EntityFlo knowledge library
ASIC how-to guides
Company changes, annual reviews, ASIC forms and business names. Practical steps with official sources, preparation checklists and the exceptions that matter.
30 authored guides · Sources reviewed 6 November 2026
Step-by-step guides
30 guidesRegistration · Form 201
How to register an Australian company with ASIC
Prepare your company details, consents and share structure before submitting the company registration transaction.
Read guideRegistration · Form 410
How to reserve a company name with ASIC
Reserve a proposed company name before registration without confusing the reservation with a company or business-name registration.
Read guideCompany changes · Form 484
How to lodge ASIC Form 484 for company changes
Use the online company-change transaction for supported officer, address, member and share changes, with the correct effective dates.
Read guideOfficers · Form 484
How to notify ASIC of a new director or secretary
Record the appointment correctly before notifying ASIC through the officeholder change transaction.
Read guideOfficers · Form 484, Form 370
How to notify ASIC when a director resigns
Distinguish the company’s cessation notification from an officer’s personal Form 370 notification and avoid a late effective-date problem.
Read guideCompany changes · Form 484
How to change a company address with ASIC
Notify the correct company address changes and keep the registered office distinct from the principal place of business.
Read guideShares and ownership · Form 484
How to notify ASIC of a share issue
Separate a new allotment from a transfer and reconcile the issued capital with the company’s members register.
Read guideShares and ownership · Form 484
How to notify ASIC of a share transfer
Update the outgoing and incoming member holdings without incorrectly increasing issued share capital.
Read guideShares and ownership · Form 484
How to change beneficial holding status on ASIC’s register
Report whether shares are held for the registered member’s own benefit rather than treating the flag as a complete ultimate-owner record.
Read guideShares and ownership
How to maintain a company members register alongside ASIC
Keep the company’s own legal register current rather than relying on an ASIC extract as the complete shareholder record.
Read guideShares and ownership · Form 484
How to update ultimate holding company details with ASIC
Identify the ultimate corporate parent and check the relevant company reporting trigger before changing ASIC details.
Read guideCompany changes · Form 205, Form 205A
How to change a company name with ASIC
Pass the required resolution and lodge the name-change transaction, not a business-name cancellation.
Read guideCompany changes · Form 205, Form 206
How to change a company type with ASIC
Check that the conversion is permitted and use Forms 205 and 206 rather than Form 506.
Read guideAgents and access · Form 362
How to appoint or cease an ASIC registered agent
Authorise an agent for a particular company separately from the agent’s own registration with ASIC.
Read guideCompany changes · Form 492
How to correct a processed ASIC lodgement with Form 492
Use the correction process for a mistake in a processed document rather than recording a false later change.
Read guideAnnual review · Form 484, Form 485
How to complete an ASIC company annual review
Check the statement, pay by the stated due date and record the directors’ solvency decision without routinely lodging a positive resolution.
Read guideAnnual review · Form 485
When and how to lodge ASIC Form 485
Form 485 is for a negative solvency resolution or a missed resolution deadline, not a routine positive annual return.
Read guideReporting · Form 388
How to lodge financial reports with ASIC Form 388
First establish whether reporting is required, then submit the correct reports through the applicable channel.
Read guideReporting · Form 388, Form 398
How ASIC sustainability reporting relates to Form 388
Do not assume lodging financial statements also lodges a required sustainability report.
Read guideClosure · Form 6010
How to voluntarily deregister a company with ASIC
Check every eligibility condition before applying; voluntary deregistration is not a shortcut around debts or trust obligations.
Read guideClosure · Form 581
How to apply for ASIC reinstatement of a deregistered company
Check whether ASIC administrative reinstatement or a court application is the appropriate pathway.
Read guideAgents and access
How to access ASIC’s company officeholder portal
Create authorised company-portal access using the corporate key, not the business-name ASIC key.
Read guideAgents and access
How to link a business name in ASIC Connect
Create an ASIC Connect account and link the business name using its ASIC key before managing details.
Read guideAgents and access · Form 362
How to obtain ASIC registered-agent portal access
Register the agent, accept the electronic lodgement terms and separately obtain each company’s authority.
Read guideBusiness names
How to register a business name with ASIC
Use the business-registration pathway and keep a business name distinct from a company name or trade mark.
Read guideBusiness names
How to renew an ASIC business name
Renew for one or three years and choose the payment-only service or ASIC Connect depending on whether details also need changing.
Read guideBusiness names
How to update a business-name address with ASIC
Update business-name addresses in ASIC Connect rather than assuming a company Form 484 also changes them.
Read guideBusiness names
How to transfer an ASIC business name to a new holder
The existing holder initiates the transfer and the incoming holder registers using the transfer number.
Read guideBusiness names
How to cancel an ASIC business name
Cancel through ASIC Connect only when cancellation, rather than a transfer, is the intended outcome.
Read guideAgents and access
How to choose the correct ASIC form lodgement channel
Check the current instructions for the exact form rather than assuming every ASIC transaction accepts the same portal, email or signature.
Read guideOfficial ASIC forms and portal guides
ASIC’s forms directory is the complete official form reference. This library does not yet contain an authored guide for every ASIC procedure; the specialist topics below link directly to the regulator.
Specialist topics
Official-source referrals · Detailed EntityFlo procedures not yet authored
Foreign companies
Registration triggers, local agents, registered offices and ongoing reporting. An Australian subsidiary is a different pathway.
Public and listed companies
Company classification and disclosure obligations. Public status and exchange listing are not interchangeable.
Fundraising and prospectuses
Disclosure documents, exemptions and pre-offer lodgement. Confirm the offer and investor category before choosing a process.
Share buy-backs
Classify the buy-back and check approvals and advance lodgements; this is not just an ordinary Form 484 update.
Capital reductions
Equal and selective reductions have distinct creditor-protection, approval and notification requirements.
Share cancellations
Cancellation notifications do not replace the preceding approvals for a buy-back, redemption or reduction. Check the transaction-specific deadline.
Auditor appointments
Appointment authority and notifications vary for companies, schemes, compliance plans and financial-services licensees.
Auditor resignation or removal
Use the specific entity pathway and check whether ASIC consent is required. A resignation letter may not complete the process.
Managed investment schemes
Separate registration, operation and closure procedures. Responsible entity and financial-services authorisations need specialist assessment.
Financial services licences
Assess licence needs, authorisations and evidence before applying. An application does not authorise operations.
Credit licences
Assess credit activities, exemptions, representative arrangements and the appropriate licence authorisations.
Professional registers
Check registration status and permitted services. A register search is not an application for a licence.
Corporate insolvency
Liquidation, administration, receivership and restructuring have separate requirements. Personal bankruptcy is outside ASIC’s corporate remit.
Whistleblower protections
Protection depends on the disclosure, recipient and statutory conditions; not every grievance is a protected disclosure.
Report misconduct
Check whether ASIC regulates the issue. A report does not make ASIC a private dispute resolver or money-recovery service.
Complaints about ASIC
Service complaints, misconduct reports and statutory review of decisions are different processes.
Company searches and extracts
Use the appropriate register and distinguish free search results from paid extracts and lodged-document copies.
General procedural information, not legal or tax advice. Check ASIC’s current instructions and fees before lodging. Website FloSec cannot sign or lodge forms, and guidance coverage does not mean every form is supported for direct lodgement in EntityFlo.