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Business Setup Services Melbourne
Company, Trust and Business Structure Support for a Stronger Start
Start Your Business with the Right Structure
Starting a business involves more than registering a name. Rick & Mon Accountants helps business owners choose an appropriate structure, complete essential registrations and establish an accounting foundation that supports compliance and future growth.
The structure you choose can influence how your business is taxed, who controls it, how profits are distributed, your reporting responsibilities and the level of administration required as the business grows.
Rick & Mon Accountants provides practical business setup services for new and growing businesses across Melbourne. We take the time to understand your proposed activities, ownership arrangements, expected income, staffing plans and longer-term objectives before discussing the structures available to you.
Whether you are beginning as a sole trader, establishing a company, considering a trust or moving an existing business into a different structure, we can help coordinate the accounting and registration requirements involved.
Our support does not stop once an ABN or company number is issued. We can also help establish your bookkeeping, payroll, GST and reporting processes so your business begins with accurate records and a clearer understanding of its ongoing obligations.
Business setup services
Everything You Need to Establish Your Business
Business Structure Advice
We explain the practical differences between operating as a sole trader, partnership, company or trust and help you understand how each option may affect tax, control, liability, administration and future growth.
Company Registration
Support with establishing an Australian company, including the proposed company name, directors, shareholders, share structure and other information required for registration.
Trust Setup Coordination
Assistance coordinating the accounting and registration steps involved in establishing a discretionary, family or unit trust, including liaison with an appropriate legal provider where legal documents or advice are required.
ABN and TFN Applications
Help applying for the Australian Business Number and Tax File Number required for your selected structure, including the relevant details of directors, shareholders, partners or trustees.
GST and PAYG Registrations
Assessment and support with registrations such as GST and PAYG withholding, based on the nature of the business, expected turnover and whether you intend to employ staff.
Business Name Registration
Help identifying whether a separate business name is required and coordinating its registration where you plan to trade under a name different from your personal or registered company name.
ASIC and Company Records
Support with initial ASIC details and an explanation of the company’s ongoing recordkeeping, review and notification responsibilities after registration.
Accounting System Setup
Help establishing an appropriate chart of accounts, invoicing process, expense records, payroll settings and reporting system from the beginning.
Which Business Structure Is Right for You?
There is no single structure that suits every business. The appropriate choice depends on who will own and operate the business, the risks involved, expected profit, future plans and the level of administration you are prepared to manage.
Use four comparison cards.
Sole Trader
A relatively simple structure in which an individual owns and operates the business. It may suit a person starting independently, but the owner remains personally responsible for the business and its obligations.
Partnership
A structure for two or more people operating a business together and sharing its income or losses. Clear agreements are important because the partners share responsibilities and business decisions.
Company
A company is a legal entity separate from its shareholders. It can offer a clearer ownership framework and generally has responsibility for its own debts, but directors and officeholders have ongoing legal, reporting and recordkeeping obligations.
Trust
Under a trust structure, a trustee carries on the business and holds assets for beneficiaries. Trusts can provide flexibility in certain circumstances but are generally more complex to establish and administer.
Australian Government guidance confirms that structure can affect tax, liability, control, setup costs and ongoing paperwork. It also recommends obtaining professional advice before deciding
Set Up Your Company with Confidence
Start your company with the right support. Rick & Mon can help you understand your setup requirements, director responsibilities and ongoing accounting needs. Talk to us about your company setup.
Talk to Our Business Team Expert
Our Business Setup Process
Simple, transparent and tailored accounting advice designed to support your personal and business goals.
01 Initial Consultation
We discuss the proposed business, owners, activities, expected income, staffing plans, risks and longer-term objectives.
02 Structure Review
We explain the available structures, their practical differences and the accounting and tax considerations relevant to your circumstances.
03 Set Up and Registration
Once the structure has been selected, we coordinate the agreed company, trust, business and tax registrations and confirm the information required from each party.
04 Accounting Foundation
We help establish the bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, GST and reporting processes needed to operate the business with accurate records from the beginning.
Build Your Business on the Right Foundation
A well-planned setup can give you a clearer understanding of your obligations and create better systems for managing the business from the beginning.
