ABN vs ACN: what is the difference?
An ABN is an 11-digit Australian Business Number used by businesses and organizations for tax and government dealings. An ACN is a nine-digit Australian Company Number issued to registered companies by ASIC. A company can have both: the ACN identifies the company, while the ABN identifies the business for broader dealings.
Full name: Australian Business Number Compared with Australian Company Number
Short explanation
The Australian Business Number is maintained through the Australian Business Register and can be held by companies, sole traders, partnerships, trusts, and other organizations carrying on an enterprise. The Australian Company Number is assigned by ASIC only to companies registered under the Corporations Act. In entity-resolution work, ABN is the wider business identifier and ACN is the company-registration identifier.
Related platform: Entity graph - resolved organization records
How it’s used
- Australian business lookup: ABN Lookup exposes ABN records for businesses and organizations that deal with government and the public.
- Company identity: ACN anchors the registered-company record, while ABN can identify a broader business or tax-facing entity.
- Fonteum keeps ABN and ACN as jurisdiction-specific identifiers so Australian company records can be linked without confusing tax registration with company registration.
Frequently asked questions
- Does every Australian company have an ACN?
- Companies registered with ASIC receive an ACN. Other business structures, such as sole traders, may have an ABN without an ACN.
- Can a company have both an ABN and an ACN?
- Yes. A registered company can have an ACN as its company identifier and an ABN for tax, invoicing, and public business dealings.
- Which number should you look up first?
- Use the identifier that matches the question: ABN for broad business-registration and tax-facing details, ACN for the registered company record.
Explore in Fonteum
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