Quick answer
- Invoices, receipts and written quotes: yes. If you trade under a registered business name, the Business Names Registration Act says invoices, receipts, orders and offers to provide goods or services must clearly show the business name and your ABN. (Business Names Registration Act 2011, s 19)
- Tax invoices: yes. If you are registered for GST, a tax invoice must show your identity and your ABN, plus the buyer's identity or ABN for sales of $1,000 or more. (ATO, Tax invoices)
- Pty Ltd companies: the company name and ACN (or an ABN that ends in the same 9 digits) must appear on public documents such as invoices, receipts, orders and letterhead. (ASIC, Australian Company Number)
- Your website: no law we found names websites as a must. But the ATO lists web pages as one of the places a supplier can quote an ABN, and it is a quick trust signal for customers. We recommend it in the footer.
Most tradies know their ABN off by heart because builders, strata managers and bigger clients ask for it before they pay. What fewer people know is which documents legally need it, and whether the website is one of them. The short version: the rules are about your paperwork, but your website is where a lot of customers check you are a real business before they ever see a quote.
We build websites for tradies across Perth, and the legal name, trading name and ABN are on our first-day checklist for every site. This guide covers what the Commonwealth rules actually say, so you can get your website, quotes and invoices right in one go.
This is general information from official sources, not legal or tax advice. If your setup is unusual (trusts, partnerships, GST groups), check with your accountant or the ATO.
ABN, ACN and business name: which is which
These three get mixed up all the time, so it helps to be clear before looking at the rules:
- ABN (Australian Business Number): an 11 digit number that identifies any type of business, including sole traders, partnerships and companies. It is issued by the ATO through the Australian Business Register, not by ASIC. (ASIC)
- ACN (Australian Company Number): a 9 digit number ASIC gives every company when it is registered. Most companies also have an ABN, and often the ABN is the ACN with 2 extra digits at the front. (ASIC)
- Business name: the name you trade under, registered with ASIC. You need an ABN, or to be applying for one, before ASIC will register a business name. (ASIC)
If you are a sole trader called Dave Smith and you trade as Dave Smith, you may not need a registered business name at all. If you trade as "Southside Sparky", you do, and the display rules below apply to that name.
Invoices, receipts and quotes: the business name rule
Section 19 of the Business Names Registration Act 2011 makes it an offence for a business trading under a business name to send certain written business documents without clearly legible business names information. For these documents, that means the business name and the ABN (if you have one):
- a statement of account, including an invoice
- a receipt
- an order for goods or services
- an offer to provide goods or services (rather than an invitation to treat)
- documents lodged with ASIC, cheques, promissory notes and bills of exchange
For other written business communications, the name is required. The maximum penalty in the Act is 5 penalty units. (Business Names Registration Act 2011, s 19)
ASIC puts it simply: you must include your registered business name and ABN on business documents such as invoices and purchase orders. (ASIC, Register a business name)
That "offer to provide goods or services" line matters for tradies. A written quote that a customer can accept is the kind of document that usually reads as an offer, so your quote template should carry your business name and ABN, not just your invoice template. A general ad or a services page is usually seen as an invitation to get in touch rather than an offer, which is why websites are not named in this rule. If you are unsure how a particular document is treated, ask your adviser.
The rule does not apply where you trade under your own personal name, a company trading under its own company name, or a partnership trading under all the partners' names, along with a few other exemptions listed in the Act.
Show your business name where you trade
Section 20 of the same Act says you must display your business name prominently at every place where you carry on the business that is open to the public, such as a shopfront or a stall at a home show. (Business Names Registration Act 2011, s 20)
You do not have to display your certificate of registration, and you can write the name in capitals, lower case or a mix. You do not have to copy the way it is formatted on the register. (ASIC)
Most mobile tradies do not have a public premises, so in practice your van, your website and your Google Business Profile are where customers see the name. Keeping it identical on all of them is a big part of local SEO in Perth.
Tax invoices if you are registered for GST
If you are registered for GST and a customer asks for a tax invoice, you must provide one within 28 days, unless the sale is $82.50 (including GST) or less. For taxable sales under $1,000, the ATO says a tax invoice must include enough information to clearly work out:
- that the document is intended to be a tax invoice
- the seller's identity
- the seller's ABN
- the date it was issued
- a brief description of what was sold, including quantity (if applicable) and price
- the GST amount (if any), shown separately or as "Total price includes GST" when GST is exactly one eleventh of the total
- the extent to which each sale on the invoice is a taxable sale
For sales of $1,000 or more, the tax invoice also needs the buyer's identity or ABN. (ATO, Tax invoices)
One detail builders should note: the ATO's ruling on tax invoices says a builder's registration or licence number is not enough on its own to identify the supplier. The legal name or registered business name is what counts. (ATO, GSTR 2013/1) So keep your licence number on there for the WA rules, but do not let it replace your name. Our guide on licence numbers on WA tradie websites covers that side.
Not registered for GST? Then you should not issue a tax invoice or add GST. Your normal invoice still needs your business name and ABN under the business name rule above, and it is clearer for customers to say No GST on it. For how GST should show on your website prices, see do website prices need to include GST.
