
- ASIC: Schedules of business names fees (from 1 July 2026)
- ASIC: Register a business name
- ABR: Applying for an ABN (June 2026)
- ATO: Registering for GST (September 2026)
- auDA: .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing (June 2026)
- business.gov.au: Changes for businesses from 1 July 2026 (June 2026)
- business.gov.au: Register a domain name
- Google: Get started with Google Business Profile
- Google: Verify your business on Google
- ACMA: How we use the internet (February 2026)
- Australia Post: eCommerce trends 2026 (March 2026)
- RBA: media release on card surcharging and interchange (March 2026)
- RBA: Conclusions paper FAQs (October 2026)
- RBA Bulletin: Consumer payment behaviour in Australia (May 2026)
- OAIC: Small business
- OAIC: Transparency for AI and automated decision-making (September 2026)
- ACMA: Avoid sending spam
- business.gov.au: Online reviews
- business.gov.au: Digital Solutions – Australian Small Business Advisory Services
Fees and prices were checked in October 2026 and can change. Domain prices are regular yearly prices from large Australian registrars; first-year offers are often cheaper. General information, not legal or tax advice.
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