The process of starting a business in Australia is usually straightforward. A properly planned registration of an Australian company can be completed within one week. The procedure is outlined in the following steps below.

Australian company pre-incorporation procedure

1. Consultation: Before commencing the engagement, our Client to i) settle CLA Consultants Group’s engagement fees and ii) email the signed engagement letter and necessary due diligence documents. We recommend our Clients to email us a completed copy of the engagement letter, so we can then email them a tailored checklist of documents required, minimizing administrative burden;
2. Corporate structure: Our team and the Client reach an agreement on i) three preferred new company names and ii) the corporate structure. Thereafter, our Client signs i) the board resolution (shareholders) authorizing the company incorporation in Australia and ii) consent forms (directors and shareholders);
3. Public officer: In compliance with Australian law, our client must appoint a Public Officer (PO). The PO is the Company’s representative to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and is responsible for i) maintaining accurate and complete accounting and tax records ii) timely submitting monthly, quarterly and annual Government reporting to the ATO, including payroll and GST (locally filed under a single return known as BAS return) and iii) submitting accurate and complete financial statements and corporation tax returns to the Australian Government;
4. Company secretary: Our Client must appoint a company secretary, who may be a natural person or a body corporate, but the company secretary must be resident in Australia. CLA Consultants Group includes company secretary services in the standard Australia incorporation package;
5. Registered office: In accordance with the Australia Incorporations Act 2001, our client is required to file an address with the Company Register, to which all official Government communications and notices may be addressed. The client may use their own physical space in Australia or request our Firm to supply the registered office address services to comply with this legal requirement;
6. All incoming directors, along with existing directors, of an Australian company must register with ASIC for a director ID. For a newly-formed company, this step must be undertaken before the company is incorporated. This step adds cost to an engagement and can take up to 2 months for completion. Fortunately, we have a workaround strategy for our Clients in urgent need of a company number. Whenever needed, we alternatively can initially register the Australian business with our nominee as temporary single resident director, then add our Client’s appointees immediately after they secure their own DIN. With this strategy, CLA Consultants Group will complete registration of the Australian business within 3 working days from application submission.

Australia company incorporation steps

1. Name reservation: CLA Consultants Group checks name availability with the Australian Business Register (ABR). If available, we complete and submit Form 410 to formally reserve the same. To hasten the setup process, our experts recommend incorporating the company initially using a nominee director;
2. Australia company registration: Our team submits Form 201 to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) to secure company incorporation. Once the company is incorporated, we email our Client certificates of registration of a company including i) the public profile of the company and ii) the certificate of incorporation and iii) the unique nine-digit Australian Company Number (ACN);
3. Australian company tax registration: CLA Consultants Group secures tax registrations with the Australian Tax Office including i) the Australia Business Number (ABN) for the company and ii) the Tax Filing Number for relevant individuals;
4. Change of corporate structure: Our team submits an online application to modify the company structure. Upon completion, CLA Consultants Group emails our Client the new public profile of the private company incorporated in Australia. Refer to the sample company extract here;
5. Opening corporate bank account: CLA Consultants Group will prepare a detailed quality business plan to secure a corporate bank account opening. We will courier i) the completed bank account opening forms and ii) certified passport copies and proof of addresses of all directors, shareholders and signatories to the relevant bank. Our preferred banking partners include Westpac, ANZ, CBA and NAB;

Australian company post-incorporation procedure

1. Register for GST and Worker Compensation Insurance: If required, CLA Consultants Group registers the company for i) GST with the ATO (if the annual turnover is higher than AU$75,000) and ii) Worker Compensation Insurance with the local insurance agency (if our Client plans to hire local employees);
2. Submit annual returns: Every Australian company is required to submit an annual return to ASIC on the anniversary of its inception. CLA Consultants Group will assist our Clients with fulfilling this annual obligation as a part of our accounting and tax services package;
3. Engagement Completion: The company incorporation process in Australia is complete. CLA Consultants Group couriers the full company kit to our Client, including i) original corporate documents ii) the corporate key iii) unopened bank correspondence and iv) Client feedback form.

Required documents for Australia company incorporation

• Signed director consent forms;
• Signed shareholder consent forms;
• Signed office agreement;
• Notarized passport copies of all directors and shareholders;
• Notarized proofs of addresses of all directors and shareholders;
• Signed corporate bank account opening forms.