If you DJ in Australia and a venue asks for a GST invoice, the honest first question is: are you even registered for GST? Most casual and weekend DJs aren’t required to be. You only must register once your gig turnover hits AU$75,000 a year — below that you send a normal invoice and write “Not registered for GST” on it. Here’s how to get it right either way, ATO rules and all.
Note: this is a practical guide, not tax advice. Thresholds and rules change — check the ATO or your accountant for your situation.
Do you need to register for GST as a DJ?
The trigger is turnover, not profit, and not your total income:
- Under AU$75,000 of DJ/business turnover in a rolling 12 months → registration is optional. Most part-time DJs stay unregistered.
- AU$75,000 or more → you must register for GST and charge 10%.
Two things people get wrong:
- Your day job doesn’t count. GST registration is about your business’s turnover. If you earn $90k in a salaried role but your DJ work brings in $12k, you’re not required to register the DJ activity.
- You can register voluntarily. Some DJs do it to reclaim GST on gear and travel — but then you must charge GST on every gig and lodge BAS statements. For most, that’s not worth it until you’re near the threshold. (For how this compares in the UK, Canada and India, see do DJs need to charge GST.)
ABN vs GST — they’re not the same thing
- An ABN (Australian Business Number) identifies your business. It’s free and you should have one before invoicing — without it, a business client may have to withhold 47% of your fee under “no-ABN withholding.”
- GST registration is separate. You can (and often should) have an ABN without being registered for GST.
What an Australian GST tax invoice must include
If you are registered, the ATO requires a proper tax invoice. For a DJ gig:
| Field | Under AU$1,000 | AU$1,000 or more |
|---|---|---|
| The words “Tax Invoice” | ✅ | ✅ |
| Your identity + ABN | ✅ | ✅ |
| Date issued | ✅ | ✅ |
| Description of the gig (date, venue, hours) | ✅ | ✅ |
| GST amount (or “Total includes GST”) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Buyer’s identity or ABN | — | ✅ |
Itemise the actual work — performance hours, extra sets, MC time, lighting, travel — rather than one line reading “DJ services” (our DJ invoice template shows the full line-item layout). Give every invoice a unique number and put the gig date and venue on it, so a late-paying promoter’s vague bank reference still matches the right gig.
If you’re not registered: the one line that matters
Send the same professional invoice — your details, ABN, the client, the gig, the amount, payment terms — but do not add a GST line, and do add:
Not registered for GST
That tells the venue’s accounts team there’s no GST component to claim, and keeps you compliant.
Worked example: a $300 Fabric-style gig
Registered for GST — fee $300 + GST:
- Performance (4 hrs, Sat 2 Mar, [Venue], 10PM–2AM): $300.00
- GST (10%): $30.00
- Total due: $330.00 · Tax Invoice · ABN 12 345 678 901
Not registered — flat $300:
- Performance (4 hrs, Sat 2 Mar, [Venue], 10PM–2AM): $300.00
- Total due: $300.00 · Not registered for GST · ABN 12 345 678 901
Stop rebuilding this after every gig
Whether you’re registered or not, the format is the same every time — which is exactly the kind of thing software should handle. SettleBeat stores your ABN and GST setting once, then turns each finished gig into the right invoice — GST line or “Not registered for GST”, ABN, itemised, PDF attached — and tracks whether it’s been paid. Just need a one-off? The free DJ invoice generator builds a GST-ready PDF in minutes, no account needed. Play the gig; we’ll handle the invoicing →