AUD $220 for a 1 year business name registration (all-inclusive, and including all govt fees and GST)

AUD $357 for a 3 year business name registration (all-inclusive, and including all govt fees and GST)

Payable online by credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard or Amex) via a Secure automated online Westpac accredited payment system or via PayPal.

Because you will be controlling the process, and because the process is an automated online 24/7 electronic system, the time it takes will ultimately depend upon the pace at which you proceed. However a reasonable time to expect to take to apply is around 5 – 10 minutes. And the majority of customers get their business name protected within a few minutes of submitting the application online, even if they do so after hours (e.g. even at Midnight or on weekends). Occasionally however, the ASIC back end computer system (to which TradingAs.com.au submits the application) goes 'down' which causes a delay - but the TradingAs.com.au system is designed to allow for such ASIC down periods, and to keep you informed about where things are at, and ensures that all 'comes good' once the ASIC system 'comes good'.

TradingAs.com.au will simply ask you some simple questions, one at a time, which you will mostly answer by 'pointing and clicking'. Sometimes you will type in the answers (for example when the question asks for the name/s and address/s of the person or company who will be trading under the business name).

Guidance is available for all but the most basic of questions. There is also a free 1300 helpline (1300 653 373) answered from 9am to 5pm Sydney/Melbourne Time, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays), if you have any questions or happen to need any assistance.

When you have finished answering TradingAs.com.au's questions you will be presented with a summary of your proposed application. Then if you wish to go ahead, you will make a single, all-up, secure online card (or PayPal) payment of AUD $220 (if registering for 1 year) or AUD $357 (if registering for 3 years) and proceed to lodge the application online.

Yes, since 28 May 2012, in order to register a business name in Australia, the person, company or 'entity' proposing to trade under the business name, must first have an ABN (or an ABN application reference number).

An ABN may be applied for, at no cost, through the following government website run by the Australian Taxation Office -

www.abr.gov.au

Yes, you will receive onscreen, and automatically by email, an official ASIC Record of Registration of Business Name (in pdf format).

Yes, you will receive onscreen, and automatically by email, an ASIC Key for the registered business name. (An ASIC Key is a secret and unique code to be used when making updates of any of the details recorded at ASIC relating to the business name.)

No, you do not have to pre-register or create an account before using TradingAs.com.au. You can just start using TradingAs.com.au (and without paying anything) simply by clicking the large red "Start" button on the home page. However, if you want to save your inputs for your possible future use you will have to create a username/PIN combination of your choice.

1. Automated, electronic online 24/7 service.
2. Up even when the ASIC system is down.
3. No meetings or conferences - you won't have to make an appointment, meet with, confer with, or communicate with a solicitor, accountant, or business name registration agent; you simply interact with the TradingAs.com.au computer program.
4. No to-ing and fro-ing - you won't need to send any documents or other items to or from a solicitor, accountant, or business name registration agent, for signing or other purposes.
5. Available anytime - you can apply online to register a business name 24/7.
6. Mistake free - it is almost impossible to make a procedural mistake. TradingAs.com.au will 'pull you up' if you do. For example, if you try to register a business name which is already registered TradingAs.com.au will give you a message telling you that this is not possible.
7. Proceed and ponder at your own pace - take as long as you like (subject to a 12hr session inactivity timeout - but even this is of no concern if you choose to save your inputs for your possible future use).
8. Always up to date - TradingAs.com.au is constantly monitored and updated as necessary in order to ensure that it takes into account any relevant changes to the Business Names Registrations Act 2011 (and regulations) and any relevant changes to associated ASIC procedures and policies.

No, it's dead easy. And you won't be confronted with unintelligible error messages, nor crazy or confusing questions or layout, nor inept system design.

Strictly, none.

TradingAs.com.au will ask you, as you go along, for the relevant information. Also, you can spend as long as you like in the TradingAs.com.au website.

However, if you want to minimise your time on the TradingAs.com.au website you may first want to gather the following basic and essential information -

• The proposed business name.
• The ABN and name and address of the person or company proposing to trade under the business name.
• The physical (non PO Box) address of the proposed principal place of business in Australia of the business (this could be your home address).
• The physical (non PO Box) address for service of documents on the business (an address in Australia where documents may be officially served on the business - this may be the business's principal place of business but it need not be - and it could be your home address).
• The email address for the receipt of any ongoing correspondence from the government/ASIC as regards the business name.

By using a Westpac accredited secure automated online internet payment system (PayFlow Pro), built by VeriSign (the world's leading provider of digital trust services) and now owned by PayPal, operating within a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and certified by SECTIGO / COMODO. The payment system is specifically designed to safeguard customer payments over the Internet. Credit card numbers and other credit card details are transmitted in an encrypted form and are never seen or stored by TradingAs.com.au.

You can also choose to pay through PayPal. In this case you will be taken directly to a payment page on the PayPal website which, like TradingAs.com.au itself, is secured with industry strength protection. [And after paying on the PayPal website, you will automatically be taken back to the TradingAs.com.au website, to finish off the proposed business name registration.]

All information and data you enter into TradingAs.com.au is encrypted within a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) prior to it being transmitted (so that in the extremely unlikely event that it was ever intercepted, it would not be able to be read by the interceptor).

Further, TradingAs.com.au will not disclose any information transmissions it receives from users (other than information which it transmits electronically to ASIC), unless compelled by law, or unless the user has committed a fraud, or otherwise engaged in illegal activity, in relation to the user's usage of TradingAs.com.au.

Further, this website uses the Google AdWords remarketing service to potentially advertise on third party websites (including Google) specifically to previous visitors of this website (either generally and regardless of what those previous users have done or not done on this website, or specifically – for example, only to those previous visitors who have not purchased from this website). Such third party websites (including Google) can know that their visitors have previously visited this website (and thus know to potentially display this website’s advertisements) because this website has allowed Google to place a so called ‘cookie’ on the computers of such visitors. Visitors of this website may opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting Google’s Ads Settings webpage.

If you use TradingAs.com.au and find that ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) rejects the registration of your business name, despite your having complied with the TradingAs.com.au system and all its guidelines, TradingAs.com.au will refund what you have paid it, if you promptly apply for a refund following the rejection and if you do so before requesting that we give you further advice or take further steps on your behalf in relation to the rejection.

Yes, Incorporator.com.au (Australia's only triple awarded automated online company registration system).

You may phone 1300 653 373 or email mail@tradingas.com.au. If you phone between 9am to 5pm Sydney/Melbourne Time, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays), TradingAs.com.au staff will generally be able to take your call immediately, otherwise you can leave a message.