Sydney, NSW
Register a Pty Ltd company in Sydney — done in about 15 minutes
Register your Pty Ltd company from anywhere in Sydney in about 15 minutes — ASIC issues your Australian Company Number (ACN) the same business day.
Starting a business in Sydney
Sydney is the largest startup market in the country and the headquarters city for most of Australia's financial services, technology, and professional services sectors. Whether you are launching a SaaS product out of Surry Hills, a consulting practice in the CBD, a trades business in Western Sydney, or an e-commerce brand from the Inner West, the company registration process is identical — it runs through the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), not through any New South Wales agency.
New South Wales does add a few state-level considerations once you are trading. The NSW payroll tax threshold sits at $1.2 million in annual Australian wages, which is one of the lower thresholds in the country, so growing employers cross it sooner than they expect. Workers compensation through icare is mandatory from your first NSW employee, and certain industries — hospitality, construction, security, beauty — need additional NSW licences through Service NSW. None of that affects the company registration itself, but it is worth knowing what is coming once you start hiring.
Does it matter where in Australia you register from?
ASIC runs a single national company register, which means a company registered from Sydney is legally identical to one registered from Perth, Hobart, or anywhere else in Australia. The Certificate of Registration, your Australian Company Number (ACN), and your obligations under the Corporations Act 2001 are the same regardless of which state you lodge from. Your company can trade nationally from day one — there is no separate New South Wales registration step for the company itself.
What Structly includes for Sydney founders
- ASIC Certificate of Registration lodged through Structly as Registered Agent #53096
- Australian Company Number (ACN) issued by ASIC, usually the same business day
- Tailored company constitution covering directors, shareholders and decision-making
- Share certificates and member register set up and ready to file
- Director consent forms (Section 201D) and member consent forms
- Optional 3-year business name registration so your trading name is locked in across Australia
- Digital document pack delivered by email, ready for your accountant or bank
- Brisbane-based support Mon–Fri 8am–5pm AEST on 07 4520 7394 if anything snags
Local considerations
Sydney founders tend to ask three local questions more than anything else. The first is about registered office address. ASIC requires a real New South Wales street address — a CBD coworking space, a suburban office in Parramatta or North Sydney, or your home address all work. PO boxes and parcel lockers do not. If you would rather not list your home, a virtual office provider in the Sydney CBD or Pyrmont costs around $40 to $80 a month and will accept ASIC mail on your behalf.
The second is about industry licences. Sydney has a high concentration of regulated industries — financial services, real estate, construction, hospitality, beauty therapy, security — and many of these need a NSW licence on top of your ASIC company registration. Service NSW is the right starting point: their business concierge can map exactly which permits apply to your activity. Your company exists the day ASIC registers it, but you cannot legally trade in a licensed industry until the relevant NSW licence is also in place.
The third is about payroll tax and workers compensation. NSW's payroll tax threshold is $1.2 million in annual Australian-wide wages (not just NSW wages), which trips up Sydney founders who scale quickly or who pay above-market salaries to a small senior team. Workers compensation insurance through icare is required from your first NSW employee — there is no small-business exemption. Both of these are state-level obligations that sit alongside, not inside, your ASIC company. Your accountant can model when you will cross the payroll tax threshold.
- Local ASIC office
- Grosvenor Place, 225 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
- Local business support
- Service NSW for Business →
- State registrations beyond ASIC
- Beyond ASIC, New South Wales companies that employ staff need to register with Revenue NSW for payroll tax once they cross the $1.2 million annual wages threshold, and take out workers compensation insurance through icare from the first employee. Industry-specific NSW licences (construction, hospitality, security, real estate, beauty) are handled through Service NSW.
FAQs — Sydney businesses
Sydney founders
Register your company today.
ASIC Registered Agent #53096, Brisbane-based, lodging for founders in Sydney and across Australia.