The Australian Company Number (ACN) is a unique 9-digit identifier assigned by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to every company registered under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
ACN ≠ ABN. The ACN identifies a company entity; the ABN is a tax-system identifier issued separately by the ATO. Many companies have both — the ABN of a company is usually the ACN with two prefix digits added.
Where you find it
Company registration documents, ASIC company extract, the company's invoices and letterhead (display is required by law). Sole traders and partnerships don't have ACNs — only registered companies do.
Use in PPSR
The ACN is the primary identifier used to search the PPSR for organisation grantors. AFSA's organisation search is "by ACN," not "by name" — names change, ACNs don't.
Related terms
- ABN — A unique 11-digit identifier issued by the ATO for tax and business purposes; covers companies, sole traders, partnerships, trusts.
- PPSR — The Australian national register where security interests in personal property are recorded.
How Hoist Assets uses this
Search the ACN via the Hoist Assets API or MCP server. See /docs for endpoints.