PPSR registration: what it is, what it costs and how to do it
Updated 2026-10-30
A PPSR registration is a public record that you hold a security interest in goods or other property that someone else has. For a business, it's the step that turns a retention-of-title clause or a hire agreement into something a liquidator has to respect. It costs $6, takes minutes, and most small businesses have never made one.
What a registration is
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is the national register of security interests in personal property, run by the Australian Financial Security Authority. A registration, called a financing statement in the Act, records four things: who holds the interest (the secured party), who granted it (the grantor, usually your customer), what property it covers (the collateral) and how long it lasts.
It doesn't record the agreement itself and it doesn't prove you're owed money. What it does is perfect your security interest: make it effective against the customer's other creditors and against an administrator or liquidator. Unregistered, your interest vests in the customer the day an insolvency practitioner is appointed, and the goods are sold for everyone else's benefit.
Who should register
- Suppliers who sell goods on credit with a retention-of-title clause in their terms (wholesalers, building suppliers, packaging, parts, anyone on 30-day terms)
- Equipment hire and rental businesses whose agreements run more than two years or have no fixed end date (coffee machines, fridges, POS terminals, copiers, forklifts, site sheds, gym gear)
- Businesses that leave stock with a customer on consignment
- Lenders and lessors of vehicles, plant and equipment
- Anyone taking a charge over a customer's assets to secure a debt
What it costs
Fees are set under the Personal Property Securities (Fees) Determination and are GST-free. A lawyer will typically charge from $800 to lodge one for you. OnTerms lodges one for $49 with the government fee included.
| Registration | Government fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 7 years | $6.00 |
| 7 to 25 years | $25.00 |
| No end date | $115.00 |
| Search the register | $2.00 |
| End or discharge a registration | Free |
What you need before you register
- A security agreement. For a supplier, that's terms of trade with a retention-of-title and PPSA clause that the customer accepted in writing before delivery. For hire, an agreement that says the equipment stays yours and that you may register. Without one, you have no interest to register.
- The customer's correct identifier. A company is registered by its ACN, even if it has an ABN. A trust by the trust's ABN. A partnership by the partnership's ABN. A sole trader by name and date of birth. Trading names are never used, and the wrong identifier makes the registration worthless.
- A description of the collateral: goods supplied under your terms, or the specific equipment by make, model and serial number. Vehicles are registered by VIN.
- The dates: when the customer accepted the terms, and when they took possession. Those drive the timing rules below.
- A secured party group on the PPSR in your name, with an address for service where verification statements and notices will actually be read.
When to register
For a supplier on continuing terms, one registration per customer, lodged when the terms are accepted, covers every later delivery. The 20-business-day clock runs from the acceptance of the terms, not from each invoice.
| Situation | Deadline | If missed |
|---|---|---|
| Goods the customer will resell or use up (inventory) | Before the customer takes possession | Lose priority over the bank for those goods |
| Equipment the customer keeps, or goods on hire | Within 15 business days of possession | Same |
| Any security interest from a company customer | Within 20 business days of the agreement, or at least six months before insolvency (s588FL) | Goods vest in the company on insolvency |
| Any unregistered interest | Before an administrator or liquidator is appointed | Goods vest in the customer |
How to register
Or send OnTerms your terms and your customer list. We find the clause, verify each customer on ABN Lookup and ASIC, show you exactly what will go on the register, and lodge it the same day you confirm.
- Create a PPSR account at ppsr.gov.au and a secured party group (SPG) in your legal name. Keep the SPG access code safe.
- Start a new registration. Choose the collateral class (Other goods for most supply; Motor vehicles for anything with a VIN), tick Inventory if the customer resells the goods, tick Purchase money security interest, and tick Proceeds.
- Enter the grantor by the right identifier (ACN, ABN, or name and date of birth) and describe the collateral.
- Choose the duration, pay the fee, and save the verification statement and registration token. You'll need the token to change or end the registration.
- Give the customer a copy of the verification statement unless your terms waive that, and set a reminder before the end time. A lapsed registration starts again from the back of the queue.
Common mistakes
- Registering against the trading name or the ABN of a company instead of its ACN
- Registering against the trustee company when the customer is a trust, or the other way round
- Leaving the PMSI box unticked, which forfeits the priority over the bank's charge
- Registering after the goods were delivered and after the 20 business days, so the interest vests on insolvency anyway
- Letting a seven-year registration expire without renewing
- Having no clause in the terms, so there is nothing to register
Common questions
Is a PPSR registration the same as registering a car?
No. Vehicle registration (rego) is a state transport matter. A PPSR registration records a security interest in property. If you're buying a car and want to know whether money is owed on it, you want a PPSR search by VIN, which costs $2.
How long does a PPSR registration take?
Minutes once you have the details. The registration is effective immediately and the verification statement arrives by email.
Do I need a lawyer to register on the PPSR?
No. Anyone can register. The parts that benefit from legal input are the clause in your terms and any dispute about priority. OnTerms is a registration agent, not a law firm; we lodge from your documents and point you to a lawyer when a question needs one.
Can I register against a customer without telling them?
You can lodge without their involvement, but you must believe on reasonable grounds that you are or will become a secured party, which in practice means they have accepted terms containing the clause, and you must give them notice of the verification statement unless they've waived it.
What does OnTerms charge?
$49 per registration including the $6 government fee, or plans from $39 a month that include renewals, expiry alerts and a watch on your customers for insolvency notices.