- A Pty Ltd doesn't need a company secretary, but it needs one resident director
- Published ASIC agent fees run from A$198 to A$352 a year, plus ASIC fees
- An appointed outsourced company secretary starts from about A$1,500 a year plus GST
- Directors stay responsible for compliance even when an agent lodges for them
Comparing corporate secretarial services Australia-wide is harder than it should be, because many providers don’t publish a price and few spell out what they actually lodge. For most Pty Ltd companies, the right fit is an ASIC agent and annual review service that handles the annual review, solvency resolution and officeholder changes for a fixed yearly fee, and the published prices we checked run from A$198 to A$352 a year plus ASIC fees. Listed or board-heavy companies are better served by governance firms that quote per engagement.
Do you need a company secretary, an ASIC agent, or both?
They are two different jobs, and a proprietary company is only legally required to fill one of them. Under ASIC’s rules, a Pty Ltd doesn’t need a company secretary at all, but it must have at least one director who normally lives in Australia. If you do appoint a secretary, at least one secretary must also normally live in Australia, while public companies must always have one.
Where there is no secretary, the directors take on the secretary’s notification duties, such as telling ASIC about changes to company details. The full list of tasks sits in what a company secretary does in Australia.
An ASIC registered agent is a separate role. ASIC describes it as a person or entity you appoint to do certain tasks on your behalf, such as lodging documents and receiving ASIC notices, and it states plainly that you do not have to use one. Appointing an agent doesn’t move responsibility either: your officeholders stay accountable even when the notices go to the agent, as explained in what an ASIC registered agent does.
In practice, most small companies land in one of three set-ups:
- Directors handle every lodgement themselves and use no agent.
- An ASIC registered agent handles lodgements, while the directors keep the secretary duties.
- An outsourced company secretary is formally appointed as an officeholder and runs the governance admin.
What are the main types of corporate secretarial provider?
Most company secretary services Australia-wide fall into four groups, and the label on the website rarely tells you which one you’re buying. The useful way to compare them is by what they lodge and whether they become an officeholder, not by brand.
| Provider type | What you get | Typical published price | Best for | Examples (own published info) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC agent / annual review lodgement only | Registered agent, annual statement, solvency resolution; changes sometimes capped | About A$198 to A$352 a year | A simple Pty Ltd with local directors who just want the annual review handled | Taxopia (A$198 incl. GST), Cosec Partners (A$352 incl. GST) |
| Online compliance bundled with setup or accounting | Agent, lodgements and changes, often bundled with registration, accounting or a registered address | About A$240 to A$300 a year, plus ASIC fees | Small businesses and startups that want one provider and a fixed fee | Sleek (A$300 incl. GST), Lawpath (A$240 plus government fees) |
| Full outsourced company secretary | Appointed secretary officeholder, statutory registers, board meeting admin | From about A$1,500 a year plus GST | Companies that need a named secretary, including foreign-owned companies with no local governance staff | AusBusinessRegister (Pty Ltd from A$1,500 plus GST) |
| Enterprise governance / listed-company secretarial | Board and committee support, ASX and ASIC reporting, share registry, governance advice | Quote only | Listed or larger unlisted companies and complex groups | Acclime, BoardRoom, Automic (no published pricing) |
Prices checked 9 October 2026 on each provider’s own website.
The two lodgement tiers suit most owner-run companies. The appointed-secretary and governance tiers exist for companies that need a named officeholder, minute-taking or board support, and they are priced accordingly.
How much do corporate secretarial and ASIC agent services cost?
Corporate secretary services range from under A$200 a year for lodgement-only agents to A$1,500 or more for an appointed secretary, while enterprise firms quote per engagement. Whatever you pay, ASIC is clear that agent fees are in addition to the fees paid to ASIC, so the ASIC annual review fee is always on top: A$342 a year for a proprietary company from 1 July 2026.
| Provider | Published price | GST | What the published price covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxopia | A$198 a year | Included | ASIC agent services with one address update a year; registered office is an extra A$575 a year; A$25 KYC check per individual |
| Lawpath | A$240 plus government fees | Not stated | ASIC compliance with Lawpath acting as registered agent |
| ASIC Compliance Package (Sleek) | A$300 a year | Included | Registered agent, annual review, solvency resolution, officeholder and share changes; ASIC fees extra |
| Cosec Partners | A$352 a year | Included | Registered agent; annual review, solvency resolution and any change to company details lodged |
| AusBusinessRegister | From A$1,500 a year (Pty Ltd) | Plus GST | Appointed company secretary, registers, up to 4 board meetings a year; government fees at cost |
| Acclime, BoardRoom, Automic | Quote only | n/a | Governance, board and listed-company secretarial support |
Prices checked 9 October 2026 on each provider’s own website.
When you compare ASIC agent services on price, check three things: whether GST is included, whether ASIC’s own fee is extra, and how many changes the fee covers. A cheaper plan that caps changes at one a year can end up costing more once you add a director or issue new shares.
If you’d rather have compliance and bookkeeping under one fee, you can compare Sleek’s compliance packages side by side.
What are the best company secretarial services for startups and small businesses?
The best corporate secretarial services for a startup are usually the simplest ones that cover every lodgement your company will make this year. For most early-stage Pty Ltds, that means a fixed-fee agent who handles the annual review, director changes and share issues. Founders tend to add shareholders and swap directors far more often than established businesses do, so uncapped changes matter more than a low headline price.
Match the provider to your situation rather than to a ranking:
- Local founders with one or two directors and no investors: an ASIC agent or a bundled compliance plan is enough.
- Raising capital or issuing shares often: choose a provider whose fee covers share-change lodgements without a cap.
- Not yet incorporated: you can register a Pty Ltd with ASIC compliance included and avoid switching agents later.
