Australia ABN Lookup

Search the Australian Business Register (ABR) for any business entity by ABN, ACN, business name, or postcode. This Apify actor queries the official ABR JSON API maintained by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to retrieve structured data on registered businesses -- including entity name, registration status, entity type, GST registration, business names, ACN, state, postcode, and location details. Filter by state or territory, auto-detect query type, and receive clean JSON output ready for due diligence, lead generation, compliance screening, or integration into business intelligence workflows.

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Why use Australia ABN Lookup?

Accessing the Australian Business Register programmatically requires registering for a free API GUID, constructing the correct endpoint URLs for different search types (ABN lookup, ACN lookup, name search), handling JSONP response formatting with callback stripping, parsing nested entity data, and normalizing the output into a consistent structure. This actor handles all of that complexity for you. Provide your search query, click Start (or call the API), and receive clean, structured JSON with every field normalized and ready for analysis. No code to write, no JSONP parsing to debug, no infrastructure to maintain.

Running on Apify's cloud platform gives you scheduled runs for continuous business monitoring, built-in dataset storage with export to JSON, CSV, and Excel, and one-click integrations with Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, and hundreds of other services. For compliance teams, this means automated daily or weekly verification of ABN registrations. For lead generation workflows, it means bulk business discovery by name or postcode that would take hours through the ABR website completed in seconds.

The ABR API GUID is completely free to obtain from the Australian Government. There are no usage charges from the ABR, and the actor itself runs on minimal compute resources (128 MB memory), making it one of the most cost-effective ways to access Australian business registration data at scale.

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Key features

• Three search modes -- Look up businesses by ABN (11 digits), ACN (9 digits), business name, or Australian postcode (4 digits)
• Intelligent auto-detection -- Automatically determines whether your query is an ABN, ACN, postcode, or name based on regex pattern matching of the input format
• Automatic enrichment -- Name search results are automatically enriched with full ABN details (entity type, GST status, business names, ACN) for the top 10 matches via individual ABN lookups
• ACN resolution -- Automatically resolves 9-digit ACN numbers via the dedicated ACN endpoint, with fallback to ABN lookup using zero-padded numbers
• State and territory filtering -- Filter name and postcode search results by any of Australia's 8 states and territories: NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT, NT
• GST registration status -- Returns whether each entity is registered for Goods and Services Tax and the effective registration date
• Normalized output -- All results follow a consistent 18-field schema regardless of search type, making downstream processing straightforward
• Rate-limited enrichment -- Built-in 200ms delays between enrichment API calls to respect ABR rate limits
• Summary logging -- Each run logs a breakdown of results by state, active/cancelled status counts, and GST registration count
• Official government data -- All data comes directly from the Australian Business Register maintained by the ATO, ensuring accuracy and currency

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How to use

Prerequisites -- Get a free ABR API GUID

The Australian Government requires a free GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) for API access to the ABR. Registration takes about 2 minutes:

1. Go to https://abr.business.gov.au/Tools/AbrApi.
2. Click Register and fill in the required details (name, email, intended use).
3. You will receive your GUID immediately or via email. Copy it.
4. Paste the GUID into the ABR API GUID field when running the actor.

There is no cost for the GUID and no usage limits imposed by the Australian Government.

Using Apify Console

1. Navigate to the Australia ABN Lookup actor page on the Apify Store and click Try for free.
2. On the Input tab, enter your search query -- an ABN number (e.g., 51 824 753 556), business name (e.g., Google), ACN (e.g., 102417032), or postcode (e.g., 2000).
3. Select your search type. Leave as Auto-detect for most cases -- the actor determines the right mode based on your query format.
4. Optionally select a State Filter to narrow name and postcode results to a specific state or territory.
5. Enter your ABR API GUID in the designated field.
6. Set Max Results to control how many records to return (default is 25, maximum is 200).
7. Click Start to run the actor.
8. Once the run finishes, open the Dataset tab to view, filter, and export results as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Using the API

Call the actor programmatically using the Apify REST API, official client libraries, or cURL:

cURL:

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/WcdDMFKyeURytiWMC/runs" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "query": "Google",
    "searchType": "auto",
    "stateFilter": "NSW",
    "apiGuid": "YOUR_ABR_GUID",
    "maxResults": 25
  }'

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Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
query	String	Yes	--	ABN number (11 digits), ACN number (9 digits), business name, or Australian postcode (4 digits) to search for.
searchType	Select	No	auto	Type of search: auto (auto-detect based on query format), abn (ABN/ACN lookup), name (business name search), or postcode (postcode search).
stateFilter	Select	No	All States	Filter results by Australian state or territory. Options: NSW (New South Wales), VIC (Victoria), QLD (Queensland), WA (Western Australia), SA (South Australia), TAS (Tasmania), ACT (Australian Capital Territory), NT (Northern Territory). Only applies to name and postcode searches.
apiGuid	String	No	--	Your ABR API GUID key (stored securely). Register for free at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/AbrApi. Required for the API to return results.
maxResults	Integer	No	25	Maximum number of results to return (1--200). Only applies to name and postcode searches. ABN/ACN lookups always return a single result.

