Who has to enrol
- Firms that act in the sale or purchase of real estate or a business.
- Firms that receive, hold, control or manage a client's money or property to help plan or carry out a transaction, typically through the trust account.
- Firms that create, operate or manage companies, trusts or partnerships, or act as nominee or registered office.
- Conveyancers and settlement agents.
Who does not
A practice that only litigates, advises, drafts wills or appears in court, and never provides one of the services above, does not need to enrol. Most general practices do provide at least one.
When and how
Enrolment opened on 31 March 2026 and must be done within 28 days of first providing a designated service, so a firm already doing this work needed to enrol by 29 July 2026. It is free and done on AUSTRAC Online.
Legal professional privilege
The reforms preserve privilege. A suspicious matter report does not require you to disclose privileged communications, and the Act provides a process for privilege claims. It does not exempt the firm from enrolment, a program or client due diligence.
Questions people ask
- I am a sole practitioner. Do I still need to enrol?
- Yes, if you provide a designated service. The obligations attach to the service, not to the size of the practice.
- Does my practising certificate cover this?
- No. Law society regulation and AUSTRAC enrolment are separate. Both apply.
Sources
Official AUSTRAC guidance this page was checked against. The date is when we captured the page; AUSTRAC may have updated it since.
- Professional designated services · AUSTRAC, captured 14 Sept 2026
- Enrol with us · AUSTRAC, captured 07 June 2026
- Legal professional privilege (Reform) · AUSTRAC, captured 16 Apr 2026
This guide is general information for solicitors, conveyancers, settlement agents, not legal advice. Check AUSTRAC's current guidance for your situation.