User guide: Compliance reports

Learn how to submit your annual anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) compliance report.

On this page

View compliance reports

During the AML/CTF compliance report lodgement period you can create, complete and submit your AML/CTF compliance report. The system tailors the report depending on:  

  • the responses you provide as you complete it
  • if your business is part of a designated business group (DBG).

Select Compliance Report to open a display of all compliance reports.

The Compliance report page with the current compliance report obligation section

If you’re not obligated to submit a compliance report, you won’t be able to open or submit one.

The Compliance report page with a message indicating no compliance report obligation

Create a new AML/CTF compliance report

If your business has an obligation to submit an AML/CTF compliance report you can do this in AUSTRAC Online. 

To submit an AML/CTF compliance report: 

  1. Expand the Business menu.
  2. Select Compliance Reports.

To create the compliance report: 

  1. Select Open Compliance Report.
  2. If you’re submitting on behalf of a designated business group (DBG), you’ll be able to select Open DBG Compliance Report.
  3. The compliance report will open in a new window.
The Open compliance report button in the Compliance report page

To navigate through the online AML/CTF compliance report, use the following functions:

  1. Select Start on the introduction to begin the compliance report.
  2. Select Save and Continue when you’ve completed all the questions to continue to the next page.
  3. Select Back to go back to the previous page.
  4. Select Submit when you've completed all the questions to submit the compliance report.

As you continue through the report you can use the navigation pane to view your progress or quickly jump to a section. 

As you complete each section a green tick and the word ‘Complete’ will appear next to the section in the navigation pane. Pending sections have ‘To do’ next to them.

You can preview and print a summary of your responses any time by selecting Review and Submit. You can also print individual pages of the compliance report.

The only way to exit your compliance reporting session is to exit the browser session. This means you’ll need to go back into AUSTRAC Online.

The Designated services section in the compliance report, with a menu on the left hand side for the sections within the compliance report

If you save and exit your compliance report, your responses will save at the last available save point. However, the navigation pane will show all sections as ‘To do’ when you enter the report again.

Complete an AML/CTF compliance report

You’ll see questions that are applicable to your business. You must answer every question accurately. There’s typically a mix of multiple choice and free text response options. 

  1. Select Start.
The Contact us section in the compliance report, with a Start button
  1. Answer the question about whether you provided designated services.
  2. Select Save and continue. The other sections will appear.
The Designated services section in the compliance report, with a Back button and a Save and continue button
  1. Answer all questions accurately.
  2. Select Save and continue once you’ve completed each page.
The Your business section in the compliance report, with a Back button and a Save and continue button
The Managing employee risk section in the compliance report
The Managing employee risk section in the compliance report, with a Back button and a Save and continue button
  1. If you missed any questions they’ll be highlighted when you select Save and continue. You must answer these questions to submit your report. 
The Your business section in the compliance report, with an error message and a question highlighted as mandatory
The Your business section in the compliance report, with an error message and a question highlighted as mandatory

Submit an AML/CTF compliance report

Once you’ve answered all relevant questions in the compliance report you can provide your feedback to us on the ‘Your feedback’ page. 

  1. Complete the optional feedback questions or alternatively leave them blank.
  2. Select Save and continue.
  3. Once you’ve answered all relevant sections of the compliance report you’ll be presented with the ‘Review and submit’ page. This page contains a summary of your answers to review.
  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
The Review and submit section in the compliance report
The Review and submit section in the compliance report, with a Back button and a Submit button
  1. You can print the summary page. Press CTRL+P on your keyboard then select Print. 
A print preview of the compliance report, with the print settings on the left hand side and a Print button
  1. Review your responses for completion and accuracy.
  2. Read the Declaration section.
  3. Tick the Declaration checkbox.
  4. Select Submit.
The Submit button in the Review and submit section in the compliance report
  1. You’ll be able to view the Compliance report submission receipt page.
Confirmation of receipt of compliance report

 

If you need to correct your submitted compliance report, contact us on 1300 021 037 or contact@austrac.gov.au.

Issues submitting a report

If there are any incomplete sections, the Submit button won’t work.

The left side of the page will alert you to any sections that you’ve left incomplete. 

An error message on the Review and submit section of the compliance report
  1. Select any section to return to it. 
An error message on the Review and submit section of the compliance report, and Your customers section on the left hand side menu is in red and marked as Incomplete
  1. Resolve the errors. The section status will change from Incomplete to Complete.
  2. Select Save and continue. 
Your customers section on the left hand side menu is in green and marked as Complete. Navigate to review and submit section and select Save and continue
  1. Once all sections are Complete, select Review and submit to return to the ‘Review and submit’ section to submit your form as shown in the above section.
  2. If you want to view and continue working on an incomplete report for the current reporting period, select Open       Compliance Report. You’ll be able to access information you previously entered. Once you open the report, you can:
  • edit
  • save changes
  • submit.
The compliance report section with a message advising the compliance report is now overdue

View a previous AML/CTF compliance report

If you’ve previously used AUSTRAC Online to submit a compliance report, you’re able to view: 

  • AML/CTF compliance reports for previous reporting periods
  • any outstanding reports.

You can find this information in View Compliance Reports on the Compliance Reports page.

View compliance reports section listing past and current compliance reports

To view or print a PDF of a compliance report in this list, select the hyperlink under the Receipt column. 

View compliance reports section with receipt links for each compliance report

DBG compliance reports

If you’re a member of a designated business group (DBG), one member needs to submit the AML/CTF compliance report on behalf of all active members. 

However, if some answers vary for particular members, each member needs to amend the responses individually using the Override function.

We recommend that all active members of the DBG coordinate to decide who will submit the group response. When a member of the DBG initiates the group response, other active members in the DBG won’t be able to view it. This means that another member could start a second group response but doing this overrides the original draft response. 

To override answers to a submitted DBG compliance report, complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to the AUSTRAC Online business account for the entity that needs to amend the report.
  2. Expand the Business menu.
  3. Select Compliance Reports.
  4. Select the Override button next to the report you want to override.
Override button in View compliance reports section
  1. Select Confirm to continue overriding the report or select Cancel to stop. 
Pop up message with title Override this report?, a Cancel button and a Confirm button

The DBG compliance report will open and you can change the pre-populated responses to the questions as needed. Once you’ve finished making changes, submit the report.

The View Compliance Reports table will now show that the member has submitted the variation to the DBG compliance report.

View compliance reports section with a sub-section for designated business group, listing member business with a status of Variance submitted

This guidance sets out how we interpret the Act, along with associated Rules and regulations. Australian courts are ultimately responsible for interpreting these laws and determining if any provisions of these laws are contravened. 

The examples and scenarios in this guidance are meant to help explain our interpretation of these laws. They’re not exhaustive or meant to cover every possible scenario.

This guidance provides general information and isn't a substitute for legal advice. This guidance avoids legal language wherever possible and it might include generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.

Last updated: 14 Nov 2025
Page ID: 1402

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