Pty Ltd? Your ACN or ABN goes on public documents
Under section 153 of the Corporations Act 2001, a company must set out its name on all its public documents and negotiable instruments. If the ACN is not part of the name, the company must also show its ACN, or its ABN if the last 9 digits match the ACN in the same order. If the name appears on several pages, this must be done on the first of them. (Corporations Act 2001, s 153)
ASIC lists the documents this covers, including invoices and statements of account, receipts (unless machine produced), orders for goods and services, business letterhead and official company notices. ASIC also lists items where a company does not need to display its ACN, including business cards, envelopes, vehicles and TV advertisements. (ASIC, Australian Company Number)
A common setup for tradies is a Pty Ltd company trading under a shorter business name. In that case both rules apply to your invoices: the business name and ABN for the business name rule, and the company name with its ACN or matching ABN for the Corporations Act.
Why your ABN helps you get paid
This is the part most tradies feel in their pocket. If a business pays a supplier who has not quoted an ABN, the payer generally has to withhold 47% from the payment and send it to the ATO, unless an exception applies. A supplier must quote their ABN by the time the payment is made to avoid this. (ATO, Statement by a supplier not quoting an ABN)
The ATO lists the documents an ABN can be quoted on, including invoices, quotes, order forms, receipts, contracts, letterheads, emails and internet records (web pages). Payers do not have to check every ABN, but they can look one up with ABN Lookup if something seems off. (ATO, ABN Lookup)
So if you do work for builders, property managers or commercial clients, having your ABN on every quote and invoice is the simplest way to avoid payment delays and awkward withholding conversations.
So should your ABN be on your website?
We could not find a Commonwealth rule that says a tradie website must show an ABN. We still put it on every site we build, for three reasons:
- Trust. Homeowners are wary of cowboys. An ABN in the footer lets anyone check you on ABN Lookup in a few seconds, and it shows you are a registered business, not a cash job.
- Consistency. Your legal name, trading name and ABN on the website should match your invoices, your Google Business Profile and directories. Mismatched names confuse customers and make your listings harder to tie together.
- Commercial clients. Builders and strata managers often look you up before they send work. Having the ABN ready on the site saves a back and forth email.
Where to put it on your website
- Footer, every page: trading name, legal name if different, and ABN. For example: "Southside Sparky is a trading name of Smith Electrical Pty Ltd, ABN 12 345 678 901."
- Contact page: the same line next to your phone and email, plus your service area (suburbs, not your home address).
- Quote request confirmation: if your site sends an automatic reply, include the business name and ABN there too.
- Licence numbers next to it: in WA, many trades must show a licence or registration number in advertising, and the footer is a tidy place for both.
- Behind the scenes: good sites also put the business name in structured data so Google can match it to your Business Profile.
You do not need to show your home street address to meet any of these rules. A service area and a phone number are enough for most mobile tradies, and that is how we set up sites for clients who work from home.
Quick checklist
- Invoice template: business name, ABN, date, description and price. Company name with ACN or matching ABN if you are a Pty Ltd.
- Tax invoice (GST registered only): all 7 ATO details, plus buyer identity or ABN from $1,000.
- Quote template: business name and ABN, because a quote is usually an offer to provide services.
- Receipts and order forms: business name and ABN.
- Website footer and contact page: trading name, legal name, ABN, licence number.
- Same name everywhere: website, van, Google Business Profile, Facebook and directories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to not have my ABN on my website?
We have not found a Commonwealth law that requires an ABN on a website. The legal requirements in the Business Names Registration Act and the Corporations Act apply to documents such as invoices, receipts, orders and offers. Showing it on your site is still smart because it builds trust and matches the ATO's list of places an ABN can be quoted.
Do I need my ABN on my quotes?
If you trade under a registered business name, the Business Names Registration Act requires the business name and ABN on an offer to provide goods or services, and a written quote a customer can accept usually works as an offer. It also helps commercial clients, because the ATO lists quotes as a document an ABN can be quoted on to avoid no ABN withholding.
Do sole traders need to show their ABN on invoices?
If you trade under a registered business name, yes, the name and ABN must be on invoices. If you trade under your own name, that particular rule does not apply, but businesses paying you may need to withhold 47% if you have not quoted your ABN, so put it on every invoice anyway.
Can I use my ABN instead of my ACN?
Yes, if the last 9 digits of your ABN are the same as your ACN and in the same order. ASIC says the company can then display the ABN where it would usually display the ACN, labelled as ABN or Australian Business Number.
Does my business name need to match my website?
The law is about displaying the name where you trade and on business documents. For customers and local search, using the same trading name on your website, Google Business Profile and invoices is the clearest approach. You can style it in capitals or lower case, as ASIC does not require the register formatting.
Sources
- Business Names Registration Act 2011 (Cth), s 19
- Business Names Registration Act 2011 (Cth), s 20
- ASIC, Register a business name
- ASIC, Failure to display a business name
- ASIC, Australian Company Number (ACN)
- Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), s 153
- ATO, Tax invoices
- ATO, GSTR 2013/1 Tax invoices
- ATO, Statement by a supplier not quoting an ABN
- Australian Business Register, ABN Lookup
Want a site with your details set up properly?
JetBlok builds fast, custom tradie websites for businesses in Gosnells, Thornlie, Armadale and across Perth, with your trading name, ABN and licence number in the footer and structured data from day one, matched to your Google Business Profile. Also worth a read: does your website need a privacy policy.
See it first, pay later: 10% deposit (minimum $199) to start, No GST charged. Build your quote or check our pricing.
