Enrolment with AUSTRAC is a legal requirement. But enrolment alone isn't enough — you need a record of when you enrolled, what controls were in place, and who was responsible.
If your accounting practice provides one or more designated services under the AML/CTF Act, you are a reporting entity and must enrol with AUSTRAC. Enrolment must be completed within 28 days of first providing a designated service — and from 1 July 2026, that deadline applies to all Tranche 2 entities including accountants, bookkeepers, and tax agents.
Enrolment is done directly at austrac.gov.au. But enrolment is only the first step — before you enrol, AUSTRAC expects you to have your compliance controls already operational. Enrolment is a declaration that your program is in place, not a starting gun.
Enrolment is not the same as registration. Most accountants need to enrol, not register. Registration applies to a narrower set of entities providing higher-risk services such as remittance or digital currency exchange. If you are unsure which applies to your practice, check the AUSTRAC website or seek advice from your professional body.
AUSTRAC expects the following controls to be genuinely operational before you enrol — not planned, not in progress, but actually in place. Ticking these at enrolment is a formal declaration that they exist in your firm today.
Controls must be evidenced, not just declared. An AUSTRAC auditor or independent reviewer can ask you to produce your training register, a DVS check you performed, a sanctions screening result, or evidence of ongoing client monitoring. Each control must be demonstrable — not just ticked.
Failing to enrol by the required deadline is a breach of the AML/CTF Act. From 1 July 2026, any accounting practice providing designated services without being enrolled with AUSTRAC is operating in breach — regardless of whether any other compliance obligations have been met.
Operating as an unenrolled reporting entity exposes your practice to civil penalties and regulatory action. It also means any CDD, training, or program documentation you have produced has no legal standing until enrolment is complete. Enrolment is the gateway obligation — everything else flows from it.
SimpleAML is a compliance register, not a hosted document storage system. It records that your controls are in place and that enrolment was completed — with the dates, reference numbers, and accountability trail an auditor needs to see. Your actual program documents, training certificates, and screening reports stay in your firm’s own filing systems, where they belong.
SimpleAML stores records locally in your browser on your device. It does not currently provide multi-user cloud sync. You should export and back up your records regularly.
Best for sole practitioners and small firms. SimpleAML is most suitable for sole practitioners and smaller firms where one person mainly manages AML/CTF compliance.
Browser-based local storage. Data is stored in the browser on your device, not in a shared cloud account run by SimpleAML.
The enrolment screen in SimpleAML unlocks automatically once your firm profile, risk assessment, and AML/CTF program are complete — ensuring you only enrol once the foundational steps are genuinely done.
SimpleAML walks you through every step before enrolment and records the details you'll need to show AUSTRAC. No account needed.
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