With the lawn mowing industry in Australia worth over $3bn and showing signs of steady growth, it’s never been a better time to start up your own lawn mowing business. With the right business strategy, lawn mowing can be lucrative.
If you have lawn mowing skills and are looking to start your own business in Australia, you’ll need to get an Australian Business Number (ABN). We’ll explain everything you need to know.
What is an ABN?
The Australian Business Number is a unique 11-digit number issued by the government that verifies your business to the authorities and wider community. Although it isn’t directly linked to your tax file number, it’s used for tax and commercial purposes.
Who needs an ABN?
All business holders will need an ABN. It’s required to operate, so legally, it is essential for anyone with their own business, even as a part-time or full-time lawn mowing provider. Only those carrying on or starting an Australian business are legally entitled to apply for an ABN.
Benefits for Your Lawn Mowing Business
Firstly, it means your business can be identified and verified by clients, authorities, and suppliers for ordering and invoicing.
Clients aren’t likely to choose you to provide lawn mowing services for them if you don’t have a legitimate company that they can find on the ABN lookup or do business with in terms of supplying materials. In turn, this could potentially lead to a damaged reputation and less income.
Another important advantage of an ABN is the possibility of getting an Australian domain name to help market to your prospective audience of clients needing their lawns mowed. It is actually a requirement, and you can't get a .au domain name without having an ABN first.
Just like other business holders, lawn mowing providers can avoid PAYG on payments received once an ABN is gained. Other benefits include being able to claim Goods and Services Tax (GST) credits and energy grant credits for financial gain.
Mark Thompson
How to get an ABN?
Getting hold of your ABN is straightforward. They are totally free, making it even easier for you to get one.
All you need to do is go to the Australian Business Register and complete the short form. Applications will be processed faster if as much information as possible can be provided, including the tax file number of your lawn mowing business.
It takes 20 business days for applications to be reviewed, and if successful, you will receive your 11-digit ABN immediately.
You can then apply for other corporate registrations, including GST and energy grant credits for financial benefit.
