100% Australian owned and operated
The short answer
They’re four separate registrations, and none includes another. An ABN (Australian Business Number) is your free business identity for tax. A business name, registered with ASIC (the Australian Securities and Investments Commission), lets you trade under a name that isn’t your own, but it isn’t exclusive. A .com.au is a renewable licence to a web and email address. Only a registered trade mark gives you exclusive rights to a brand.
- Registering a business name doesn’t get you the matching domain, and registering a domain doesn’t register the business name.
- On 14 October 2026: an ABN is free; a business name is $47 for one year or $108 for three; a trade mark application starts at $250 a class; a .com.au is priced by your provider.
- The usual order: check the name everywhere, get the ABN, register the business name, register the domain, and add a trade mark when the brand is worth protecting.
General information about the rules of ASIC (which keeps the business names register), the ABR (Australian Business Register, which issues ABNs), IP Australia (the government’s trade mark office) and auDA (.au Domain Administration, the body that runs .au). It isn’t legal or tax advice.
Three free checks to do today, before you pay for anything. Search the name on ASIC’s business names register. Look for similar trade marks with IP Australia’s free TM Checker. And see whether the domain is free, with the search box on our home page or the WHOIS tab of our toolbox. business.gov.au recommends the same checks before you settle on a name.
What does each one actually do?
Each one is issued by a different body, for a different purpose, and each protects something different. The table puts them side by side. Fees are as each body listed them on 14 October 2026.
| Registration | What it is | Who issues it | Cost | What it protects | Renews? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABN | An 11-digit number that identifies your business for tax, invoices and GST (Goods and Services Tax) | The ABR | Free | Nothing about your name. It’s an identity, and it makes you eligible for a .com.au | No. Keep the details up to date, and cancel it when you stop |
| Business name | A name you trade under that isn’t your own first name and surname | ASIC | $47 for 1 year or $108 for 3 years (from 1 July 2026; no GST) | Another business using an identical or nearly identical name. Not similar names, and no exclusive rights | Yes, every 1 or 3 years |
| .com.au domain name | A licence to use a web and email address for 1 to 5 years | auDA, through an accredited registrar (often bought via a reseller) | Set by each provider; $20 a year inc GST at Chill Domains (list price) | Only the address itself, while you keep renewing. No rights in the name | Yes, at the end of each licence period |
| Trade mark | A registered right in a brand for chosen classes of goods or services | IP Australia | From $250 a class to apply; $400 a class to renew online | Exclusive rights to use the brand in Australia for those classes, and to sell or license it | Yes, every 10 years |
IP Australia’s fees page doesn’t say whether GST applies to its fees. ASIC says its fees are not subject to GST. Chill Domains’ prices include GST, and list prices can change.
Does registering a business name give you the domain name?
No. ASIC’s business names register and the .au domain registry are separate systems, and neither reserves anything in the other. A .com.au goes to whoever applies first: auDA’s Licensing Rules say a licence is issued on a “First Come, First Served basis” (rule 2.3.2), so someone can register the domain the day after you register the business name, and the business name gives you no claim on it.
What a registered business name does do is help you qualify for a matching .com.au. Under rule 2.4.4, the domain can be a match or acronym of your company, business or personal name, and the rules define a business name as one recorded on ASIC’s Business Names Register. A “match” uses the same words in the same order with nothing added, ignoring things like “Pty Ltd”, punctuation and “the”. The rules’ own example: a business called Forexample Publishing could register forexample, forexamplepublishing, forexample-publishing or publishing.
It works the other way too. Registering yourbusiness.com.au doesn’t register “Your Business” as a business name. If you trade under it, ASIC’s rules apply in their own right.
Do you need a business name to get a .com.au?
Not always. A sole trader (someone in business under their own name) with an ABN can hold a .com.au today without a business name, as long as the domain fits one of the rule 2.4.4 tests: it matches your own name, an acronym of it, an Australian trade mark you hold, or, under the current rules, a match or synonym of the goods, services, events, activities or premises you provide.
