Do I Need to Lodge a Tax Return if I Have an ABN?

Yes — if you earned money, spent money, or want to record a business loss, you must lodge a tax return with a Business Schedule. Even if you earned nothing, lodging keeps your records clean.

If you hold an ABN and earned income, you absolutely need to lodge a tax return. The ATO doesn’t treat ABN holders like employees — no one is withholding tax for you, so everything gets squared up at tax time.

Even if you didn’t earn any income but had expenses setting up your business — training, tools, software, equipment — you can still lodge and record a loss. That loss isn’t wasted; it can reduce tax in future years when your income increases.

If you truly had zero income and zero expenses, lodging is still smart. It keeps your record tidy and prevents the ATO from assuming the worst or sending out “please explain” letters.

Here’s the simple rule:

• Earned income? Lodge.

• Had expenses? Lodge.

• Want to bank a loss? Lodge.

• ABN active? Lodge.

GoTax walks ABN users through the Business Schedule automatically with no confusing jargon. If you’re unsure how ABN tax works, the First-Year ABN Guide explains the whole process in human language.