With the lawn mowing industry in Australia worth $3bn and only 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). In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about getting your ABN.
What is an ABN?
In short, an ABN is an Australian Business Number, 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 that will be integral to your lawn mowing business.
Who needs an ABN?
All business holders will need an ABN – it’s required in order to operate, so legally 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.
What does an ABN do for your lawn mowing business?
Firstly, it means your business can be legitimately identified and verifies the company to 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 prospect audience of clients needing their lawns mowed. It is actually a requirement and you can't get a 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. You need one to register with us - we verify all our service providers against their ABNs, and you cannot register or receive work leads from us without an ABN.
How much does an ABN cost?
ABNs are totally free, making it even easier for you to get one.
What do I need to do to get an ABN?
Getting hold of your ABN is extremely simple and straightforward. 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 typically 20 business days for applications to be reviewed, and if successful, business holders will receive their 11-digit ABNs immediately.
What next once your ABN has been registered?
You can then apply for other corporate registrations, including GST and energy grant credits for financial benefit. You can read our article for a bunch of tips on how to get and keep customers for your lawn mowing service.
