ABN Lookup: Search by ABN, ACN or Business Name

What an ABN lookup actually tells you — and what it doesn't. How to spot a cancelled ABN, read trading names against the legal entity, confirm GST registration, and get emailed if the ABN status changes. Free, no account.

4 min read·Updated Oct 8, 2026

ABN Lookup: Quick Answer

ABN Lookup is the free public view of the Australian Business Register. Search by the 11-digit ABN, a nine-digit ACN or a name, then compare the legal entity and available ABN/GST status fields. A name match is not identity confirmation, and ABN Lookup is not an ASIC director or ownership extract.

ABN: Australian Business Number — 11-digit identifier for any entity dealing with the ATO.
ABR: Australian Business Register — the government body that maintains ABN records.
GST status: Whether the entity is registered for Goods and Services Tax (10% VAT equivalent).
Coverage: Every active + cancelled ABN since 2000 — 11+ million records.

Search the Australian Business Register right here — by 11-digit ABN, 9-digit ACN or business name. Free, no account.

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ABN lookup tool →ACN lookup tool →Australia company data →

Use the free lookup above to search an ABN, ACN or name. Inspect the result's source and freshness rather than assuming every response is live or complete. The rest of this guide explains how to distinguish ABN evidence from company-registration, GST and officer questions.

Which Australian register answers your question?

Use official ABN Lookup for the ABN record and supplied GST information. Use ASIC company and organisation search for company-registration and extract options. An ABN can belong to a sole trader, trust or partnership; it is not proof of incorporation and does not provide a universal director list. See the Australian registry guide for identity and coverage limitations.

What to do with an ambiguous or missing result

Ask for the exact ABN or ACN on the counterparty's documents. Compare the legal entity name, entity type and effective status dates; a trading brand may differ from the legal name. A similar name is only a candidate. An empty result can reflect spelling, historical names, cancellation, source availability or coverage limits. Record an outage as unavailable, not as evidence that the business is unregistered.

Keep evidence without overstating it

Save the exact identifier, source URL, query date and returned fields. Leave absent fields marked unavailable. A downloaded LemReveal record is not an ASIC-certified extract, a credit report or an ownership certificate. If the task needs officers or historical documents, check the official ASIC document options and their charges before commissioning further research.

ABN Lookup is the public view of the Australian Business Register. Its records describe ABN information, not every aspect of company registration. Use the official service's current search options and access terms.

What an ABN Actually Is

An Australian Business Number is an 11-digit identifier assigned by the ATO to any entity dealing with the tax office — companies, sole traders, trusts, partnerships, super funds. It's the primary business ID in Australia and is required to register for GST, PAYG, and to raise a tax invoice.

Using ABN Lookup: Step by Step

Go to abr.business.gov.au. The search bar accepts:

An 11-digit ABN

A 9-digit ACN

An entity or trading name (partial matching supported)

A postcode

Results show the ABN, entity type, status, GST registration, and trading names.

What Each Field Means

Entity Type — legal structure (Australian Private Company, Sole Trader, etc.)

Status — Active or Cancelled

ABN Status From — the date the current status took effect

Entity Name — the registered legal name

Business Names — trading names (from ASIC's Business Names Register)

GST — registered/not registered + effective dates

DGR Endorsement — Deductible Gift Recipient status (relevant for charities)

GST Registration: Why It Matters

An ABN alone does not authorise charging GST. The entity must be separately registered for GST — required if annual turnover exceeds AUD 75,000. If you receive a tax invoice from an entity not registered for GST, you cannot claim the GST portion as a credit.

ABN vs ACN vs TFN

ABN — 11 digits. Business identifier. Public.

ACN — 9 digits. Company-only identifier from ASIC. Public.

TFN — 9 digits. Tax File Number for individuals or entities. Private.

Bulk ABN Lookup via API

The free ABN Lookup Web Services API returns JSON/XML for programmatic access. Register for a GUID at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/WebServices. LemReveal integrates this API into its Company Lookup tool so you can search ABN alongside Companies House, EDGAR, and 24 other national registries.

Common Pitfalls

Treating a cancelled ABN as an automatic fraud or invoice-validity verdict — clarify the status dates and contracting entity.

Assuming ABN means GST-registered — check GST separately.

Matching only a trading name — compare the exact ABN and legal entity.

Expecting ABN Lookup to disclose directors or ultimate owners — check the relevant official document service instead.

Ask this page

Step-by-Step

1
Choose the source
Use the lookup on this page or official ABN Lookup at abr.business.gov.au. Check the result's actual source and retrieval date; an unavailable or cached response is not a new live verification.
2
Search by ABN, ACN, or name
Enter the 11-digit ABN, the 9-digit ACN, or the entity/trading name. Partial name search is supported.
3
Check GST registration
The result shows current + historical GST status. This matters for issuing tax invoices — non-GST entities can't charge GST.
4
Verify entity type + status
Confirm the exact ABN, legal name and available entity type. Record Active or Cancelled and its effective date. Cancellation is a registry fact to clarify, not proof of fraud or a substitute for an ASIC company-status check.
5
Download the ABN details PDF
Click 'Print' → 'Save as PDF' for a timestamped record. Useful for compliance evidence and vendor onboarding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ABN Lookup free?+

Yes — abr.business.gov.au is completely free with no login required. Bulk API access (ABN Lookup Web Services) is also free but requires registering for a GUID.

What's the difference between an ABN and an ACN?+

ACN (Australian Company Number) is a 9-digit ID for companies only, issued by ASIC. ABN (Australian Business Number) is 11 digits and issued to any entity that deals with the ATO — companies, sole traders, trusts, partnerships. Companies have both; sole traders only have an ABN.

Can I check GST registration on ABN Lookup?+

Yes. Every ABN result shows current and historical GST registration status with effective dates. Verify GST status before accepting a tax invoice — invoices from non-registered entities can't include GST.

How often is ABN Lookup updated?+

Check the effective dates on the official record and the retrieval date on your lookup. Do not assume every business change appears immediately or promise a fixed update window; a cached copy can differ from the current official response.

Can I bulk-lookup ABNs?+

Yes — via the free ABN Lookup Web Services API. LemReveal's Company Lookup wraps this API and cross-references it with 24 other national registries in one search.

What is this number?

Paste any business identifier — VAT, LEI, company number, DUNS, ABN, CNPJ, CIN, CIK — and we will tell you what it is and who issues it. Where this decoder supports the identifier's check digit, it also validates it; other results are clearly marked as format-only matches.

Nothing leaves your browser — the check runs locally.

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