# Computershare.com.au?



## sly (20 July 2009)

Basically some time back i was given company shares as part of a profit share. My understanding is they cant be sold for a few years.

Since then i have opened a westpac broking account and have dipped my toes in with some small purchases. 

Now i recieve mail from those companies saying to register with computershare.com.au ( Not my free shares from employee)
This i have done and it shows all my purchases on there as does the westpac broking site.

My question is what is the diffference between the two sites and how should they be used. I even did as search on the computershare web site and it found my  free company shares but only gives limited info.

Are they both brokering sites ???

Sorry if this is a stupid question.


----------



## shiftyphil (20 July 2009)

Computer Share is a registry (the others that I know of are linkmarketservices.com.au and registries.com.au). They handle the administration of a company's share registry.

Use their websites to set up payment details for dividends, and get the tax information.


----------



## sly (21 July 2009)

shiftyphil said:


> Computer Share is a registry (the others that I know of are linkmarketservices.com.au and registries.com.au). They handle the administration of a company's share registry.
> 
> Use their websites to set up payment details for dividends, and get the tax information.




Thanks for that


----------



## johnnyblacksmith (20 January 2013)

*Computershare.com*

Hi all,

Firstly, apologies if these are rookie questions.

I recently started trading and bought some stock that pays dividends as well as one that doesn't.

I received a letter from both securities in the mail, both asking me to register with computershare.com.

I received the one from the non-dividend paying security first and just ignored the letter thinking it was not essential to register. However, the other letter from the company that pays dividends is asking for my TFN to be registered on computershare.com.

My questions are basically this, do I need to actually register with computershare and provide my TFN to them? I already provided my TFN to my broker, so I thought all the withheld tax would be sorted out by my broker when diivies are paid. Why do I need to provide my TFN to a share registrar? Will I need to do the same all over again to other share registrars if other companies I invest in aren't with computershare?

Side question, if I do need to register with computershare, is it free? It looks like it is, so how does this company pull a profit if they don't charge us?

If the air could be cleared for me on this, I'll muchly appreciate it!

Thanks.


----------



## McLovin (20 January 2013)

*Re: computershare.com*

Your broker cannot pass your TFN on to a share registry, it would be highly illegal. When you go to their website you create an account that will have all your shareholdings which CS is the registry listed. You need to manually enter the TFN everytime you buy a new company, they cannot automatically assign your TFN even if you have already quoted it. 



			
				johnnyblacksmith said:
			
		

> Side question, if I do need to register with computershare, is it free? It looks like it is, so how does this company pull a profit if they don't charge us?




The company you are invested in pays Computershare an annual fee to maintain their registry.


----------



## pixel (20 January 2013)

*Re: computershare.com*



johnnyblacksmith said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Firstly, apologies if these are rookie questions.
> 
> ...



Welcome to ASF, JB.
Glad you ask those questions - we're a helpful bunch 

Some brokers do keep the registry updated; some don't. I cannot verify McLovin's reply about TFNs because I trade through companies, for which I have ABNs, and those are indeed copied without my doing. I may also have, when I registered my HINs with Computershare, permitted them to apply these details automatically.
In any case, I find it beneficial to have my ABN/ TFN known because then I receive all and any payments without tax being deducted; I rather prefer it that way and let my Accountant sort it out with the Tax Office at the end of each FY.

Share registrars are paid by the company whose share register they keep; to investors, the service is free.

There are other benefits in keeping your information updated at the Registry:

You can opt to receive an email whenever announcements and reports are available. That benefits both you and your company.
Some companies offer to pay dividends directly into your bank account - provided you tell them the details.
It may also be possible to proxy-vote at AGMs that you can't attend yourself.
In over 10 years of using those services, I haven't found a single instance where my private information had been compromised.


----------



## McLovin (20 January 2013)

*Re: computershare.com*



pixel said:


> Welcome to ASF, JB.
> Glad you ask those questions - we're a helpful bunch
> 
> Some brokers do keep the registry updated; some don't. I cannot verify McLovin's reply about TFNs because I trade through companies, for which I have ABNs, and those are indeed copied without my doing. I may also have, when I registered my HINs with Computershare, permitted them to apply these details automatically.




I'm almost certain it would be a breach of the Privacy Act to disclose someone's TFN to a third party. An ABN is publicly available, so it's quite a bit different to a TFN.

I invest through a company and a trust, I always quote the TFN.


----------



## johnnyblacksmith (20 January 2013)

*Re: computershare.com*

Thank you both very much for the rapid replies.

I had figured that the way CPU makes money was via those means. I just curiously wanted to confirm it.

A couple further questions that just crossed my mind:

If tax gets deducted at the highest possible rate, than won't it all balance out at the end of FY anyway? Eg, I will get back all that I'm entitled when my tax return gets processed, right?

Are there many other share registrars out there, aside from computershare? If I hold stock in other companies that are with other registrars, will I need to set up other accounts with these other registrars? Or is computershare really just the main one?

Thanks.


----------



## pixel (20 January 2013)

*Re: computershare.com*



johnnyblacksmith said:


> Are there many other share registrars out there, aside from computershare? If I hold stock in other companies that are with other registrars, will I need to set up other accounts with these other registrars? Or is computershare really just the main one?
> 
> Thanks.




I have bookmarked five:

Advanced Share Reg: http://www.advancedshare.com.au/Home.aspx
Computershare: https://www-au.computershare.com/investor
Boardroom: http://www.boardroomlimited.com.au/
Link Market Services: https://www.linkmarketservices.com.au
Security Transfer: https://www.securitytransfer.com.au
You don't need accounts with them all, although it can speed up processes. Usually, they let you enter if you know the company name/code, your HIN (Holder id), and your postcode.


----------



## johnnyblacksmith (21 January 2013)

*Re: Computershare.com*

Thanks guys for all the help.

McLovin mentioned that it's against privacy laws for my broker to disclose my TFN to a third party.

I have received another letter now from the company which has my bank details on it, presumably for payment of dividends. I assume that these banking details would've been received from my broker to the company. Is this not a breach of privacy in the same instance as it would be for the TFN?


----------



## So_Cynical (21 January 2013)

*Re: Computershare.com*



johnnyblacksmith said:


> Thanks guys for all the help.
> 
> McLovin mentioned that it's against privacy laws for my broker to disclose my TFN to a third party.
> 
> I have received another letter now from the company which has my bank details on it, presumably for payment of dividends. I assume that these banking details would've been received from my broker to the company. Is this not a breach of privacy in the same instance as it would be for the TFN?




Your broker has nothing to do with dividends or bank details...your broker places your orders etc, Computershare on behalf of the company manages your dividend payments etc, that's another way CPU makes money, share holder communications.


----------



## hotchy (23 January 2013)

*Re: computershare.com*



johnnyblacksmith said:


> If tax gets deducted at the highest possible rate, than won't it all balance out at the end of FY anyway? Eg, I will get back all that I'm entitled when my tax return gets processed, right?




Would you not rather have the money in your hands than in the ATO's?


----------