That last test is the one auDA has proposed removing. In August 2026 its Board approved in principle a review panel’s recommendation to remove that clause, rule 2.4.4(2)(f); nothing has changed yet, and auDA aims to open public consultation by the end of October 2026. If it goes ahead, a sole trader whose .com.au isn’t their own name, an acronym of it or their trade mark would most likely need a registered business name the domain matches. auDA has also said there’s no current or proposed requirement to hold an identical business name to keep a domain name. Our guide to auDA’s proposed .com.au eligibility changes follows it step by step.
What does an ABN get you, and what doesn’t it?
An ABN gets you an identity: the number that tells the tax system, your customers and other businesses who you are. It doesn’t protect a name at all, and it doesn’t need renewing.
- It’s free, if you’re entitled. “It’s free to register for an ABN”, says business.gov.au. The ABR says you’re entitled if you’re carrying on or starting an enterprise in Australia, plus a few narrower cases. A hobby doesn’t count, and the ABR warns of prosecution for applying for an ABN, registering for GST and claiming GST refunds when you aren’t entitled.
- It unlocks the other registrations. ASIC needs an ABN, or an ABN application, before it will register a business name, and an ABN is the usual way to be eligible for a .com.au. Our guide to getting a domain without an ABN covers the alternatives.
- It doesn’t renew, but it has to stay current. The ABR says you must update your details within 28 days of becoming aware of a change, and cancel the ABN when the business is sold, closes or stops operating. A cancelled ABN can cost you a .com.au at renewal: see the ABN check when a .com.au renews.
To catch a mistyped ABN or ACN (Australian Company Number) before you put it on an order, Digital Greenhouse, the company behind Chill Domains, has a free ABN and ACN checksum checker. A pass only means the number is well-formed; ABN Lookup shows whether it’s active.
What does a registered business name protect?
Less than most people expect. ASIC says registering a business name protects you from another business using an identical or nearly identical name. It doesn’t stop others using similar words in their business name, and it doesn’t protect you against legal action if you use someone else’s trade mark.
You must register one if you run a business in Australia and don’t trade under your own name. ASIC’s example: John Smith needn’t register “John Smith”, but would need to register “John Smith Gardening” or “John Smith & Co”. Partners trading under all their own names, and a company trading under its exact company name, don’t need one either.
- Cost: $47 for one year or $108 for three, from 1 July 2026. ASIC indexes its fees every 1 July, and says its fees are not subject to GST.
- Renewal: for one or three years. ASIC sends a notice at least 30 days before it’s due and may cancel the name if you don’t renew.
- Who holds it: ASIC calls you the “business name holder”. For exclusive rights, both ASIC and business.gov.au point you to a trade mark.
When is a trade mark worth it?
When the brand itself is worth protecting: you’re putting money into the name, signage or packaging, and you’d mind if someone else traded on it. A registered trade mark gives you exclusive rights to use it in Australia for the classes (categories of goods and services) you register, and lets you sell or license it. It’s the only one of the four that does.
IP Australia charges per class. These are its figures as listed on 14 October 2026; its fees page doesn’t say whether GST applies:
| Item | IP Australia’s figure |
|---|---|
| Standard application, using its picklist of goods and services | $250 a class |
| Standard application, without the picklist | $400 a class |
| TM Headstart (an examiner checks your mark before you formally apply) | $200 a class, plus $130 a class to convert it to a standard application: $330 at least |
| Renewal, every 10 years | $400 a class online, or $450 by other methods |
| Time to examination | Usually 3–4 months from filing |
| Time to registration | At least 7 months |
A registration protects you for 10 years from the filing date. With TM Headstart, the examiner’s report arrives within five business days and you then have five business days to convert, or the request lapses; its fees aren’t refundable. Two of the common mistakes IP Australia lists are the ones in this guide: thinking a business name gives you exclusive rights, and thinking a domain name protects your business name.
