No, you can register a company directly through ASIC yourself, and the registration step itself is genuinely straightforward. What most people actually need help with isn't the registration form, it's the decision that comes before it: whether a company is even the right structure for their situation, and what has to be set up correctly around it from day one.
The registration itself takes an application, a company name, and a fee paid to ASIC. What guided support actually adds is making sure the structure fits the business now and doesn't need expensive fixing in twelve months, that the ABN, GST and TFN registrations that go alongside it are set up correctly the first time, and that the business starts with a clean, working setup, a proper business bank account, the right initial bookkeeping habits, instead of the common pattern of registering fast and then untangling avoidable mess six months later.
Where this genuinely matters is in what happens after registration. A company registered correctly but with the wrong GST reporting basis, an owner drawing money out incorrectly from month one, or no clear separation between business and personal finances from day one, creates real cleanup work and real cost down the track, work that's far cheaper to avoid than to fix. Business setup done properly is less about the registration form and more about everything that has to be right around it before the first invoice goes out.
Do I need an accountant to register a company?
No, registration can be done directly through ASIC. What guided support actually adds is making sure the structure fits the business, that ABN, GST and TFN registrations are set up correctly alongside it, and that early habits (bank accounts, bookkeeping, how the owner draws money) are right from day one rather than needing costly correction later.
See how Business Foundation sets everything up correctly from day one.