How To Display Prices Including GST In Australia: Practical Guide

If you sell to customers in Australia, how you show your prices matters more than you might think. Clear pricing isn’t just good for trust and conversions - it can also be required under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), particularly the rules about advertising a “single price” (the minimum total cost a consumer will have to pay).

The tricky part is that GST itself is a tax concept, while how you advertise and display pricing is largely a consumer law issue. That means you need to think beyond your invoices and accounting systems, and look at your website, socials, price lists, quotes, menus, signs, checkout pages, and even verbal pricing.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the practical rules and common pitfalls, with examples you can apply straight away - whether you’re running a retail shop, an online store, a service business, or a mix of all three. (This article is general information and not tax advice - for GST registration and reporting questions, you should check the ATO guidance or speak with your accountant.)

What Does “Price Including GST” Actually Mean For Your Business?

GST (Goods and Services Tax) is generally 10% in Australia. If you’re registered for GST, you’ll typically charge GST on taxable sales, collect it from customers, and report it to the ATO through your BAS (subject to the GST rules that apply to your specific supplies).

When people talk about prices “including GST” (or “inc. GST”), they usually mean:

• The customer-facing price already includes the GST component (so the customer doesn’t have to do extra maths at checkout).
• The customer pays the displayed amount (unless there is a clearly disclosed additional fee that is permitted, like delivery calculated later).
• The GST amount can still be shown separately, but the total price should be clear and prominent.

GST Registration Changes What You Charge, But Consumer Law Changes How You Display

Even if you understand your GST obligations well, pricing display rules can trip you up because they sit under consumer protection rules. A price display that misleads customers can breach the ACL even if your BAS and tax calculations are perfect.

This is also why pricing compliance tends to overlap with broader marketing and advertising issues - and why it’s worth keeping your pricing and promotional wording consistent with your overall ACL approach (for example, avoiding unclear surcharges or “from” pricing that doesn’t match what most customers will pay).

When Do You Need To Show Prices Including GST (And When Can You Show Excluding GST)?

As a general rule, if you advertise pricing to consumers (everyday customers buying goods or services for personal, domestic, or household use), you should expect that the headline price needs to be the total payable amount - including GST and any other compulsory charges - in line with the ACL “single price” requirements (and any exceptions that may apply).

Where small businesses commonly get caught out is using business-to-business pricing habits (like “$X + GST”) in places where consumers are reading the price (like an online shop, a menu board, or an Instagram post).

If You Sell To Consumers, Display GST-Inclusive Pricing

In practice, this means if you’re dealing with consumers, your displayed price should generally be the total payable amount, including GST.

Common consumer-facing channels where GST-inclusive pricing should be your default include:

• your website product pages and service pages
• online checkout pages
• store signage and shelf labels
• menus and price boards
• social media posts and digital ads that include a price
• quotes provided to individuals (where they’re acting as consumers)

From a customer trust perspective, GST-inclusive pricing is also simply easier. Customers don’t like surprises at checkout, and pricing clarity reduces disputes and chargebacks.

Business-To-Business Pricing May Be Able To Show “+ GST”

If you’re genuinely advertising to other businesses (for example, wholesale pricing, trade-only services, or commercial supply agreements), you may be able to display pricing as “$X + GST” - but you still need to be careful about clarity.

Even in B2B contexts, unclear pricing can still cause problems, especially if the other side says they were misled about the total cost or mandatory fees.

If your marketing could reasonably reach consumers (for example, your website is public and not restricted to trade accounts), it’s usually safer to show GST-inclusive pricing or at least make the GST-inclusive total clear and prominent.

How To Display Prices Including GST Across Your Website, Ads, Quotes And Invoices

Consistency is the key. A common compliance issue is having one approach on your website (GST-exclusive) but another on your invoices (GST-inclusive), and then discovering customers thought the website price was the total payable.

Below are practical tips by channel.

Website Product Pages And Service Pages

If your website targets consumers, your default should be displaying the total payable price (including GST). You can still add a smaller note such as “Includes GST” or “Inc. GST” - but the headline number should be the full price.

For example:

• Good: “$110 (inc. GST)”
• Risky: “$100 + GST” on a public page that consumers can buy from

If you offer optional add-ons (like express service, installation, or gift wrapping), make sure the add-on price is also clear about whether it’s GST-inclusive.

If you run an online store or booking platform, it’s also a good idea to align your pricing display approach with your Website Terms and Conditions, especially around delivery fees, cancellations, and any circumstances where pricing might change (for example, if you can’t confirm freight cost until after checkout).

Social Media Posts And Digital Ads

If you publish a price in a post or ad and consumers can reasonably act on it, assume it needs to be GST-inclusive (or at least make the total payable amount clear).

This matters because customers may screenshot a price and later rely on it if there’s a dispute.

Practical tip: keep your wording simple. If you write “$X inc. GST”, make sure the “inc. GST” is clear and not hidden under hashtags or in a hard-to-read caption.

Quotes (Especially For Services)

Service businesses often provide quotes like:

• “Labour: $X”
• “Materials: $Y”
• “GST: $Z”
• “Total: $XYZ”

This structure is fine - and often helpful - as long as your quote makes the total payable amount obvious. If you give customers a quote that is “$X + GST” without a clear total, you increase the chance of misunderstanding and disputes.

If your quote is part of your sales process, it can also be worth having a written set of standard pricing and payment rules in your Terms of Trade (for example, when deposits are payable, whether late fees apply, and when you can vary pricing).

