GST on Amazon Seller Fees in Australia: What Amazon Publishes, What It Does Not, and Claiming Credits

Amazon publishes its Australian seller fees excluding GST, and that is about as far as the public pages go. The Professional plan costs A$49.95 a month excluding GST, and the registration guide describes the same fee as "$49.95 AUD (+GST)". Whether 10% GST is actually added to the fee invoices on your account, and whether supplying an ABN changes that, is shown inside Seller Central and not on any public Amazon page. So the practical answer is: read your own fee invoice. This is general information, not tax or legal advice; confirm with the ATO or a registered tax agent.

What does Amazon say publicly about GST on its fees?

Three public statements are worth knowing, and none of them settles the question for your account.

1. The pricing page quotes fees excluding GST. The Professional plan is A$49.95 per month excluding GST, and the Individual plan's A$0.99 per item is also quoted excluding GST. FBA storage rates on the same page are quoted excluding GST too.
2. The registration guide says "+GST". It states the Professional plan fee as A$49.95 AUD plus GST.
3. An Amazon staff reply in the seller forums. A seller asked about 10% GST on each FBA and referral fee. The Amazon reply said fees payable by sellers "are exclusive of all sales, use, goods and services, and similar taxes", that sellers are generally responsible for their own taxes, and that they should consult a professional adviser.

"Exclusive of" means the quoted number does not include the tax. It does not say that no GST will be added. It is a forum reply, not a policy page, and the staff member did not confirm a rate.

What is not published?

Amazon does not answer these on any public page, so do not assume an answer:

• Whether 10% GST is added to the referral fee, FBA fee, advertising charges or the plan fee on an Australian seller's account.
• Whether adding a GST-registered ABN to your tax settings stops GST being added, or changes the invoice you get.
• The exact layout of Amazon's fee invoices and which report shows the GST amount.
• Whether Amazon's reports show fees as GST-inclusive or exclusive on each line.

Some third-party adviser sites say registered sellers are not charged GST on their fees. Treat that as a lead to test, not as proof, because it is not an Amazon or ATO statement. Amazon's tax registration terms in Seller Central can treat an ABN from a resident seller as confirmation of GST registration, which is why your ABN status in Seller Central must be accurate.

How do I check what Amazon charged me?

You are looking for evidence on your own account. A simple routine:

1. Download your monthly or per-settlement payment report from Seller Central and filter the fee lines.
2. Look for a separate tax line or a note on the fee invoice. If there is one, it will give the amount of GST on that fee.
3. Compare one month by hand: plan fee A$49.95, plus referral and FBA fees for a few orders. Does the total on the invoice match the fee excluding GST, or about 10% more?
4. Save the invoice or report as your record. Business.gov.au says most business records should be kept for 5 years.
5. If anything is unclear, raise a case with Seller Support and ask them to state how GST is applied to your fees. Keep the reply.

Amazon publishes its payments report layouts only inside Seller Central, so they are not described here. A practical habit is to download each month's fee invoices and payment reports, keep them with your bookkeeping records, and match every fee line to a GST treatment before you lodge. If a line has no GST shown and you are unsure why, ask Seller Support in writing and keep the reply. The Amazon Australia seller fees guide lists the published fee amounts and the payment schedule page covers when settlements arrive.

Can I claim GST credits on Amazon fees?

If you are registered for GST, you can generally claim back the GST included in the price of things you buy for your business. That includes a cost like marketplace fees, but only if GST was actually charged on the fee and you hold the right evidence.

• Only claim GST that was charged. If your invoice shows no GST on a fee, there is no credit to claim. Do not add 10% in your own books.
• Evidence. A purchase above A$82.50 including GST needs a valid tax invoice to support the credit. Amazon's fee invoice, or the document Amazon says serves as one, should carry your ABN or Amazon's details as the ATO rules require. Ask your agent to confirm it qualifies.
• If you are not registered. You cannot claim GST credits. Any GST Amazon adds is a cost, although the fee itself is generally a business expense for income tax.

Worked example with illustrative numbers

Say a month of fees on a registered account, taken from an invoice that shows GST (illustrative, not Amazon rates):

The A$49.95 is Amazon's published plan fee excluding GST; the rest is assumed. If your invoice shows no GST, the credit line is nil and the total equals the excluding-GST column. If you are not registered, there is no credit and the GST amount is simply a cost.

How this flows into your activity statement is in BAS for Amazon sellers in Australia. The broader rules on registering and charging GST are in GST for Amazon sellers in Australia, and the GST glossary entry has the short definition.

What about advertising, FBA and other charges?

Amazon Ads charges come from a separate billing arrangement, and no public Amazon page states how GST applies to them for Australian advertisers. The same goes for FBA storage, removal and return processing fees: the rates are public, quoted excluding GST, and the GST treatment sits inside Seller Central. Check each invoice type separately instead of assuming one rule covers all of them. See Amazon Australia returns fees for what is and is not published on returns processing.

FAQ

Does Amazon charge GST on seller fees in Australia? Amazon quotes its fees excluding GST and an Amazon staff reply says fees are exclusive of such taxes. Whether GST is added to your invoice is shown in Seller Central, so check your own invoice.

Is the A$49.95 Professional fee GST-inclusive? No. Amazon states A$49.95 excluding GST on its pricing page and A$49.95 plus GST in the registration guide. Treat it as the ex-GST figure.

If I add my ABN, do I stop paying GST on fees? Amazon does not say so on a public page. Read the tax registration terms in Seller Central, because they can treat an ABN from a resident seller as confirmation of GST registration. The effect on your invoices is something to read from your account.

Where do I find Amazon's tax invoice for my fees? Amazon publishes the invoice and report locations inside Seller Central. Look under the payments and reports areas, and ask Seller Support which document is the tax invoice for fees.

Can I claim GST on Amazon fees if I am under A$75,000? Only if you have chosen to register for GST. Registration below A$75,000 is optional, and registered businesses can claim GST credits.

Does the fee GST change my profit per unit? For a registered seller, GST that is a credit is not a cost, so the profit calculation uses the excluding-GST amounts. For an unregistered seller, GST charged on fees is a real cost. Use the box for GST on fees in the profit calculator.

Next step

Pull one month of invoices, see whether GST appears, and take those facts to your registered tax agent. If you want help reading settlement reports and fee lines on the Amazon side, Blooprint's Amazon account management can do that; the tax treatment stays with your agent.