01
Prepare
Get your list into one column
Export suppliers or contacts from Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or your CRM. ABNs with or without spaces are fine, and you can mix in 9-digit ACNs and business names.
Guide · Bulk ABN lookup
Bulk ABN lookup: check hundreds of ABNs from a list or CSV
Paste a column of ABNs, ACNs or business names, or point at a CSV, and get one clean row back per business.
The problem
Checking ABNs one at a time doesn't scale
The ABR's ABN Lookup website is free and accurate, but it answers one search at a time. That's fine for a single new supplier. It's slow when you need to check a whole supplier master, clean a CRM export or validate a lead list before a campaign.
The Australian Business Register does offer free bulk tools, but they are Excel workbooks that need Excel 2010 or later with macros enabled. Many offices block macros, Mac and Google Sheets users can't run them, and they don't fit into an automated workflow.
A bulk ABN lookup tool does the same register searches for you: you give it the list, it queries the register for every row and hands back a spreadsheet.
Step by step
How to run a bulk ABN lookup from a CSV
02
Paste or link
Paste the column, or share the CSV
Paste the values into the tool's input box, or publish a Google Sheet as CSV and paste that link. The tool finds the ABN, ACN or name column itself and keeps your original columns so the output lines up with your list.
03
Run
Press Start
Every ABN and ACN is checked against its check digits first. Invalid numbers are flagged with a reason and never sent to the register.
04
Export
Download CSV or Excel
Filter on cancelled ABNs, rows without GST, or low-confidence name matches, and fix those records first.
Output
What each row of a bulk ABN check contains
Status
- ABN status: Active or Cancelled
- Status from-date and cancelled date
- Link to the ABR record
Entity
- Entity name and entity type (company, sole trader, trust...)
- ACN where there is one
- Registered business names
Tax and location
- GST registered, with from-date and any cancelled date
- State and postcode of the main business location
- DGR and ACNC flags
The ABR does not publish street addresses, phone numbers or emails, so no ABN tool built on official data can return them.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free bulk ABN lookup?
Yes. The ABR publishes free ABN and Name Lookup tools as Excel workbooks that need macros enabled. Our tool is a paid alternative for people who can't or don't want to run macros, need a CSV or API workflow, or want to schedule the check: US$2 per 1,000 matched records.
How much does it cost to check 5,000 ABNs?
About US$10 in results (5,000 matches at US$2 per 1,000), plus a few cents of Apify compute. Rows that aren't found or fail the check digit cost nothing.
Can I check ACNs and business names in the same list?
Yes. Each value is detected automatically: 11 digits is treated as an ABN, 9 digits as an ACN, and anything else is searched as a name with a 0-100 match score.
Can I run it every month?
Yes. Apify can run it on a schedule against the same Google Sheet and send the results to email, Slack or Google Sheets, so cancelled ABNs show up without anyone remembering to check.
Who built it?
Luke Main, a small-business owner in NSW, built and maintains it with AI assistance. It is an independent tool, not a government service.
Try it on your own list
Data comes live from the Australian Business Register's public ABN Lookup web services. This tool is independent and not endorsed by or affiliated with the ABR, the ATO, ASIC or the Australian Government. Verify anything important at abr.business.gov.au. General information, not tax advice.