Look the ABN up first so you're cancelling the right one, answer a few questions, and a registered tax agent reviews and lodges the cancellation. Instant email confirmation once it's done, followed by the ABR's letter.
Australian Registration Office Pty LtdABN 58 645 964 156Verify us on the TPB public register
Look it up, see the business behind it, and confirm it's yours before anything happens.
A registered tax agent checks the cancellation and lodges it direct to the ABR.
Instant email confirmation once cancelled, followed by a letter from the ABR.
Your lodgement, reporting and payment obligations need to be up to date first. That means outstanding activity statements lodged, PAYG withholding reports lodged, any GST credit refunds repaid, and outstanding tax debts paid.
Make sure you will not invoice again under this ABN either. Cancelling with loose ends is what invites ATO follow-up later, and it is the main reason people ask an agent to handle it. Our declaration process walks through each item so nothing is left dangling.
Yes, a cancelled ABN can usually be reactivated later, often with the same number reissued. If your break is short or uncertain, consider whether you need to cancel at all; keeping an inactive ABN costs nothing.
GST ends automatically. When the ABN is cancelled, GST, luxury car tax, wine equalisation tax and fuel tax credits are all cancelled with it, so there is no separate GST step to remember.
PAYG withholding is the exception. If you have employees, that registration has to be cancelled before the ABN, not with it. Missing that is the classic DIY mistake. Our service handles both in the right order.
No. Business names are registered with ASIC and are separate from the ABN. A business name registration continues, and continues to fall due for renewal, until you cancel it with ASIC. A business name cannot be held without an ABN, so this needs handling deliberately rather than being left.
Straightforward cancellations are usually processed the same business day once lodged, provided your obligations are up to date. Where the ATO wants something resolved first, it takes as long as that takes, and we will tell you what is holding it up.
Not at the ABR. Cancelling is free and you can do it yourself. Our $99 fee is for a registered tax agent checking what needs settling first, confirming you are cancelling the right ABN, and lodging it, so the cancellation does not come back on you later.
