Quick answer
An ACN (Australian Company Number) is the unique nine-digit number ASIC gives a company when it is registered. It identifies that company in law and must appear on its invoices, letterhead and contracts. Business lenders use the ACN to search ASIC's records for the company's status and officeholders, to register security on the PPSR, and to name the borrower correctly in loan documents.
Key points
- Nine digits, issued by ASIC only to registered companies
- A company's ABN is usually its ACN with two check digits in front
- Lenders search the ACN to confirm the company is registered and to see who its directors are
- Sole traders, partnerships and trusts don't have an ACN, though a corporate trustee does
An ACN is a company’s legal fingerprint. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) issues this nine-digit number at the moment a company is registered, and no other company will ever share it, even if the original is later deregistered.
ACN or ABN: which is which?
People mix them up constantly, partly because they look so alike. ASIC’s own illustration uses ACN 123 456 789, with the matching ABN 36 123 456 789. The company number sits inside the business number, with two check digits on the front.
| ACN | ABN | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | ASIC | Australian Business Register |
| Length | 9 digits | 11 digits |
| Who gets one | Registered companies only | Any enterprise: sole trader, partnership, trust or company |
| Main job | Identifies the company in law | Identifies the business for tax and dealings |
A sole trader has an ABN but no ACN. A company almost always has both.
Where the ACN has to appear
The Corporations Act requires a company to show its name and ACN (or an ABN that contains it) on the first page of key documents: invoices, statements of account, letterhead, orders for goods, official notices and anything lodged with ASIC. Business cards, envelopes, vehicle signage and packaging don’t need it.
Lenders notice when this is missing. An invoice with only a trading name and no company number can prompt questions about which entity actually earns the revenue, and that matters when the borrower is supposed to be the company.
Three ways a lender uses your ACN
1. The ASIC search. Before approving a loan to a company, the assessor searches the ACN on ASIC’s registers. They’re checking that the company is registered (not deregistered or in external administration), how long it has existed, and who the current directors and shareholders are. If the directors on ASIC’s record don’t match the people applying, the file stops until it’s explained.
2. The PPSR registration. When a loan is secured over company assets such as equipment, vehicles or stock, the lender registers its interest on the PPSR. For a company, the grantor is identified by its ACN. Get the number wrong and the registration may not protect the lender, which is why they’re fussy about it.
3. The loan documents. The contract names the borrower exactly, ACN included. Directors are then usually asked to sign a director guarantee, which is why company loans still look at the directors’ personal credit and assets.
If you’re wondering how a company structure changes your options, a short enquiry will get you a straight answer.
Example: the trust with two numbers
Many family businesses trade through a discretionary trust. The trust itself has no ACN, because it isn’t a company. What it often has is a corporate trustee: a company that holds the assets and signs contracts on the trust’s behalf.
Picture a mechanical workshop run by the Nguyen Family Trust, with Nguyen Holdings Pty Ltd as trustee. A loan offer would name the borrower as something like “Nguyen Holdings Pty Ltd ACN 000 000 000 as trustee for the Nguyen Family Trust ABN 00 000 000 000” (numbers illustrative only). The ACN belongs to the trustee company; the ABN belongs to the trust. The lender will also ask for the trust deed to confirm the trustee has power to borrow. Our page on business loans for trusts goes further.
Don’t confuse it with your director ID
Since the director identification regime began, every company director needs a 15-digit director ID. That number belongs to the person, not the company, and follows you from one board to the next. A lender may ask for both: the ACN to identify the borrower, and your director details to identify the guarantor.
Related terms
- ABN: the broader business number, usually built from the ACN for companies
- Corporate trustee: a company, with its own ACN, acting for a trust
- Director guarantee: the personal promise that sits behind most company loans
- PPSR: the register where lenders record security over company assets
Weighing up whether to borrow through the company or personally? Our guide comparing company and sole trader borrowing covers the trade-offs.
Borrowing through your company?
Company loans aren’t harder, they just involve a few more names and numbers. Have your ACN, the directors’ details and a rough figure in mind, then spend a minute on our form. We don’t run a credit check when you enquire, so there’s nothing to worry about on your file. Your enquiry isn’t fanned out to dozens of lenders either; a person here reviews it and rings you to talk it through. Enter the company’s details exactly as ASIC holds them and we can match you properly from the start, whether that’s an unsecured business loan or something secured.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an ACN and an ABN?
ASIC issues the ACN when a company is registered, and only companies have one. The Australian Business Register issues an ABN to any enterprise, whatever its structure. A company normally holds both, and its ABN usually contains its ACN as the last nine digits.
Do I need an ACN to get a business loan?
Only if you borrow through a company. Sole traders and partnerships borrow under their ABN and personal names. If your business runs through a family trust with a company as trustee, the trustee company's ACN will appear in the loan documents.
Is my ACN the same as my director ID?
No. The ACN belongs to the company. A director ID is a separate 15-digit number that belongs to you personally as a director, and it stays with you across every company you're a director of.
How do lenders use my ACN?
They search ASIC's registers to confirm the company is registered and not under external administration, check who the directors and shareholders are, and use the ACN when registering any security interest over company assets on the PPSR.
Where do I find my company's ACN?
It's on your ASIC certificate of registration and annual statement, and you can search the company name free on ASIC's registers.