A trade mark can also make you eligible for a .com.au that matches it (an exact match if the trade mark is your only connection to Australia), and the rules count a pending application once it shows as published or accepted on IP Australia’s database. It’s a route for a brand you genuinely use, not a shortcut to a domain; our guide to the trade mark route has the detail. This is general information, not legal advice.
In what order should you do them?
Check first, then register in the order each step needs the one before. The checks are free, and doing them first means you don’t pay for a business name only to find the domain or the brand is taken.
Check the name everywhere
Check the name with ASIC’s availability check (green, amber or red), and search its business names register. Run IP Australia’s TM Checker for similar trade marks. Look up the .com.au, the direct .au (yourname.au) and the .com. business.gov.au warns that using a name someone has registered as a trade mark “could get you into legal trouble”.
Get your ABN
Free, and usually issued straight away online. If your application is checked by hand, business.gov.au says a review can take 20 business days. You can apply for the ABN and the business name together through the government’s Business Registration Service.
Register the business name, if you need one
Skip this if you trade under your own first name and surname and nothing else. business.gov.au says confirmation takes about 2 business days paying by card, or 5 by BPAY, electronic funds transfer (EFT) or bank transfer.
Register the .com.au, and the .au if you want it
If the domain matches your own name or, under today’s rules, what you sell, you can register it as soon as you have the ABN. If it relies on the business name, register it once the name shows on ASIC’s register. Then note the expiry date somewhere you’ll see it. Do you need the .au as well? helps with the second name.
Consider a trade mark
When the brand is worth protecting. If you’re unsure which classes to cover, IP Australia’s picklist is the cheaper way to apply, and professional advice can help.
What if the matching domain is taken?
Then you have choices, and it’s better to make them before you’ve paid for a business name and signage. A business name or trade mark you register later won’t move the domain to you: .au names go to the first eligible applicant, and the holder keeps the licence while they stay eligible and keep renewing.
- Find out who holds it, and whether it’s in use. auDA’s free WHOIS lookup shows the holder’s name for a .au.
- Try another ending. The direct .au, or a .com, may be free. Our guide to .com.au vs .au vs .com compares them.
- Try a variation that still qualifies. Under rule 2.4.4 a .com.au still has to match your name, an acronym of it or your trade mark (or, for now, what you sell), so adding a town or a hyphen only works if the result still fits a test. A hyphenated version of your name counts, as the rules’ own example shows.
- Pick a name that comes with a domain. auDA suggests considering an alternative business name that also has a matching domain available. It’s easiest to do before step 3.
- Ask the holder. Someone who isn’t using the name may be willing to pass it on. A licence can only move to someone eligible, through a change of registrant.
- Bad faith is different. If someone registered your name to sell it back to you or trade on your reputation, auDA’s dispute process, the auDRP (.au Dispute Resolution Policy), may apply. A complainant has to show that the domain is identical or confusingly similar to a name or trade mark they have rights in, that the holder has no rights or legitimate interests in it, and that it was registered or later used in bad faith. Get legal advice before you start one.
Where does Chill Domains fit in?
Only at the domain step. The ABN, the business name and the trade mark are government registrations you make yourself, and the free checks above come first.
At Chill Domains. We register domain names only. For a .com.au or .net.au, we collect the registrant’s name and an ABN or ACN at checkout and check the number has the right number of digits. Our auDA- and ICANN-accredited wholesale registrar partner (ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, sets the rules for .com and other generic endings) and the registry validate it. Some .au names go into the registry’s eligibility review before they’re registered, usually when the domain doesn’t exactly match the registrant’s name or registered business name; we hold the order and email you while that happens. If the registry refuses a registration, we refund you in full. For a trust, we hold the order first and contact you, because the fix is often a detail in the trustee or trust fields. Registering on a trade mark? Email info@digitalgreenhouse.com.au before you order.