Example input

{
    "query": "Google",
    "searchType": "auto",
    "stateFilter": "NSW",
    "apiGuid": "your-guid-here",
    "maxResults": 25
}

Auto-detection rules

The actor uses the following regex patterns when searchType is set to auto:

• 11 digits (e.g., 51824753556 or 51 824 753 556) -- treated as an ABN lookup
• 9 digits (e.g., 102417032) -- treated as an ACN lookup (tries ACN endpoint first, falls back to zero-padded ABN)
• 4 digits (e.g., 2000) -- treated as a postcode search
• Anything else -- treated as a business name search

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Output

Each result in the dataset contains the following structure. Here is an example of an enriched name search result with all 18 fields:

{
    "abn": "33102417032",
    "abnStatus": "Active",
    "abnStatusEffectiveFrom": "2000-07-01",
    "entityName": "GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD",
    "entityType": "Australian Private Company",
    "entityTypeCode": "PRV",
    "gstRegistered": true,
    "gstRegisteredDate": "2002-05-01",
    "state": "NSW",
    "postcode": "2000",
    "businessNames": [],
    "tradingNames": [],
    "mainBusinessLocation": "NSW 2000",
    "acn": "102417032",
    "matchScore": 100,
    "nameType": "Entity Name",
    "isCurrent": true,
    "searchType": "name",
    "extractedAt": "2026-02-17T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Description
abn	String	The 11-digit Australian Business Number
abnStatus	String	Registration status -- typically Active or Cancelled
abnStatusEffectiveFrom	String	Date the current ABN status took effect (YYYY-MM-DD)
entityName	String	Registered legal name of the entity
entityType	String	Full entity type description (e.g., "Australian Private Company", "Individual/Sole Trader", "Family Trust")
entityTypeCode	String	Short entity type code (e.g., PRV, IND, TRT, PUB)
gstRegistered	Boolean	Whether the entity is currently registered for Goods and Services Tax
gstRegisteredDate	String or null	Date of GST registration (YYYY-MM-DD), or null if not GST registered
state	String	Australian state or territory of the main business location (e.g., NSW, VIC, QLD)
postcode	String	Australian postcode of the main business location
businessNames	String[]	Array of registered business names associated with the ABN
tradingNames	String[]	Array of registered trading names associated with the ABN
mainBusinessLocation	String	Combined state and postcode string (e.g., "NSW 2000")
acn	String	Australian Company Number (9 digits) if the entity is a company, otherwise empty string
matchScore	Number or undefined	Relevance score from name search (0--100). Only present for name and postcode search results.
nameType	String or undefined	Type of name matched (e.g., "Entity Name", "Business Name", "Trading Name"). Only present for name and postcode search results.
isCurrent	Boolean or undefined	Whether the matched name is the current registered name. Only present for name and postcode search results.
searchType	String	The search mode used: abn, acn, name, or postcode
extractedAt	String	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the data was extracted

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Use cases

• Business verification -- Verify that an ABN is active and confirm the registered entity name, type, and GST status before entering into a business relationship
• Due diligence -- Look up potential suppliers, partners, or acquisition targets to confirm their Australian business registration details and corporate structure
• Lead generation -- Search by business name or postcode to discover Australian businesses in a specific industry or geographic area for sales prospecting
• Compliance screening -- Automate ABN verification as part of KYC (Know Your Customer) and vendor onboarding workflows to confirm entities are legitimately registered
• Tax compliance -- Check GST registration status to verify that an entity is authorized to charge and claim GST credits on invoices
• Competitor analysis -- Search for businesses by name to identify competitors, their registration status, entity type, and geographic footprint across Australian states
• Real estate and property -- Look up businesses in a specific postcode to understand the commercial landscape of an area
• Accounting and bookkeeping -- Batch verify ABN and GST details for clients, suppliers, and contractors to ensure accurate BAS (Business Activity Statement) reporting
• Government procurement -- Verify ABN registration as a prerequisite for Australian Government contract eligibility
• Cross-border research -- Combine with UK Companies House, Canada Corporation Search, or NZ Companies Search for multi-jurisdiction corporate due diligence

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API & Integration

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")

run_input = {
    "query": "Google",
    "searchType": "auto",
    "stateFilter": "NSW",
    "apiGuid": "YOUR_ABR_GUID",
    "maxResults": 25,
}

run = client.actor("WcdDMFKyeURytiWMC").call(run_input=run_input)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    gst = "GST" if item.get("gstRegistered") else "No GST"
    print(f"{item['entityName']} -- ABN {item['abn']} -- {item['abnStatus']} -- {gst}")

