An ACN (Australian Company Number) is a unique nine-digit number issued to a company when it is registered with ASIC (the Australian Securities and Investments Commission). Every Australian company has one. It identifies the legal entity — the company itself — rather than the business name it trades under.
An ABN (Australian Business Number) is an eleven-digit number issued by the Australian Taxation Office. It identifies a business for tax and dealings with government, and can be held by any type of business — a company, a sole trader, a partnership or a trust. You can look up any ABN at abn.business.gov.au.
You may see one or both of these numbers on your debt notice for a few reasons:
- Merion's own ACN or ABN appears because we are required to identify ourselves as a registered business.
- The original creditor's ABN or ACN may appear so you can independently verify who they are.
- If the notice relates to a debt incurred by a company you operate, your company's ACN may be shown as the debtor entity.
If a number on the notice does not match the business you expected, or you want to verify any entity involved, both the ASIC register and the ABN Lookup tool are free and publicly accessible.
Was this article helpful, or still not sure? Our team is happy to talk it through.