ASIC Forms for Australian Accountants: The Essential Reference

Why ASIC Forms Matter for Your Practice

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) maintains the national register of companies. Whenever a client's company changes — a new director, an address update, a new share structure — that change must be formally notified to ASIC within strict timeframes.

Clients increasingly expect their accountant to manage these filings alongside their tax and BAS work. Missing ASIC deadlines attracts two tiers of late fees (within one month, and over one month), and persistent non-compliance can put a company's registration at risk of cancellation.

This guide covers the forms you'll encounter most often in day-to-day practice. Current fees are always on the ASIC fee schedule — fees are indexed annually, so check before lodging.

Form 201 — Application for Registration as an Australian Company

When to use: When a client wants to incorporate a new company.

Form 201 captures everything ASIC needs to bring a new company into legal existence: the proposed name, registered office, principal place of business, officeholder details, and share structure. Once ASIC processes the application, it issues the company an Australian Company Number (ACN) and a Certificate of Registration.

For a complete walkthrough of the lodgement process, see our Form 201 step-by-step guide.

Form 484 — Change to Company Details

When to use:Whenever there are changes to a registered company's details after incorporation.

Form 484 is the workhorse of post-registration ASIC compliance. It covers a wide range of changes:

• Appointment of a new director or secretary — lodge within 28 days of appointment
• Resignation or removal of a director or secretary — lodge within 28 days
• Change of an officeholder's name or address — lodge within 28 days
• Change of registered office address — specify the effective date and confirm occupier consent if the company does not own the premises
• Change of principal place of business — lodge within 28 days
• Transfer of shares — when shares change hands between existing or new shareholders
• Company name change — requires a special resolution of shareholders; also use Form 205 (see below)

Practical tip: The 28-day window passes quickly when you rely on clients to report changes. Consider adding a clause to your engagement letter requiring clients to notify you of any company changes within 7 business days.

Form 316 — Annual Company Statement

When to use:Once per year, on the anniversary of the company's registration.

ASIC sends the annual review fee invoice and a pre-populated company statement to the company's registered office each year. This is not a tax return — it is ASIC's annual renewal for keeping the company on the national register.

The company must:

1. Review the statement to confirm all details are correct
2. Pay the annual review fee by the due date
3. Lodge any corrections using Form 484 if details shown by ASIC are out of date

Form 205 — Notification of Resolution to Change Company Name

When to use: When a company has passed a special resolution to change its name.

Before lodging Form 205, the proposed new name must be available (check ASIC Connect). The name change must be supported by a special resolution of shareholders. Form 205 must be lodged within 14 days of the resolution being passed.

The name change becomes effective when ASIC processes the form and issues a new Certificate of Registration showing the new name. The ACN remains unchanged.

Form 410 — Application for Voluntary Deregistration

When to use: When a client wants to close a dormant or no-longer-needed company cleanly.

Form 410 allows a company to voluntarily remove itself from the register. ASIC will publish a notice of the proposed deregistration and, if there are no objections, deregister the company approximately two months later.

Eligibility requirements:

• All members agree to the deregistration
• The company is not carrying on business
• The company's assets are worth less than $1,000
• The company has no outstanding liabilities
• The company is not party to any legal proceedings
• The company has no outstanding ASIC fees or debts

If the company has debts or assets worth more than $1,000, voluntary deregistration is not available and a formal winding up through a registered liquidator is required.

How to Lodge ASIC Forms

ASIC forms can be lodged through three channels:

1. ASIC Connect— ASIC's own online portal. As a registered agent, you can manage multiple clients' forms through a single account.
2. Practice management software — Software with a direct ASIC integration allows you to lodge forms without leaving your workflow. This is the most efficient option for high-volume practices.
3. Paper lodgement — Most forms can be lodged by post to ASIC. ASIC strongly encourages online lodgement due to faster processing times.

As a registered agent, your agent number identifies you as the authorised lodging party and allows ASIC to tie lodgements to your account.

Late Lodgement Penalties

ASIC applies two tiers of late fees. As at the 2025–26 fee year (effective 1 July 2025), the late fees are $98 for lodgements up to one month overdue, and $411 for lodgements more than one month overdue. These amounts are indexed annually — confirm current figures on the ASIC late fees page.

These fees apply per form, not per company. A client with multiple overdue lodgements across several companies can accumulate significant penalties quickly. ASIC does not routinely waive late fees, so staying on top of deadlines is essential.

Quick Reference Summary

Staying on Top of ASIC Deadlines

The most common cause of late fees is not knowing when a change occurred. Three practices that help:

1. Update your engagement checklist to include questions about company changes at every client meeting or tax interview.
2. Set calendar remindersfor each company's annual review date, which is available in ASIC Connect for every company you manage.
3. Use integrated compliance software that surfaces ASIC deadlines alongside ATO obligations so nothing falls through the cracks.

AccountantOS maintains a compliance calendar that tracks ASIC deadlines per company and surfaces upcoming due dates alongside your ATO work — so the 28-day window for Form 484 is never a surprise.