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: "YOUR_API_TOKEN" });

const run = await client.actor("WcdDMFKyeURytiWMC").call({
    query: "Google",
    searchType: "auto",
    stateFilter: "NSW",
    apiGuid: "YOUR_ABR_GUID",
    maxResults: 25,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
for (const item of items) {
    const gst = item.gstRegistered ? "GST" : "No GST";
    console.log(`${item.entityName} -- ABN ${item.abn} -- ${item.abnStatus} -- ${gst}`);
}

cURL

# Start a run
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/WcdDMFKyeURytiWMC/runs" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"query": "Google", "apiGuid": "YOUR_ABR_GUID", "maxResults": 10}'

# Fetch dataset results (use defaultDatasetId from the run response)
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/DATASET_ID/items?format=json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Integrations

Connect Australia ABN Lookup to your existing tools and workflows:

• Google Sheets -- Automatically export ABN verification results to a spreadsheet for team review and record-keeping
• Slack / Email -- Get notified when business registrations change status using Apify webhooks
• Zapier / Make -- Route ABN data to CRMs, accounting systems, databases, or hundreds of other third-party apps
• REST API -- Fetch results programmatically from any language or platform using the Apify dataset API
• Scheduled runs -- Set up Apify schedules to run daily, weekly, or monthly ABN verification checks automatically
• Webhooks -- Trigger downstream actions (notifications, database writes, compliance alerts) whenever a run completes

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How it works

The actor follows a structured pipeline to retrieve business data from the Australian Business Register's JSON API:

1. Query analysis -- Parses the input query and determines the search type. Auto-detection uses regex patterns: 11 digits = ABN, 9 digits = ACN, 4 digits = postcode, anything else = name search.
2. ABN/ACN lookup -- For direct lookups, constructs the appropriate URL (AbnDetails.aspx or AcnDetails.aspx) with the GUID and query. For 9-digit ACN queries, tries the ACN endpoint first, then falls back to a zero-padded ABN lookup.
3. JSONP parsing -- The ABR API returns JSONP format (callback({...})). The actor strips the callback wrapper and parses the inner JSON payload.
4. Name/postcode search -- For name and postcode queries, calls MatchingNames.aspx to retrieve matching business names with relevance scores. Applies the state filter if specified.
5. Automatic enrichment -- For name search results, the top 10 matches are enriched by fetching full ABN details for each one. A 200ms delay is applied between enrichment calls to respect API rate limits.
6. Data transformation -- Raw ABR API responses are normalized into a consistent 18-field output schema with clean field names, boolean GST status, and ISO 8601 timestamps.
7. Dataset push -- Results are pushed to the Apify dataset for export and integration. A summary is logged with state breakdown, active/cancelled counts, and GST registration count.

Input Query + GUID
     |
     v
[Auto-detect Search Type] ---> ABN? ACN? Postcode? Name?
     |
     v
[Query ABR JSON API] ---> AbnDetails / AcnDetails / MatchingNames
     |
     v
[Strip JSONP Callback] ---> Parse inner JSON
     |
     v
[Enrich Top 10 Name Results] ---> Individual ABN lookups (200ms delay)
     |
     v
[Normalize to 18-field Schema] ---> Consistent output structure
     |
     v
[Push to Apify Dataset] ---> JSON, CSV, Excel export

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Performance & cost

Scenario	Results	Approx. duration	Memory	Estimated cost
Single ABN lookup	1	2--5 seconds	128 MB	< $0.001
Single ACN lookup	1	3--6 seconds	128 MB	< $0.001
Name search (25 results, top 10 enriched)	25	5--10 seconds	128 MB	~$0.002
Name search (100 results, top 10 enriched)	100	8--15 seconds	128 MB	~$0.003
Postcode search (25 results)	25	2--5 seconds	128 MB	~$0.001
Name search (200 results, top 10 enriched)	200	10--20 seconds	128 MB	~$0.005

• The actor makes lightweight JSON API calls only -- no browser rendering or heavy crawling.
• The ABR API GUID is completely free with no usage charges from the Australian Government.
• Apify's free tier includes $5/month of platform credits, which covers thousands of typical runs.
• Cost scales primarily with the number of enrichment requests (up to 10 per name search run).
• Scheduled runs for daily ABN verification of a business portfolio are extremely economical.

