Business Plan Tool
Business Plan Tool is a free web tool from business.gov.au for people considering a business or already running one.
What Business Plan Tool is
Business Plan Tool is a free web tool from business.gov.au for people considering a business or already running one. It guides users through questions to evaluate an idea, set goals for the year ahead, and keep a business on track. At the end, users can email or download their plan; the listed plan includes financial projections, section guidance, a template library, and DOCX export. Completing the tool is estimated to take 30–60 minutes. Information remains stored during the session and is deleted after three hours of inactivity, so a user who leaves without downloading must start again. Cookies and JavaScript are required, and unsupported browsers will not work. The tool provides general guidance, not advice tailored to an individual business. For finance applications, the site recommends a detailed plan template because some lenders ask for more detail. It works on smartphones, tablets, and desktop devices in supported browsers, but does not include scenario planning or team collaboration.
Good
- Free web tool.
- Includes financial projections and section guidance.
- Plan can be emailed or downloaded as DOCX.
- Works on smartphones, tablets, and desktop devices.
Watch out
- Information is deleted after three hours of inactivity.
- Requires cookies and JavaScript.
- Does not support scenario planning or team collaboration.
- Provides general guidance rather than tailored advice.
Who it suits
It suits people who want guided help drafting a simple business plan and setting goals. Those seeking finance may need the detailed template, and users needing tailored guidance should seek professional advice.
Verdict
Business Plan Tool offers a structured, free starting point for a simple plan, with downloadable output. Download the plan before an inactive session expires, and use a more detailed template if a lender requires one.
Plans and prices
From Business Plan Tool's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Business Plan Tool | Free | Simple business plan · 30–60 minutes · information deleted after 3 hours of inactivity |
The facts
Each one read from Business Plan Tool's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Advice limits
- The tool provides general guidance rather than tailored advice, and the site recommends seeking professional advice for business help.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Audience
- It is for anyone thinking about starting a business or already running one.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Completion time
- The estimated time to complete the tool is 30–60 minutes.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Output
- After answering questions about their business, users can email or download their business plan.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy practices
- business.gov.au says it follows the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy retention
- The tool stores information during the session and deletes it after 3 hours of inactivity; if a user ends the session without downloading the plan, they need to start over.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- The tool helps people evaluate a business idea, set goals for the year ahead and keep a business on track.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- The tool requires cookies and JavaScript, and it does not work with unsupported browsers.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- For technical issues, users can contact business.gov.au from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across Australia.checked 4 Oct 2026
Money
- Detailed plans
- The site recommends its detailed business plan template for users seeking finance because some lenders ask for more detail.checked 4 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Supported browsers
- The site lists current and previous versions of Firefox and Chrome on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android; Edge on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android; Safari on macOS and iOS; and Samsung Internet on Android.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Supported devices
- The business.gov.au site uses responsive design for smartphones, tablets and desktop devices.checked 4 Oct 2026
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