CPA & Registered Tax Agents
Accounting-led bookkeeping support
Fixed Fee Pricing
Clear scope and agreed fees
Local Melbourne Offices
Truganina and Narre Warren
Year-Round Support
Help beyond tax time
Why structure matters
A Business Structure Should Support More Than Today
The easiest structure to establish is not necessarily the most suitable structure for the business you intend to build.
Your decision may affect:
- How business income is taxed
- Personal responsibility for debts and losses
- The way ownership is recorded
- How profits may be distributed
- Whether new owners or investors can be introduced
- The ability to employ staff
- Banking and finance applications
- Accounting and reporting requirements
We consider both your immediate requirements and your longer-term objectives. This helps reduce the risk of establishing a structure that becomes unsuitable soon after the business begins.
Starting Fresh or Outgrowing Your Current Structure?
You may benefit from business structure advice if:
- You are turning a side business into a full-time operation
- You are uncertain whether to begin as a sole trader or company
- You are starting a business with a partner
- You want to establish a company or trust
- You expect to employ staff
- Your business is approaching GST registration requirements
- Your sole trader business has grown significantly
- You want to introduce shareholders or new owners
- Your current structure no longer suits your operations
- You are separating different business activities
Changing structure can involve new registrations and may have tax, legal, contractual and administrative consequences. We recommend reviewing the complete position before transferring assets, income streams, contracts or employees.
Government guidance confirms that a business structure may be changed as a business develops, but establishing a company requires new company and tax registrations.
Why Choose Rick & Mon for Business Setup?
Good bookkeeping is about more than entering transactions. It should provide accurate information that supports compliance, tax planning and better business decisions. Because Rick & Mon provides bookkeeping alongside business accounting, taxation and advisory services, your financial records can work as part of a coordinated accounting process.
Choosing a structure is one of the earliest decisions a business owner makes, but its effects can continue long after registration. A structure that appears convenient at the beginning may become restrictive as income increases, employees are hired or additional owners become involved.
At Rick & Mon Accountants, our role is to look beyond the registration form. We consider how the business is expected to operate, how decisions will be made and what the owners want to achieve over time.
This creates a more connected setup process in which the business structure, tax registrations and accounting systems are considered together. You begin with a clearer understanding of your responsibilities and a financial framework that can develop with the business.
Advice Based on Your Business
We consider your proposed operations, ownership, income and growth plans instead of recommending the same structure to every client.
Clear Structure Explanations
We explain the practical differences between each option in straightforward language so you can make a more informed decision.
Coordinated Setup Support
We help coordinate the accounting, company and tax registration steps and identify where separate legal advice or documentation may be required.
Support Beyond Registration
Once your business is established, we can continue assisting with bookkeeping, payroll, BAS, tax planning, financial reporting and business advisory.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no structure that is automatically best for every new business. The decision depends on ownership, expected profit, business risk, administration, future growth and personal circumstances. Professional accounting and legal advice may be required before making a final decision.
A sole trader structure is generally simpler to establish and administer. A company is a separate legal entity with additional registration, reporting and director obligations. Your expected income, business risks and longer-term plans should be reviewed before choosing.
We can help coordinate the company registration process and the related business and tax registrations. This includes gathering the required information about directors, shareholders, addresses and the proposed ownership structure.
We can assist with the accounting and registration aspects of establishing a trust and coordinate with an appropriate legal provider where a trust deed or legal advice is required.
Most businesses require an ABN, particularly when registering for GST or a business name. Eligibility depends on whether you are carrying on or commencing an enterprise, so the application should accurately reflect your proposed activities.
Businesses are generally required to register when GST turnover reaches or is expected to reach $75,000. Different requirements apply to some activities, including taxi and ride-sourcing services.
Yes, a business structure can be changed, but the change may involve a new ABN, registrations, contracts, bank accounts, asset transfers and potential tax or legal consequences. The implications should be reviewed before proceeding.
Yes. We can continue assisting with bookkeeping, payroll, BAS and GST reporting, financial statements, income tax, tax planning and business advisory services.
Business Setup Support Across Melbourne
Rick & Mon Accountants supports new and growing businesses from our offices in Truganina and Narre Warren. Online consultations are also available for business owners who prefer to complete the setup process remotely.
