AUSTRAC enrolment: the complete 2026 guide for Tranche 2 reporting entities

Enrolment is the formal act of telling AUSTRAC that you are a reporting entity under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth). It is the legal entry point into the AML/CTF regime — every other obligation (program, customer due diligence, reporting, record-keeping) flows from being an enrolled reporting entity.

Under Tranche 2, around 100,000 Australian businesses must enrol for the first time before they provide a designated service on or after 1 July 2026. Enrolment is free, takes about 30 minutes online once you have the right information in front of you, and is completed through AUSTRAC Online.

What enrolment is (and is not)

Enrolment is administrative recognition by AUSTRAC that your business is a reporting entity. It is mandated by section 51E of the AML/CTF Act and operationalised through Chapter 8 of the AML/CTF Rules. Once enrolled, your business appears on AUSTRAC's Reporting Entities Roll and is supervised by AUSTRAC for the lifetime of the enrolment.

Enrolment is not the same as registration. Registration is a separate, additional process required only for two categories of reporting entity: remittance service providers (independent remitters, network providers and affiliates under Part 6 of the Act) and digital currency exchange providers (under Part 6A). The vast majority of Tranche 2 entities — lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, dealers in precious metals — only need to enrol, not register.

Who must enrol under Tranche 2

If your business will provide one or more designated services listed in section 6 of the AML/CTF Act on or after 1 July 2026, you must enrol before that first designated service is provided. The Tranche 2 designated services include:

• Real estate transactions (acting for a buyer, seller or in a commercial property transaction).
• Legal services involving client funds, real estate, company or trust formation, or trustee/director appointments.
• Accounting services involving entity formation, registered office services, or holding client funds.
• Trust and company service provision (TCSP), including acting as a nominee director or trustee.
• Dealing in precious metals or stones above prescribed thresholds (currently A$10,000 or equivalent).
• Providing a gaming service or operating electronic gaming machines (most pubs and clubs).
• Bookkeeping where the bookkeeper holds payment authority over client funds or assists with entity formation.

Critically, the Act captures designated services, not whole professions. A solicitor doing pure litigation does not need to enrol. The same solicitor who runs a single residential conveyance for a friend on 1 July 2026 must enrol before that conveyance proceeds. Scope your service mix carefully — see our Part A program guide for the standard scoping exercise.

When to enrol

The statutory rule is simple: enrolment must be in place before the first designated service is provided after the commencement date. For Tranche 2 entities the commencement date is 1 July 2026. Practically, AUSTRAC has indicated it will accept enrolments from early 2026 to spread the load — there is no benefit to waiting.

• Enrol as soon as you are confident you will be in scope. Late enrolment is a contravention of section 51F.
• Allow 5–10 business days for AUSTRAC to process your enrolment, longer in the weeks immediately before 1 July 2026.
• If your scope changes (e.g. you start providing a new designated service), update your enrolment within 14 days.

What information you need before you start

Have these ready before you log into AUSTRAC Online — partial enrolments cannot be saved indefinitely:

• Legal entity details: ABN, ACN (if a company), entity type, registered office address.
• Trading names and any business names registered with ASIC.
• Designated service categories you will provide (you choose from a structured list).
• Industry sector under AUSTRAC's classification (e.g. legal services, real estate).
• Estimated annual earnings band and number of employees.
• Senior officer details: principal, director, partner or trustee with day-to-day control.
• AML/CTF Compliance Officer details: name, position, contact email and phone. This person is your nominated point of contact with AUSTRAC and must be at management level.
• myGovID for the authorised person who will lodge the enrolment, linked via Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) to the entity's ABN.

Step-by-step: enrolling via AUSTRAC Online

1. Authorised person logs into AUSTRAC Online using myGovID. The entity's ABN must already be linked via RAM.
2. Select 'Enrol a reporting entity' from the dashboard. Choose 'New enrolment' — not 'amend existing'.
3. Enter entity identification: ABN, ACN, legal name, trading names, registered and principal place of business.
4. Select your industry sector and the designated service categories you will provide. You can select multiple categories; you can amend later.
5. Enter senior officer and AML/CTF Compliance Officer details. The Compliance Officer must have an email AUSTRAC can reach for ongoing correspondence.
6. Confirm your nominated reporting frequency (most SMEs default to as-required for SMRs/TTRs — there is no scheduled return).
7. Review the declaration. Submitting it is a formal statement under section 134 of the Act that the information is true and correct.
8. Submit. You will receive an enrolment reference number immediately and confirmation by email. Save both — your enrolment number is required on every future report.

After enrolment: what AUSTRAC expects next

Enrolment is the start, not the end. Once you are on the Reporting Entities Roll, AUSTRAC expects the following to be in place — and will ask for evidence in the event of a supervisory engagement:

• A documented AML/CTF program (Part A and Part B) appropriate to the size and risk of your business.
• A risk assessment that identifies the ML/TF risks of your customers, services, channels and jurisdictions.
• Customer due diligence procedures applied before designated services are provided.
• Ongoing customer and transaction monitoring proportional to risk.
• Reporting capability for SMRs (within 3 business days of forming suspicion), TTRs (within 10 business days of a A$10,000+ cash transaction) and IFTI reports where applicable.
• Annual training for all staff in roles that touch designated services.
• An independent review of your program at appropriate intervals (most SMEs: every 2–3 years).
• Record-keeping for 7 years across CDD, transactions, training and reports.

Common mistakes that delay or invalidate enrolment

• Enrolling the wrong legal entity — for example the trustee company instead of the trust, or the trading entity instead of the head company. The reporting entity is whoever provides the designated service.
• Naming a Compliance Officer who is junior, external, or not contactable. AUSTRAC expects a person with management authority at your business.
• Selecting too few designated service categories, then providing services outside the scope you enrolled for. Update your enrolment within 14 days of any change.
• Skipping the RAM linkage and trying to enrol via a generic AUSTRAC Online login.
• Treating enrolment as the compliance event. Enrolment is administrative. The substantive obligations only begin on enrolment.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed 4 May 2026 by Sophie Maddox. This guide is general regulatory information about the AML/CTF Act 2006 and AUSTRAC Tranche 2 reforms — it is not legal advice for your business.