Guide
Sole Trader vs Pty Ltd in Australia: When to Switch
Most Australians start as a sole trader and stay there longer than they should. Here is the plain-English version of when switching to a Pty Ltd actually pays off — and when it just adds admin without helping.
In this guide
- Sole trader profits are taxed at your personal marginal rate — up to 47%.
- Pty Ltd profits are taxed at 25% (base rate entity) or 30%.
- Switching mainly pays off above ~$120k net profit and / or with real liability risk.
Last updated
30 April 2026
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Payroll & Staff Cost
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Guide
What the two structures actually are
A sole trader is just you trading under an ABN. All business income is your personal income. All business debts are your personal debts. The setup cost is zero and you can be operating in an afternoon.
A Pty Ltd (proprietary limited company) is a separate legal entity that you own as a shareholder and manage as a director. The company holds the assets and the debts. You pay yourself a wage and/or franked dividends. Setup is ~$500 of ASIC fees plus accountant time, and ongoing compliance is materially heavier.
The headline differences
- Sole trader: ABN only, your name on everything, taxed personally.
- Pty Ltd: ABN + ACN, separate legal entity, taxed at company rates.
- Sole trader: unlimited personal liability.
- Pty Ltd: limited liability (subject to director duties + personal guarantees).
- Sole trader: ~$0 setup, ~$0 ongoing fees.
- Pty Ltd: ~$500 setup, ~$300/yr ASIC, plus accountant fees.
The tax math at different profit levels
Sole trader profit is added to your other income and taxed at your marginal rate. For 2025-26, the top bracket starts at $190,001 (45% plus 2% Medicare = 47%).
Pty Ltd profit is taxed at the company rate — 25% for base rate entities (under $50m turnover, with most income being active business income) or 30% for larger / passive-income companies. You pay personal tax on whatever you actually draw out, with franking credits for the tax the company already paid.
- Sole trader at $80k profit: ~$16k tax + Medicare (~20%).
- Sole trader at $150k profit: ~$40k tax + Medicare (~27%).
- Sole trader at $250k profit: ~$83k tax + Medicare (~33%).
- Pty Ltd at any profit: 25% on profit retained in the company.
The Pty Ltd savings only show up if you actually leave profit in the company. If you draw all of it out as wages or dividends, your personal tax bill mostly cancels the company saving — the structure is then about liability and reputation, not tax.
The trigger points that actually matter
Most Australian operators switch when one of three things becomes true. Below those, the admin and accountant cost usually wipes out the tax saving.
- Profit consistently above ~$120k AND you can leave some of it in the company (don't need it all to live on).
- Real liability exposure — you work on customer premises, give regulated advice, build things that could fail, or sign large customer contracts that could go bad.
- Customers or partners require it — some larger AU customers won't engage with sole traders for procurement / insurance reasons.
What switching actually involves
Register a new company with ASIC (~$500). Get a new ABN and TFN for the company. Transfer your business assets and contracts to the new entity. Notify clients and update invoicing details. Set up a new business bank account in the company's name. Update your insurance, registrations, and any subscriptions.
Your sole trader ABN doesn't disappear automatically — you cancel it once all income has moved across. Most operators do this with their accountant in a single financial year transition to avoid double-counting income.
Don't switch mid-quarter without planning. The cleanest cut is to switch from 1 July (start of the new financial year) so your sole trader and company books don't overlap.
The other path: stay sole trader, automate the tax
Many AU sole traders never need to switch. Their profit doesn't cross the threshold where company tax wins, their liability is low, and their customers don't care.
The right move for that group is usually to stay sole trader but automate the tax pain — services like Hnry route every invoice through them, deduct the right amount of GST, income tax, and super on every payment, and lodge BAS + tax return for you. Net effect: sole trader simplicity, no quarterly scramble.
Important note
Use the guide as a practical reference, not as advice
This page is designed to support better commercial decisions, but it should not be treated as a substitute for professional advice.
Important note on business structures
This guide is a general explainer of the sole trader vs Pty Ltd decision in Australia. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not cover trust structures, partnerships, or sector-specific exceptions.
- Tax rates and thresholds change — confirm current rates with the ATO before making a decision.
- Switching structure has CGT and stamp duty implications in some states — take advice before transferring assets or contracts.
- Asset protection benefits of a Pty Ltd are limited by director duties, personal guarantees, and the small-business circumstances. Confirm your exposure with a lawyer or accountant before relying on the structure.
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