Start and register a business
Choose the structure, check the name and work through the registrations.
Start with: Questions to answer before you startFree, independent guides for Australian small business
Run your small business with confidence
Plain-English help with the things that actually trip up Australian business owners — tax and BAS, choosing software, business structures, cash flow and getting customers.
100% free to read Written for Australia No jargon, no waffle
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Find your next step
What are you working on today?
Choose the task in front of you. Each reading guide puts the useful checks and worked examples in order.
Organise the books and BAS
Build a bookkeeping routine, sort out a transaction or find registered help.
Start with: Set up an everyday bookkeeping routineGet paid and plan your cash
Remove invoice delays and check what the bank balance needs to cover.
Start with: Build a cash-flow forecastUnderstand costs and profit
Cost the sale, explain a margin change and compare the next operating decision.
Start with: Read your profit and loss statementChoose accounting software
Compare tools around the work, access and budget your business needs.
Start with: Compare accounting softwareHire and look after your team
Work through roles, pay, paperwork and the first day with a new employee.
Start with: Use the first-employee checklistWork it out
Free calculators for everyday decisions
Check GST, test a price and see how many sales will cover your costs.
Australian GST Calculator: Add or Remove 10% GST
Work out the GST-exclusive price, GST amount and total for an ordinary taxable sale in Australia. Choose whether your starting figure already includes GST.
Calculate nowBreak-Even Calculator for Small Business
Find how many sales you need each month to cover operating costs, then test a profit target. Use one product, one service or a realistic average sale.
Calculate nowProfit Margin & Markup Calculator
See what you keep from each sale before overheads. Compare margin with markup, or work backwards from the margin you want to a selling price.
Calculate nowHourly Rate Calculator for Sole Traders & Freelancers
Build a rate from the income you need and the hours you can actually invoice. Adjust time off and unpaid admin to see their effect on your pricing floor.
Calculate nowNew on the site
Recently published guides
The latest additions to our library. For a suggested reading order, choose a task above.
Business insurance payout: organise the accounting evidence
Break an insurance settlement into components, match the bank receipt and replacement costs, and prepare the questions your accountant needs answered.
Changing accountants: hand over tax records and open questions
Transfer lodged returns, asset schedules, loss records and unfinished tax work with a practical handover matrix that confirms who owns each next obligation.
How to reconcile an ATO account statement with your books
Match ATO account entries to lodged liabilities, bank payments and transfers, then use a discrepancy log to explain balances that do not agree with your books.
Is your tax reserve enough? Check savings against the bills
Compare your tax savings with estimated GST and income tax, check credits already allowed for, and find a shortfall before the payment date arrives.
Lending money to your company: keep a clear funding record
Record personal money paid into your company, distinguish an agreed loan from capital or reimbursement, and keep repayments matched to the right balance.
Platform income statements: match sales, fees and payouts
Reconcile a marketplace or gig-platform statement to sales, refunds, fees and bank payouts, with a worked bridge between calendar and financial-year totals.
Why this site
Advice that fits how Australia actually works
Our guides cover the Australian registrations, records and everyday decisions you need to work through, including the ATO, GST, ASIC, awards and super.
- Australian-specific. BAS, GST, ABNs, STP — the acronyms you actually deal with, explained without assuming prior knowledge.
- Practical first. Every guide ends with clear next steps, not theory. Checklists, comparisons and worked examples throughout.
- Dates and sources. Guides show when they were published and link to sources so you can check rules and figures before acting.
- Free and independent. No paywalls. Where we compare products we say what's good and what isn't.
New to business? Don't start with guesswork.
Get your structure, registrations and plan right the first time — it's far cheaper than fixing them later.
Read the starting-out guides