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Limitations

• API GUID required -- The ABR JSON API requires a valid GUID for every request. Without one, the API returns an error message. Registration is free at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/AbrApi.
• Maximum 200 results per run -- Name and postcode searches are capped at 200 results per execution. For broader coverage, run multiple searches with different query terms or state filters.
• Enrichment limited to top 10 -- Only the top 10 name search results are enriched with full ABN details. Results ranked 11 and beyond include basic name, ABN, status, state, and postcode, but lack entity type, GST details, and business names.
• No officer or director data -- The ABR API does not expose director, shareholder, or officeholder information. For that level of detail, combine with ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) data or OpenCorporates.
• Postcode search is approximate -- Postcode searches use the ABR's name matching endpoint with the postcode as input, which may not return all businesses in a postcode area. Results depend on ABR's internal matching logic.
• JSONP format dependency -- The ABR API returns data in JSONP format. If the API changes its callback format, the actor's response parsing may need updating.
• No historical data -- The API returns only current registration data. Historical status changes, previous addresses, or deregistered business names are not available through this endpoint.
• Entity type codes are ABR-specific -- Codes like PRV, PUB, IND, TRT are internal ABR classifications. The actor includes both the code and full description for clarity.

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Tips for best results

• Register for an ABR API GUID first. The actor cannot return results without a valid GUID. Registration is free and typically instant at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/AbrApi.
• Use auto-detect for most queries. The actor correctly identifies ABNs (11 digits), ACNs (9 digits), postcodes (4 digits), and business names automatically. You rarely need to set the search type manually.
• Include spaces in ABN numbers if you like. The actor strips all whitespace, so both 51 824 753 556 and 51824753556 work identically.
• Filter by state for name searches. If you know the state or territory, filtering reduces noise and returns more relevant, targeted results.
• Increase maxResults for broad searches. The default of 25 works well for most queries, but you can go up to 200 for comprehensive postcode or name coverage.
• Check the abnStatus field. Businesses with a "Cancelled" status are no longer active. Use this field to filter your results in downstream processing.
• Use the matchScore field to rank name results. Higher scores (closer to 100) indicate closer matches to your search query. This is useful for sorting and prioritizing results.
• Look for the acn field on company results. If a business is an Australian company (PRV or PUB entity type), the ACN will be populated. Sole traders and trusts do not have ACNs.
• Check GST registration for tax compliance. The gstRegistered boolean and gstRegisteredDate fields confirm whether an entity can legitimately charge GST on invoices.

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FAQ

Do I need an API key? Yes. The ABR requires a free GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) for API access. Register at abr.business.gov.au/Tools/AbrApi. There is no cost involved and no usage limits.

What is an ABN? An Australian Business Number (ABN) is a unique 11-digit identifier assigned to businesses and other entities registered in Australia. It is administered by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and is required for tax reporting, invoicing, and interacting with government agencies.

What is an ACN? An Australian Company Number (ACN) is a unique 9-digit identifier assigned to companies registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Every Australian company has both an ACN and an ABN -- the ABN includes the ACN with a two-digit prefix.

Can I look up an ACN instead of an ABN? Yes. Enter the 9-digit ACN number and the actor will automatically detect it and query the ACN endpoint. If the ACN lookup fails, it falls back to resolving it as an ABN with leading zeros.

What is the difference between ABN lookup and name search? ABN/ACN lookup returns a single detailed record for a known identifier. Name search finds all businesses matching a keyword and returns multiple results with relevance scores. The top 10 name search results are automatically enriched with full ABN details including entity type, GST status, and business names.

Can I search by postcode? Yes. Enter a 4-digit Australian postcode (e.g., 2000 for Sydney CBD) and the actor will find businesses registered in that area. Combine with a state filter for more targeted results.

What does GST registered mean? GST (Goods and Services Tax) is Australia's value-added tax. Businesses with an annual turnover of $75,000 or more (or $150,000 for non-profits) must register for GST. The gstRegistered field confirms whether the entity is currently GST registered, and gstRegisteredDate shows when they registered.

How current is the data? All data comes directly from the live Australian Business Register maintained by the ATO. It reflects the most recent registrations and updates at the time of the API call.

What do the entity type codes mean? Common entity type codes include: PRV (Australian Private Company), PUB (Australian Public Company), IND (Individual/Sole Trader), TRT (Trust), SGE (State Government Entity), CGE (Commonwealth Government Entity), and OIE (Other Incorporated Entity).

Can I schedule recurring lookups? Yes. Use Apify's built-in scheduler to run the actor daily, weekly, or at any custom interval. Combine with webhooks or integrations to get notified when ABN registrations change status.

What happens if no results are found? The actor pushes a single record with a "No results found" message, along with the query and search type used. This typically means the ABN does not exist, the business name has no matches, or the postcode returned no results from the ABR.

Is there a rate limit on the ABR API? The actor manages rate limiting internally with 200ms delays between enrichment API calls. The ABR does not publish specific rate limits, but the built-in delays ensure reliable operation.

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Related actors

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