Free Australian business tool
Business Structure Comparison Tool Australia
Answer five practical questions. See which structures deserve a closer look and what each option could mean for risk, ownership and administration.
How the comparison works
Five answers, four structures, one shortlist.
01
Answer five questions
Ownership, risk, funding, administration and what you plan to do with profit. No email address, no sign-up.
02
Get a weighted shortlist
Each structure is scored against your answers, so you see the strongest match plus the alternatives worth comparing, with watch-outs for each.
03
Pressure-test it with an adviser
Take the shortlist to a lawyer and accountant, confirm the tax position, then put the registrations and documents in place.
Use the result as a shortlist
The right structure has to work as a complete system.
Tax and taking money out
income tax, GST, capital gains and distributions need advice based on your actual numbers and plans.
Liability in practice
Insurance, personal guarantees, licences, director duties and your contracts can change the risk.
Ownership and exits
The structure must fit who owns the business, who controls decisions and what happens when someone leaves.
Documents and registrations
The registrations, governing documents and owner agreements need to match the structure you choose.
FAQs
Common questions about choosing a structure
Still weighing it up? Book a free call with our team.
No. It ranks sole trader, partnership, company and trust structures from your five answers so you have a shortlist for discussion. The right structure depends on tax, licensing, asset ownership and your documents, so confirm the choice with a lawyer and accountant before acting.
Yes, and moving from sole trader to a company is one of the most common changes as a business grows. Restructuring has legal and tax consequences, though, because contracts, assets, registrations and business names all need to be transferred properly to the new entity.
A sole trader setup can be as simple as a free ABN application plus a business name registration. Registering a company involves the ASIC registration fee of $636 from 1 July 2026 and an annual review fee each year. Partnerships and trusts also need governing documents drafted, and a corporate trustee adds company costs on top.
Not always, but the documents need to match the structure you choose. Shareholders agreements, partnership agreements, trust deeds, constitutions and consents are where the structure choice becomes enforceable. Sprintlaw prepares these for fixed fees.
Your next step
Choose the structure, then make the documents match it.
Sprintlaw can help you compare the legal trade-offs and put the setup in place for Australia.