From 1 November 2025, the Australian Business Register (ABR) will no longer display trading names.
Whilst the impact for the majority of businesses will be minimal, it is prudent to double-check that your business name is registered properly to avoid potential issues with copycats or regulatory action.
What is a trading name?
A trading name is simply an alias or secondary name that sole traders and partnerships use to brand themselves. In most cases, trading names are used in addition to a registered name, but plenty of business owners are trading under any name they choose.
Trading names are unregistered and have no legal protection. While they do not need ASIC approval, they also do not protect from infringement or imitation.
What’s changing?
The ABR has been gradually retiring trading names. This process officially kicked off in May 2012. Since then, the ABR has not collected or updated trading names.
Initially, the plan was to retire trading names by 1 November 2018. However, the transition period was extended for another five years until 31 October 2023 and now another two years until 1 November 2025.
When you conduct a business name check from 1 November 2025, the ABR will no longer display trading names. Only an entity’s legal name and registered business names will appear.
Will trading names automatically become registered business names?
No. Trading names and business names are different, and there is no automatic transition. Businesses can no longer use or be identified by trading names. This means if you want your business to be searchable on ABN Lookup, you have three options:
1. Register a business name
2. Trade under your legal entity name (e.g. ABC Pty Ltd)
3. Trade under your own name (e.g. John Smith)
Trading names vs business names
Trading names are unregistered. Business names are registered on the ABR and protected under Australian law.
ASIC oversees business name registration, both approving business names and protecting brands from infringement.
What you need to do if you are still using an unregistered trading name
Register a business name immediately to ensure ASIC has no reason to take regulatory action.
If you registered a business name before May 2012, you may not have an Australian Business Number (ABN) linked to your business name. Adding an ABN to your business name allows your business to be searchable through the Australian Business Register (ABR) records. You can link your ABN and business name online through ASIC Connect.
If you registered a business name between May 2012 and today, check your details are correct. You can do this through the Australian Government’s ABN Lookup tool, which links to ABR records.
If you need assistance, please feel free to contact us on (08) 6389 5222.