What is an ABN?
An ABN is an 11-digit Australian Business Number from the Australian Business Register. It identifies a business or organization in tax, invoicing, government, and public lookup contexts. Companies, sole traders, partnerships, trusts, and charities can hold ABNs, so it is broader than an ASIC company number.
Full name: Australian Business Number
Short explanation
The Australian Business Number is the Australian Business Register identifier used by businesses and organizations that deal with government, invoice customers, or operate an enterprise in Australia. It can belong to many structures, including companies, sole traders, partnerships, trusts, super funds, and charities. For company-register work, ABN is read alongside the ASIC-issued ACN so tax-facing business identity is not confused with the registered-company identifier.
Related platform: Entity graph - resolved organization records
How it’s used
- Australian business lookup: ABN Lookup exposes public ABR details so users can check a business name, ABN status, entity type, and GST registration where available.
- Australian company records: ASIC company rows may include ABN and ACN values, letting data systems keep business registration and company registration distinct.
- Fonteum treats ABN as a jurisdiction-specific identifier and preserves the source, date, and limitation next to the resolved organization record.
Frequently asked questions
- How many digits are in an ABN?
- An ABN has 11 digits and identifies a business or organization in the Australian Business Register.
- Is an ABN only for companies?
- No. Companies can hold ABNs, but so can sole traders, partnerships, trusts, charities, and other organizations that meet ABR entitlement rules.
- How is an ABN different from an ACN?
- An ABN is a broad business and tax-facing identifier. An ACN is the ASIC company identifier issued only to registered companies.
Explore in Fonteum
How Fonteum sources, resolves, and publishes data tied to this term.