Registered Business Names have changed:  

What Businesses Need to Know 

 From November 2025, new rules came into effect that change how business and trading names appear on government registers. 
 
Why this matters for Australian businesses: 

The Australian Business Register has stopped displaying trading names that are not formally registered with ASIC. This helps reduce confusion, prevents mismatched records, and ensures that businesses can clearly identify who they are working with. 
 
For business owners, this matters because accurate business naming supports clear communication with the ATO, banks, government agencies, and your own customers. 
 
Key points to understand: 
 

• From 1 November 2025, the ABR no longer publishes trading names. 
  
• Only ASIC-registered business names and legal entity names will appear. 
  
• Any unregistered trading names will be removed from public records. 
   
  What businesses should do now? 
   
  If you haven’t already done so, it is worth checking the status of your business name by: 
   
• Checking if your operating or trading name is registered with ASIC. 
  
• If you are still using an old trading name that was grandfathered on the ABR, you need to register it formally if you want to continue using it. 
   
  Protecting your business name ownership is critical!
• Imagine the impact on your business if one of your competitors got hold of your business name.
• A small amount of time in checking this area now could save a lot of heartache and money down the track. 
   
  If you are unsure how to check where you stand, we suggest you reach out to your advisor to do so for you. 
   
  Beam can assist in this space. 
   
  Beam Bookkeeping 
  [email protected]  
  www.beambk.com.au  
  (02) 4957 3174