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How to Go Freelance in Australia: A Practical Guide

The practical steps to transition from employment to freelancing in Australia. Financial runway, transition planning, first-week checklist, and what to expect.

2 min read·

You're good at your job and you know it. Here's the quick sanity check on what going freelance actually involves.

3–6 months
Financial runway to save
15 min
ABN registration
$75k
GST threshold

What you give up

Paid leave
Holidays, sick days, public holidays. All unpaid.
Employer super
That 12% stops. It's on you.
Steady income
Some months are great. Others are crickets.
Free admin
Invoicing, BAS, chasing payments. One or two unpaid days a week.

What you need before day one

Save 3–6 months of expenses. Check your employment contract for non-compete clauses. Then:

ABN
Free, 15 min at abr.gov.au.
Business bank account
Separate from personal.
30% tax rule
Set aside 30% of every payment for tax.
Insurance
Professional indemnity. $300–800/year.

The setup takes an afternoon. The hard part is understanding how the money works once you're on your own: tax, super, GST, deductions, what you can actually spend.

Want the complete picture?

The Complete Guide to Freelancing in Australia covers this topic and 12 more chapters: tax, super, BAS, contracts, pricing, and more.

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Want the complete picture?

The complete guide to freelancing in Australia. Tax, super, BAS, contracts, and pricing, explained step by step.

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