Business Characteristics Survey

The survey collects a range of information relating to business characteristics, such as:

• working arrangements
• business performance compared to last year and what factors might have impacted the business (including on supply chains)
• access and barriers to finance
• skills used and needed by the business, and steps taken to address skill shortages
• performance of the business’s internet connection and use of the internet for business activities
• cyber security
• use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the business
• use of clean technologies, and
• whether the business introduced any new or improved goods, services or processes (i.e. innovation activities).

The 2024-25 survey also includes questions on characteristics of the Principal Manager of the business. 

A preview of the survey questions in PDF format can be accessed from your ABS Survey Account by selecting the 'Preview form' button next to this survey's 'Start/Resume' button.

The survey is answered by approximately 6,500 randomly selected businesses that represent the wider Australian business community. The survey aims to select businesses across different industries, states, and employment size. Some businesses are selected because they significantly represent a particular industry or sector. 

Yes. Under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, you are obliged to provide the information requested by the ABS. We follow up delayed responses and we will assist you if you are having difficulties.

Yes. The ABS takes the privacy and security of your information very seriously.

We use your survey responses to produce statistics, which we release as summary data that does not identify any business or organisation. In some cases, detailed statistics might relate to a single holding. If you are concerned your holding could be identified, you can ask us to further aggregate your data.

The ABS Privacy Policy for Statistical Information outlines how we use your personal information and keep it safe. To view our policy visit the Privacy page.

No. There is no provision within the Census and Statistics Act 1905 to reimburse individuals, businesses or organisations for the cost of providing statistical information. In line with other national statistical organisations around the world, individuals, businesses and other organisations are asked to supply information for statistical purposes without compensation.

The length of time that a business is selected will depend on factors such as the size of the business, the number of businesses with similar characteristics, and how significant the activities of the business are to overall results. Most businesses are typically on the survey for two cycles.

If you have received a reminder letter, email or text message about completing the survey, it is likely that you have returned the survey at the same time as we issued your reminder notice. If you wish to confirm this, please contact us and we will check the information against our records.

We recommend printing or saving a PDF copy of your survey answers for your records. Use the 'Save' or 'Print' buttons that appear after you click 'Submit' in your web form.

If you have received a letter or email from us with a Form Access Code, you can access and complete your survey form online using that code. 

Go online to our ABS Survey Account, to set up an account, or if you already have one, log in, and then add your Form Access Code to access the survey form. 

The ABS survey account is a secure service that allows a form to be accessed as many times as is needed before final submission. After submitting the survey, you will not be able to access the contents. When you have set up an ABS survey account, the same account can be used to access and answer future surveys.

If you are unable to complete your survey online, have not received the letter we sent you, or are concerned that you have provided incorrect information in your final submission, please contact us on 1800 681 979 and we will be happy to assist.

For more information on completing our surveys online, help is available on our Survey Account Help page. This page helps with technical difficulties creating and using the ABS Survey Account. If you have not received your Form Access Code or would like to speak to a member of our team, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.

The period covered by this survey is the 2024-25 financial year, that is, 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. 

If the business you are reporting for has ceased operating, did not operate during the reference period, has gone into liquidation, or was sold during the reference period, please contact us so that we can determine the correct course of action for this business. 

Yes, you still need to complete a form provided that the new business activity was also conducted under the ABN specified. Business conducted under any other ABN should not be included on this form. Include a comment at the end of the form to advise that the activity changed during the year.

If you are unsure which business activity to report for, please contact us and one of our team will be happy to assist you. 

To meet the needs of government and industry analysts, the ABS reviews the content of the Business Characteristics Survey each survey cycle. Stakeholders, users, and interested parties are invited to comment on the content and identify areas where data is needed to develop or evaluate policies and programs supporting businesses in Australia. 

Survey content is tested with businesses via virtual and face to face meetings and participation in these meetings is on a voluntary basis.  The meetings are conducted to ensure that: 

• data is collected in an efficient and effective way
• any concerns regarding sensitivity or privacy aspects of the data being collected are addressed
• the survey has an appropriate amount of supporting information to assist businesses in completing the survey. 

Testing is conducted by experienced ABS staff familiar with survey content and design. The ABS is grateful to the businesses who volunteered their time to participate in content testing and for their feedback and contribution in shaping the 2024-25 Business Characteristics Survey. 

If you would like to be involved in future testing for the Business Characteristics Survey, please reach out to our team at innovation.technology@abs.gov.au. 

We provide our statistics free of charge on our website. Statistics produced from this survey will be published in Characteristics of Australian Business. In previous years, statistics have also been published in Innovation in Australian Business.

The next release of information will be in June 2026.