Guanidinium 2,4-dichlorobenzoate (G24DCB), a new chloro substituted benzoic acid based organic single crystal is synthesized, grown and added to the guanidinium family of single crystals. Such G24DCB crystal was obtained by a versatile slow evaporation solution growth technique. The analysis of single crystal X-ray diffraction examined the phase identification and determination of lattice parameters for the synthesized compound. The G24DCB crystal has monoclinic system and adopts space group P21/c. Powder X-ray diffraction explores the studied crystal's crystalline characteristics. The study of Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy examined the necessary vibrational assignments for the formation of the structure of G24DCB. The UV–Visible-NIR analysis entails the determination of the cut-off wavelength of the G24DCB compound from its transmittance spectrum and the computation of other related optical parameter values. Photoluminescence analysis was employed to investigate the studied crystal's emission characteristics. The thermal stability of the G24DCB crystal was examined through thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis. The laser-induced damage threshold of the crystal was determined using a Nd:YAG laser. The various mechanical attributes exhibited by the synthesized compound were elucidated by microhardness studies and it corresponds to a soft material type. The various third order nonlinear optical characteristics were probed by Z scan study. The positive results of the aforementioned studies suggest the emerging significance possessed by the novel title crystal Guanidinium 2,4-dichlorobenzoate in nonlinear optical applications.