- A board with outside investors: consider an outsourced company secretary who takes minutes and keeps the statutory registers.
Keeping compliance with the same firm that does your books also cuts handoffs, because both teams work from one set of company records. That matters most at year end, when share changes and director details feed straight into your financial statements.
Which 7 questions should you ask before choosing a provider?
These questions separate a provider that keeps you compliant from one that just sells a low headline price. Ask them in writing and keep the answers on file.
- Is the fee GST-inclusive, and are ASIC fees charged on top?
- Which lodgements are included: annual review, solvency resolution, officeholder changes and share changes?
- Are changes unlimited, or capped at a set number each year?
- Will the provider be appointed as your company secretary, or only act as your registered agent?
- Can they help meet the resident director requirement if nobody in the company lives in Australia?
- How quickly do they respond, and will you deal with a named person or a ticket queue?
- How do you leave, and will they lodge Form 362 to end the agency?
Even the best corporate secretarial services can’t lodge for you unless they’re registered with ASIC as an agent. Ask for the provider’s agent number before you sign, and check it appears on their quotes and correspondence.
When is another provider the better choice?
A fixed-fee online provider isn’t the right answer for every company, and price alone won’t tell you which one is. The cheapest lodgement-only agents undercut bundled plans, including Sleek’s: Taxopia publishes A$198 a year including GST, against A$300 for a bundled compliance package.
Listed companies, and boards that want minute-taking, committee support or share registry services, should look at governance specialists such as Acclime, BoardRoom or Automic. Their corporate secretary services are quoted per engagement because the work grows with board size and reporting load.
If you need a named, appointed secretary, confirm the role is included before you pay, whichever provider you choose. Many ASIC compliance services act as your registered agent without ever becoming an officeholder, and comparing company secretary services Australia-wide on that one point will narrow your shortlist quickly.
What happens if your ASIC compliance slips?
ASIC’s deadlines are short, and missing them costs money even when nothing else is wrong. These are the dates that catch most owners out:
- Changes to company details must be lodged within 28 days of the change.
- Directors must pass a solvency resolution within two months of the annual review date.
- ASIC must be told within 7 days if that resolution is negative or isn’t passed.
- The annual review fee is usually due about two months after the review date.
Pay late and ASIC adds ASIC late fees on top of the review fee: A$102 if you pay up to a month late, and A$428 after that. If the fee stays unpaid for more than a year, ASIC can start deregistering the company.
This is where ASIC compliance services earn their fee. A good agent tracks your review date, prompts the solvency resolution and lodges changes inside the 28-day window, so a busy quarter doesn’t turn into a penalty.
What changes if you run your Australian company from overseas?
Foreign-owned Pty Ltds follow the same rules, with one practical problem: at least one director must normally live in Australia. If no founder lives here, you need a local appointee, and resident director services exist to fill exactly that gap.
A registered agent helps too, because ASIC notices land with someone in Australia who knows what to do with them, rather than in an inbox you check once a month. If you appoint a company secretary, at least one secretary must also live in Australia, so a non-resident founder can’t be the only one.
Many overseas founders want one provider for incorporation, a resident director and ongoing compliance, which saves vetting several local firms one by one. If that sounds like you, you can set up and run an Australian company from overseas under a single plan.
How do you switch your ASIC registered agent?
Switching is mostly paperwork, and it doesn’t interrupt your company’s registration. The usual order is:
- Choose the new provider and confirm their agent number and what the fee includes.
- Have the new agent lodge Form 362, the ASIC form used to appoint or cease a registered agent.
- Update your registered office or contact addresses if the outgoing agent’s address was on file.
- Check that your next annual statement is issued to the new agent.
Most ASIC agent services lodge the switch for you as part of onboarding. If an agent resigns on you, update your addresses with ASIC straight away so notices don’t go missing, and the compliance and governance FAQs cover other common change questions.
How Sleek helps with corporate secretarial services in Australia
Sleek delivers corporate secretarial work through its ASIC Compliance Package rather than a separate company secretary product. Sleek acts as your ASIC Registered Agent (#47659) and lodges your annual review, solvency resolution, officeholder changes and share changes for A$300 a year including GST, with ASIC fees charged separately and replies within one business day.
Non-resident directors or shareholders pay an A$150 document support fee, and overseas founders can combine company setup, a resident director and compliance in one plan. Sleek is rated 4.7 stars from 177 Google reviews, and if your company needs board-level governance instead, we’ll say so.
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FAQs on corporate secretarial services australia
Does a company secretary have to be a director?
No. A company secretary can be any individual aged 18 or over who consents to the role, and a director can hold it as well. In small Pty Ltds the director and secretary are often the same person.
Can a resident director also be the company secretary?
Yes. One person can hold both roles, and because a resident director normally lives in Australia, they also meet the residency rule for secretaries. Check that your resident director provider offers the secretary role, as some limit the appointment to the directorship.
Does a company secretary need a director ID?
Not for the secretary role alone. Director IDs apply to directors and to alternate directors acting in that role, so a secretary only needs one if they are also a director. Confirm the current rules with Australian Business Registry Services before you appoint.
How do you appoint a company secretary?
Get the person’s written consent, record the appointment in a directors’ resolution, and notify ASIC of the new officeholder within 28 days. You can lodge the notification online yourself or have your registered agent do it.
Is a registered office the same as a registered agent?
No. Your registered office is the Australian address where official documents can be served on the company, while a registered agent is the person or firm that lodges and receives ASIC documents for you. If your registered office is at an address the company doesn’t occupy, such as an accountant’s office, the occupier must agree to it being used as your registered office.
When is my company's annual review date?
It is usually the anniversary of the date your company was registered. ASIC issues your annual statement on that date, and you can confirm it on a current company extract.
