No. An ABN does not expire and there is no renewal fee. Anyone emailing you an invoice to renew one is not the government. What does happen, and what people mistake for expiry, is that the ABR cancels ABNs it is confident are no longer being used. That is not a renewal you missed. It is a cancellation you can undo.
There is nothing to renew
An ABN has no expiry date, no annual fee and no renewal process. Once issued it stays yours until it is cancelled, either by you or by the ABR.
The confusion is understandable, because two things nearby do renew:
- Business names, registered with ASIC, renew every one or three years and genuinely do lapse if you do not pay.
- Domain names, licences and permits, which are nothing to do with the ABR.
If you have received a renewal notice, check which of those it actually relates to before paying anything.
The renewal scam
There is a steady trade in emails and letters offering to renew, reinstate or maintain your ABN for a fee. They lean on official-looking layout, a deadline, and the fact that most people are not certain whether ABNs expire.
How to tell:
- There is no fee to have an ABN. Any invoice for the ABN itself is wrong on its face.
- The ABR says it will never ask you to provide confidential details in its communications. A message asking you to confirm your TFN, bank details or identity documents by return is not from them.
- Check ABN Lookup instead of clicking. It is free and public. Our ABN checker will tell you whether yours is active in a few seconds.
Paid services are not automatically a scam, and we are one of them. The honest distinction is what you are paying for: a fee for agent work is legitimate, a fee for the ABN itself is not, because the ABN is free and always has been.
So why has mine been cancelled?
Because the ABR runs a cancellation program aimed at ABNs it believes are no longer in use. Yours can be picked up where you have not reported business income, your lodgements are not up to date, you told the ATO you stopped business in your latest return, or you lodged a final return. A company being deregistered by ASIC also cancels its ABN.
Two things follow from that:
- Keeping lodgements current is the actual "renewal". Not a payment. A quiet year with returns lodged looks different to a quiet year with nothing filed.
- If the ABR contacts you about cancelling and you are still trading, respond using the automated phone number in the message. The ABR says that is the fastest way to tell them you still need it, and that other methods may not reach them in time.
Getting it back
If it has already been cancelled and you are still entitled, you reapply, and where you are still entitled you will usually get the same number back rather than a new one. That matters more than it sounds: your invoicing history, your GST registration and whatever your clients have on file all point at the old number.
Two cautions:
- Do not keep invoicing on it in the meantime. It is an offence to use an ABN after it has been cancelled. Clients paying you against a cancelled ABN must withhold 47%.
- Reapplying can trigger a review. The ABR lists reapplying after a refusal or cancellation as one of the things that can prompt an entitlement review, so be ready to show you are carrying on a business.
Our guide on reactivating a cancelled ABN covers the process.
Common questions
Do I need to renew my ABN?
No. An ABN does not expire, there is no renewal process and no annual fee. It stays yours until it is cancelled, by you or by the ABR.
I got an email asking me to pay to renew my ABN. Is it real?
No. There is no fee for holding an ABN, so an invoice for the ABN itself is wrong on its face. The ABR also says it will never ask you to provide confidential details in its communications. Check your status free on ABN Lookup instead of clicking anything.
Why was my ABN cancelled if it does not expire?
The ABR cancels ABNs it is confident are no longer being used. Indicators include no business income reported, lodgements not up to date, telling the ATO you stopped business in your latest return, or lodging a final return.
How do I stop my ABN being cancelled?
Keep your lodgements up to date, since overdue returns and activity statements are what the program looks at. If the ABR contacts you and you are still trading, respond using the automated phone number in their message, which they say is the fastest way to prevent cancellation.
Can I get my old ABN back?
Usually yes. If you are still entitled to an ABN you will generally be given the same number rather than a new one, which keeps your invoicing history and registrations intact.
Can I keep using my ABN while I sort the cancellation out?
No. It is an offence to use an ABN after it has been cancelled. Any business paying you against a cancelled ABN is required to withhold 47% of the payment.
Been cancelled? Same number, $99.
We check entitlement and lodge the reactivation. Free help on 1800 546 526.