Do Website Prices Need to Include GST? ACCC Rules for Tradies

Quick answer

• If you display a price to consumers, the ACCC says it must be the minimum total cost as a single figure, including taxes, duties and unavoidable or pre-selected extra fees. (ACCC, Price displays)
• Advertising a price that is not the total the customer will pay can be misleading. That includes leaving GST out of a consumer-facing price when GST applies. (ACCC, False or misleading claims)
• If you only display prices to other businesses, the ACCC says you do not need to include GST in that total price. (ACCC, Price displays)
• From 1 October 2026, businesses can no longer charge a surcharge for payments made using Visa, Mastercard, American Express or eftpos cards. Other non-card fees may still apply if they are disclosed clearly. (ACCC, Price displays)

Plenty of tradie websites in Gosnells and across south-east Perth list call-out fees, hourly rates or package prices next to the quote form. That is useful for homeowners comparing options on their phone. It also puts you under the ACCC's price display rules the moment a consumer sees the figure.

This is general information about how the ACCC explains price displays under Australian Consumer Law. It is not legal or tax advice. Confirm your GST status with your accountant, and read the ACCC pages linked below if you publish prices online.

What the ACCC means by a total price

The ACCC's price displays guidance says businesses must communicate clear and accurate prices before consumers book, order or purchase, and must not mislead them about price. The core rule for a displayed total is simple:

• Show the total price of the product or service as a single figure.
• That figure must be the minimum total cost: the lowest amount a customer could pay.
• Include taxes, duties and all unavoidable or pre-selected extra fees in that figure.

So if you are registered for GST and you advertise "$150 call-out" to homeowners, the figure they see should already include GST if GST applies to that service. Publishing "$150 + GST" as the only consumer price risks creating the wrong impression about what they will actually pay. (ACCC)

The ACCC's false or misleading claims page also lists quotations, websites, social media and staff statements as places where price information must be accurate, truthful and based on reasonable grounds. Leaving out relevant costs can itself mislead. (ACCC)

When GST does not need to sit in the figure

Two common situations matter for local service businesses:

• You are not charging GST. If you are below the GST registration threshold and you do not charge GST, your displayed price is already the total the customer pays. On your site, say that clearly in plain words. JetBlok's own pricing uses No GST for that reason. Do not invent a discount story around tax.
• You are only quoting other businesses. The ACCC says that if a business is displaying prices only to other businesses, it does not need to include GST in the total price. A passworded trade portal or a B2B rate sheet is different from a public homepage aimed at homeowners. (ACCC)

If your public site mixes homeowner packages and trade rates, keep the consumer-facing numbers as totals, and label any ex-GST trade rates so they are clearly for businesses only.

Drip pricing on quote flows

The ACCC describes drip pricing as advertising a price at the start of an online purchase, then adding fees during the process. For a tradie site that often looks like a "$99 inspection" that becomes a higher figure once travel, after-hours or materials land on the confirmation screen.

The ACCC says businesses must be upfront at the start about the types of fees that will apply and when. Unavoidable fees belong in the minimum total. Optional extras that are not pre-selected do not have to be bundled into that headline figure, but they still need clear disclosure before the customer commits. (ACCC)

Practical website pattern for Perth tradies:

• Put the all-in starting price next to the service, in one number.
• List what is included under it (labour window, suburb coverage, standard parts).
• List what changes the price (after hours, difficult access, materials beyond a stated allowance) before the form submit button.
• Keep the same numbers on your Google Business Profile, flyers and ads so nothing contradicts the site.

Card surcharges from 1 October 2026

The ACCC notes that from 1 October 2026 businesses can no longer charge a surcharge for payments made using Visa, Mastercard, American Express or eftpos credit, debit or prepaid cards. Those rules apply to card payment surcharges. Other fees that are not based on how the customer pays, such as some weekend or public holiday surcharges in hospitality, are treated separately and still need clear disclosure. (ACCC)

If your website, invoice template or booking page still mentions a card surcharge, plan to remove it before that date and update any automated checkout copy.

What this means for a south-east Perth tradie site

Homeowners in Gosnells, Thornlie, Maddington and nearby suburbs often open three tabs: your Google listing, your website, and a competitor. Conflicting prices across those tabs look like drip pricing even when it is only a copy mistake.

• Match your public package prices on the site and on Google Business Profile.
• If you prefer not to publish fixed prices, say so honestly ("fixed quote after a site visit") and make the quote form the path. That is still clearer than a partial figure that grows later.
• Use suburb-aware service copy so someone searching from Canning Vale or Harrisdale can tell you cover them, then send them to a real quote path. Our Gosnells web design page and wider Perth web design hub are built the same way.

Website checklist before you publish a price

• Is the number the minimum total a consumer would pay, including GST if you charge it?
• Are unavoidable fees inside that number, not hidden until the thank-you page?
• Are optional extras labelled as optional, and not pre-ticked?
• Do ads, the Google listing and the website show the same figure?
• If you show more than one price for the same item by mistake, the ACCC says you must charge the lowest displayed price or stop selling until it is corrected. (ACCC)
• Have you removed or scheduled removal of card surcharges before 1 October 2026?

Building or refreshing the site itself? See websites for tradies, our guide to website design cost in Perth for the first year, and the Spam Act rules for SMS and email if you follow up quotes by text.

FAQs

Do I have to put prices on my tradie website?

No. Australian Consumer Law does not force you to publish a price list. If you do publish prices for consumers, the ACCC expects those figures to be clear, accurate and shown as a minimum total cost where the price display rules apply.

Can I show a price as "$150 + GST" on my homepage?

For consumer-facing prices, the safer pattern the ACCC describes is a single total that already includes taxes that apply. "+ GST" as the only figure can leave the wrong impression about the amount payable. Trade-only rates shown only to other businesses are treated differently under the ACCC's guidance.

What if my call-out fee changes by suburb?

Say so before the customer enquires. Either publish suburb-based totals, or state the base total and the travel conditions that change it. Surprises after the form submit look like drip pricing.

Does No GST on a price break any ACCC rule?

Not by itself. If you are not charging GST, the displayed price should simply be what the customer pays. State No GST in plain language when that is true. Do not imply a special discount that does not exist.

General information only, based on ACCC public guidance. Not legal or tax advice. Check current ACCC pages and your accountant before you publish prices.

Want a quote form with clear pricing copy?

JetBlok builds fast websites for tradies and small businesses in Gosnells and across Perth, with pricing blocks, quote forms and Google Business Profile details kept consistent. For local search setup, read our Google Business Profile guide for Perth.

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