Invoices And Tax Invoices

Invoices serve a different purpose to advertising, but they still need to be accurate and consistent.

If you’re registered for GST, you may need to issue a tax invoice in certain situations. Your tax invoice will typically show the GST component (or state that the total includes GST), depending on the invoicing requirements that apply to your transaction.

From a customer experience standpoint, if your website and quote show a GST-inclusive total, your invoice should not surprise the customer by appearing to add GST on top.

Common Mistakes When Showing “Inc. GST” Prices (And How To Avoid Them)

Most pricing compliance issues aren’t caused by bad intentions - they’re caused by fast growth, inconsistent templates, and copying “industry standard” approaches that don’t fit your customer base.

1. Advertising A Low “+ GST” Price To Consumers

This is one of the biggest traps. If you advertise “$X + GST” and consumers reasonably think $X is the total, you risk misleading pricing.

Fix: show the total price as the main figure, and if you want, show the GST-exclusive amount in smaller text for transparency.

2. Hiding Mandatory Fees Until Checkout

Another common issue is adding compulsory fees later (for example, “admin fees”, “booking fees”, “processing fees”, or unavoidable service charges) that weren’t clear upfront.

There are some scenarios where you can’t calculate a final price until later (for example, delivery based on location). But if a fee is unavoidable, customers generally need to know about it clearly before they commit.

Fix: be upfront about mandatory fees, and if a fee can’t be calculated upfront, clearly explain how it will be calculated and when the customer will see it.

3. Using “From $X” Pricing When Most Customers Pay More

“From” pricing can be legitimate for variable services (like renovations, custom design, or consulting packages). But if most customers won’t actually be able to purchase at the “from” price, it can create consumer law risk.

Fix: make sure “from” pricing reflects a genuine, available option, and clarify what is included and what causes the price to increase.

4. Inconsistent Pricing Between Platforms

If your Instagram says $110 inc. GST, your website says $100 + GST, and your invoice says $110, you’re likely to end up with arguments over what the customer agreed to.

Fix: create a simple pricing display rule for your business (for example, “all consumer-facing pricing is GST-inclusive”) and apply it across every channel.

Legal And Practical Steps To Get Your Pricing Right (Without Overcomplicating It)

If you want a clear, repeatable approach, here’s a practical checklist you can apply across your business.

Step 1: Work Out Who You’re Selling To (Consumer, Business, Or Both)

Start with this question: when someone sees your price, are they likely to be a consumer?

If the answer is “yes” (or “maybe”), default to GST-inclusive pricing in your advertising.

Step 2: Standardise Your Pricing Language

Pick a consistent format and stick to it. For consumer-facing pricing, common options include:

• “$110 (inc. GST)”
• “$110 including GST”
• “Total: $110” (and optionally “GST included”)

If you also sell B2B, you can create a separate trade-only page or portal where GST-exclusive pricing is shown clearly as “+ GST” (but make sure it’s genuinely trade-only, and not easily confused with your consumer offering).

Step 3: Make Sure Your Contracts Match Your Pricing

If you’re supplying services or ongoing work, your written agreements should support your pricing structure. This is especially important if:

• your price can change due to scope changes
• you charge deposits or progress payments
• you charge cancellation fees
• you charge late payment fees

Depending on your business model, this might sit in a customer contract, booking terms, or your quote terms and conditions.

Step 4: Check Your Website And Marketing For Pricing “Gaps”

Do a quick audit of your customer journey and look for the points where pricing is mentioned:

• landing pages
• service pages
• product pages
• checkout
• confirmation emails
• invoices

Anywhere you show a price, ask: “Is it obvious what the customer will actually pay?”

Step 5: Put The Right Policies In Place (Especially If You Sell Online)

Pricing transparency ties into your wider legal setup, including the policies that explain how sales work and what happens if something goes wrong.

Depending on how you sell, you may need:

• Privacy Policy (especially if you’re taking orders or enquiries through your website)
• E-Commerce Terms and Conditions (for payment, delivery, cancellations, and returns)
• clear refund and warranty handling processes that align with the ACL

These documents won’t fix misleading pricing on their own - but they do help reduce disputes and show customers you run a transparent business.

Step 6: Train Your Team So Verbal Pricing Matches Written Pricing

If you have staff handling sales or bookings, make sure they know your pricing rules. Many pricing disputes start with a well-meaning team member verbally quoting an amount that’s GST-exclusive, while your website is GST-inclusive (or the other way around).

Even a simple internal script helps, such as: “That’s $110 including GST” or “That’s $100 plus GST, so $110 in total.”

Key Takeaways

• For most small businesses selling to consumers, your advertised pricing should generally be the “single price” - the total minimum amount payable, including GST and other unavoidable charges.
• Using “$X + GST” on consumer-facing channels can create confusion and may raise ACL concerns if customers reasonably think $X is the total.
• Make sure mandatory fees and charges aren’t hidden until checkout - if a fee is unavoidable, customers should be told clearly upfront.
• Consistency matters: align pricing across your website, ads, quotes, and invoices so customers don’t receive mixed messages.
• Strong terms (like Terms of Trade and online terms) can reduce disputes by explaining deposits, variations, cancellations, and payment timing in writing.

If you’d like help setting up your pricing terms and customer documents so they match your business model, you can reach Sprintlaw at 1800 730 617 or team@sprintlaw.com.au for a free, no-obligations chat.