What is a public officer?

A public officer is your company’s point of contact with the ATO.

You can elect a public officer as part of your EasyCompanies company registration application. If you choose not to do so, you must select and inform the ATO of your public officer within three months of company registration to avoid a late fee of $110.

s 252 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth) sets out the obligations of a public officer. Pursuant to this legislation, a public officer must be at least 18 years of age, an Australian resident and have the capacity to understand the nature of the role they are undertaking.

Once the company has been registered it is important for the public officer to sign the consent form (emailed through as a PDF) and to keep this with the company records. 

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Updated — Sep 6, 2015