Checking contractor ABNs before you lodge a TPAR

What the TPAR asks for

For each contractor, the ATO lists the ABN (if known, and every ABN if it changed during the year), the business or individual name, the address, the gross amount paid including GST and any tax withheld, the total GST paid, and any tax withheld where no ABN was quoted.

Whether your business has to lodge depends on the services it provides and, outside building and construction, on whether those services are 10% or more of business income. The ATO's pages linked below explain the test.

Check every contractor at once

Export your contractor or supplier contacts from Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks and upload the file to ClearABN. Each row gets an ABN checksum and a lookup on the Australian Business Register for ABN status, registered entity and business names, and GST registration.

Rows are flagged when the ABN is missing, fails the checksum, is cancelled, is not on the register, has no current GST registration, or the name you hold does not closely match the registered names. The first 25 rows per check are free.

Fix the file before the report

Download the corrected Xero contacts import file, plus a CSV and PDF showing what the register said on the day you checked. Tidying contractor records before you build the TPAR means fewer mismatches to chase later.

Bookkeepers with many tradie clients can save each client's list on the Bookkeeper plan and download every client's report in one ZIP.

Register facts, not advice

ClearABN reports what the Australian Business Register shows. It does not decide whether you need to lodge a TPAR or what to report; check the ATO's guidance or ask your registered tax or BAS agent.