Cancel a business name registration
Key points:
- If you do not need your business name anymore, you will need to cancel your registration. This might be because you are closing or selling your business.
- When you cancel a business name, it is listed as cancelled on the register.
- Business name holders can cancel business names online.
- You can also authorise someone else to cancel a business name for you.
When to cancel a business name
You can cancel a business name you do not need anymore. This could be because you are:
- selling the business
- closing the business
- changing the business name.
ASIC can cancel business names, too. This is different from when you choose to cancel your business name:
Who can cancel a business name
Business names can be cancelled by:
- business name holders
- people authorised to act for business name holders
- ASIC.
After you cancel a business name
When you ask us to cancel a business name, we will send out a ‘notice of intent to cancel’ to the business name holder. A month after you submit the application, we will cancel the business name. It will stay on the business names register but the registration will be listed as cancelled.
To confirm the business name has been cancelled, we will send another written notice to the business name holder listed on the business name register.
We will not refund any registration costs you have already paid.
After you cancel a business name, no one else can use it for 6 months. In this time, you can ask us to restore the business name if you change your mind.
If you do not cancel a business name
If you do not cancel your business name, ASIC will continue to send mail about the business to the email or postal address that we have recorded. This includes reminders to renew the business name registration.
If you do not renew the registration, we will cancel the business name.
How to cancel a business name registration
Before you start
The addresses and other details must be current. This allows ASIC to keep the right people informed about the process. You can update your business details online.
To use ASIC Connect
If you are the business name holder, you will need to sign up for an ASIC Connect account and have your business name linked if you haven’t already. Find out how to do this:
People acting for business name holders
To cancel a business name for someone else, you must have proof that the business name holder authorises you to do it.
The business name holder can give you either:
- their ASIC key
- written authorisation from the business name holder saying you can ask us for their ASIC key.
Log in to your account
Log in to ASIC Connect using your username and password.
Start transaction
- Select the ‘Lodgements and notifications’ tab.
- Select the business name you want to cancel.
- Select ‘Cancel/transfer’ business name’.
- Select the ‘Go button’.
Make the changes
On the page ‘Cancellation details’, select the ‘I would like to cancel the business name’ option. Then select the ‘Next’ button.
Save and exit or continue
At this point, you can ‘Save and exit’ or continue to review your request. If you select ‘Save and exit’ you can complete the process later.
Review and confirm
Check that the information displayed is correct. If it’s not, you can select the ‘Back’ button to make any changes.
Select the ‘Submit’ button to continue.
Declare and submit
- Read the declaration to make sure you agree with it. If you do, select the ‘Yes’ button.
- Select the ‘Submit’ button to submit the form.
- You’ll get a message that confirms your request has been submitted.
- Select ‘Document acknowledgement’ if you want to download a PDF version of the documents. You can print or save the PDF for your records.