Entity Formation in Australia

Ready for a permanent Australian presence? We help you incorporate the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including telling you when it is too early.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest timing

What incorporating in Australia means

A proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd) under the Corporations Act 2001 is the standard vehicle for a permanent business presence, registered directly with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), no notary required. Larger operations occasionally use a public company (Ltd), which needs at least three directors. When you form a Pty Ltd, you become the legal employer and operator in Australia, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup steps and the ongoing obligations, including at least one Australian-resident director.

01

Your own company

Your own Pty Ltd makes you the legal employer and operator in Australia, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower cost at scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup takes time

ASIC registration itself is fast, typically one to three business days, but you also need an Australian Business Number, a Tax File Number, and for most foreign parents a resident director in place before you can operate. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How incorporating in Australia works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm incorporation is right for you, then prepare the company name, structure, and registered Australian office address, and arrange a resident director if your board does not already have one.

02 — Register with ASIC

The company is registered directly with ASIC (no notary needed), which issues an Australian Company Number, typically within one to three business days. Minimum share capital is nominal, commonly a single AUD 1 share, so there is little to deposit before you can incorporate.

03 — Register for tax

The company is registered for an Australian Business Number and Tax File Number with the ATO, and for GST if required, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual review, all of which we can run for you.

What incorporating in Australia costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. Australia’s formation cost is low; the real commitment is the ongoing compliance and the resident-director requirement. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Share capital & formation

No minimum share capital requirement; most Pty Ltd companies incorporate with a single AUD 1 share. The ASIC registration fee is AUD 636 (from 1 July 2026), plus an AUD 342 annual review fee each year after.

Corporate tax

30% standard rate. A reduced 25% “base rate entity” rate applies where aggregated turnover is under AUD 50 million and no more than 80% of assessable income is passive (dividends, interest, rent, royalties and similar) — both tests are reassessed every financial year.

GST

A single flat GST rate of 10% (unchanged since 2000). Registration is mandatory once turnover reaches AUD 75,000 in a year (AUD 150,000 for non-profits), within 21 days of crossing the threshold.

Ongoing obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (PAYG withholding and the Superannuation Guarantee), GST and corporate tax filings, and the ASIC annual review, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Australian company through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in Australia through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your company runs, not just exists.

  • Beyond registration
  • Ongoing compliance
  • One team throughout

The right specialists, in place

Resident-director, tax, and accounting partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Vetted specialists
  • Coordinated for you
  • Nothing gets missed

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across global markets, with the local knowledge to keep you compliant and out of the common traps.

  • Incorporations
  • Legal & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and the annual review, so your company operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

The incorporation trap nobody flags

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Australian company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin. Reality: ASIC registration itself can take one to three business days, but a registered Australian office, an Australian Business Number, a Tax File Number, and, for most foreign parents, an Australian-resident director all have to be in place first, and you cannot legally employ anyone until they are.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: a small subsidiary stays below the audit thresholds and files almost nothing. Reality: a small proprietary company controlled by a foreign parent generally still carries financial-reporting obligations even when it sits below all three “large company” size tests, unless specific ASIC relief applies, exactly the structure most foreign-owned Australian subsidiaries have. And once the company exists, GST, corporate tax, PAYG, and the ASIC annual review do not stop. This is not a reason not to incorporate. It is a reason to do it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your company

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your company.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Australian payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with PAYG income tax and the Superannuation Guarantee calculated, withheld or paid, and reported each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, personal/carer’s leave, parental leave, notice.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on incorporating and running a company in Australia.

How long does it take to incorporate in Australia?

ASIC registration itself typically takes one to three business days once your company name, registered office, and director and shareholder details are ready. You also need an Australian Business Number and Tax File Number from the ATO, and, for most foreign parents, a resident director in place before you can legally employ anyone, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

There is no minimum share capital; most companies incorporate with a single AUD 1 share. The ASIC registration fee is AUD 636, plus an AUD 342 annual review fee each year after. The real cost is the ongoing accounting, compliance, and resident-director arrangement, which we can run for you.

Partly. There is no residency or citizenship requirement for shareholders, but Australian law requires at least one director to ordinarily reside in Australia (Corporations Act s201A). If none of your board qualifies, we arrange a vetted resident-director service so a non-resident owner can still hold full control of the company.

Incorporate when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs and the resident-director requirement. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly payroll (PAYG withholding and the Superannuation Guarantee), GST and corporate tax filings, and the ASIC annual review (plus audited financial statements for large companies, and often for foreign-controlled small companies too). We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Australian company operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in Australia?

Tell us your plans for Australia and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified July 2026 (ATO, ASIC, Fair Work Commission). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.