Understanding your tax requirements is essential for any business. Your business tax obligations will vary according to the type of business you run, the number of employees you have and benefits you offer.

Our tax topic has information on how to lodge and pay your taxes as well as help you understand the different types of taxations that may apply to your business, including:

• Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT)
• Income tax for business
• Capital Gains Tax (CGT)
• Payroll tax
• Land tax
• Pay as You Go (PAYG) instalments
• Tax deductions
• Tax differences between a sole trader and a company.

How do I register for taxes?

You can register for your business taxes using the Business Registration Service.

If you are unsure what taxes you need to register for read our page on what taxes do I need to register for? You can also seek advice from your accountant or search Advisory Services to find a business advisor in your area.

For information on other registration types, such as registering for an ABN, have a look at our register your business page.

Who can apply?

The Business Registration Service is available for:

• New businesses starting as a sole trader, partnership, company, trust, joint venture or superannuation fund who can apply for tax registrations with an ABN, business name or company registration.
• Existing businesses with an ABN, who can apply for tax registrations or an AUSkey login.

Register your business

Paying your taxes

Paying your tax online is a fast, convenient and secure way to do business. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) offers a range of online services to make compliance easier. To ensure that your privacy is protected you need an AUSkey to access most of the services below:

• lodge monthly, quarterly or annual activity statements
• update your Australian Business Number (ABN) details
• lodge Pay As You Go (PAYG) summary reports
• lodge excise fuel grants schemes claims
• lodge superannuation statements and reports
• submit and access temporary residents' online applications.

If you're a sole trader and you have a myGov account linked to the ATO, you'll also be able to log in to the ATO's online services for individuals to:

• lodge, view and revise activity statements
• manage your Pay As You Go (PAYG) instalments.

You can also apply online for an ABN, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and PAYG withholding through the Business Registration Service.

Tax can be paid electronically by BPAY, direct credit or direct debit. You can also make mail payments or Australian Post Office payments.

Record keeping and taxation

Good business records help you manage your business and make sound business decisions. Business records are also useful if you want to sell your business.

Under tax law, you must keep records to record and explain your business transactions. You're required to keep records relating to income tax, Goods and Services Tax (GST), payments to employees and business payments.

You can keep your records on paper or electronically. A variety of electronic record keeping packages are available.

• Read the Australian Taxation Office's managing your small business records page about paper and electronic record keeping and reporting.
• Visit our Finance topic for information on setting up a basic bookkeeping system.
• Use the Record keeping evaluation tool to decide what records you need to keep.
• Visit the Standard Business Reporting (SBR) website to find out how registering for SBR can save you time and money.

ATO tools to help you

The ATO offers a number of tools and services to help small businesses keep on top of taxation matters, including:

• Small business assist - provides easy access to information for a range of taxation matters.
• Small business webinars - free webinars on a range of taxation topics.
• Small business superannuation clearing house - a free online service to help you meet your super obligations for your employees.
• ATO app - a free app consisting of a range of tools to make it easier for you to conduct your tax and super affairs.
• Business assistance program - register for assistance from an ATO officer with your tax and super obligations, activity statements and ATO's digital services.

Find out more

• Do you conduct research and development (R&D) in your business? Learn about the R&D Tax Incentive to see if your R&D activities are eligible.
• Read more about the Business Assistance Program run by the Australian Taxation Office. The service offers tailored support for businesses on tax, super and GST.
• Check out our information on what you need to consider when setting up accounting systems for your business.