At today’s list prices, every .au ending we sell is $20 a year inc GST, the same to register or renew, and there’s no transfer fee. New registrations are for one year; you can choose a longer term when you renew from your dashboard. See .com.au and pricing.
Questions people ask
Can I register a business name and a domain at the same time?
Do I need a business name if I trade under my own name?
Does a trade mark give me the matching .com.au?
Can someone register a business name similar to mine?
Does an ABN expire?
Is GST charged on these fees?
How long does a registered trade mark last?
Is a .com.au mine for good once I register it?
Terms in this guide
- ABN
- Australian Business Number: the 11-digit number the Australian Business Register issues to people and organisations carrying on or starting a business. It’s free.
- ABR
- The Australian Business Register, which issues ABNs and runs ABN Lookup.
- ACN
- Australian Company Number: the nine-digit number ASIC gives a company.
- Business name
- A name you trade under that isn’t your own first name and surname, registered with ASIC. It isn’t exclusive.
- Trade mark
- A brand registered with IP Australia for chosen classes of goods or services. It gives exclusive rights to use the brand in Australia.
- Licence
- What you hold when you register a .au name: the right to use it for a set term. You don’t own the name.
- Licence period
- The term of a .au licence: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years.
- Commercial entity
- One of the kinds of holder allowed a .com.au or .net.au, such as a company, a sole trader with an ABN, or someone who holds or has applied for an Australian trade mark.
- Eligibility
- The rules about who may hold a particular ending.
- auDA
- .au Domain Administration, the body that sets the rules for .au names.
- auDRP
- The .au Dispute Resolution Policy, auDA’s process for names registered or used in bad faith.
- Registrant
- The person or organisation a domain is registered to.
Every term, in full, is in the glossary.
Sources
All read on 14 October 2026.
- Register a business name (ASIC): when you must register, the own-name exception and its John Smith example, what registration does and doesn’t protect, and the trade mark suggestion.
- Schedules of business names fees (ASIC): $47 for one year and $108 for three, from 1 July 2026, indexed each 1 July.
- Renew a business name registration (ASIC): one- or three-year renewals, the 30-day notice, and cancellation if you don’t renew.
- Fee payments and queries (ASIC): ASIC fees are not subject to GST.
- Register your business name (business.gov.au): fees, the ABN prerequisite, confirmation times, and no exclusive rights.
- Choose a business name (business.gov.au): the free checks, and the warning about using someone else’s trade mark.
- Register for an Australian Business Number (ABN) (business.gov.au): an ABN is free; immediate online or a 20-business-day review.
- Business Registration Service (Australian Government): an ABN and a business name in one application.
- ABN entitlement (Australian Business Register): who is entitled, and the prosecution warning.
- Updating or cancelling your ABN (Australian Business Register): the 28-day rule and when to cancel.
- Trade mark timeframes and fees (IP Australia): application and TM Headstart fees, timing, and 10 years’ protection from the filing date; no statement on GST.
- Pre-application service: TM Headstart (IP Australia): the five-business-day report and deadline, and non-refundable fees.
- How to renew my IP right (IP Australia): trade mark renewal fees, early renewal, the grace period and the late fee.
- What are trade marks (IP Australia): exclusive rights in Australia, and the two common mistakes.
- .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing (auDA; as amended on 23 June 2026): no ownership of a domain name, the licence period, first come, first served (2.3.2), the .com.au name tests (2.4.4), and the definitions of Business Name and Match.
- com.au domain names (auDA): one- to five-year terms, and the suggestion to consider a business name with an available domain.
- .au Licensing Rules Review: recommendations, status and next steps (auDA, 25 September 2026): the proposal to remove rule 2.4.4(2)(f), consultation timing, and the statement on business names.
- The auDRP process (auDA): what a complainant has to show.
- G.H. Handy’s grocery and fruit shop in Paddington, Brisbane, ca. 1905 (John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, via Wikimedia Commons): the photograph.