AML/CTF Guide
Reporting

The AUSTRAC annual compliance report: what it asks, the financial-year period and the 30 September deadline

Once a year AUSTRAC asks every reporting entity the same set of questions about its program and its year. It is not an audit, but the questions are specific, and you can only answer them if you kept records. Here is what the report covers, when it falls due and how a small firm prepares for it in an afternoon.

Updated · Checked against AUSTRAC guidance and the legislation

Seven navy archive box files with teal labels in a row on an office shelf.
In short

The AUSTRAC annual compliance report is an online questionnaire every reporting entity must lodge for each financial year (1 July to 30 June), between 1 July and 30 September. It asks about your AML/CTF program and its reviews, your compliance officer, customer due diligence, the suspicious matter and threshold transaction reports you lodged, record keeping and training. For Tranche 2 businesses the first period is 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, so the first report is due by 30 September 2027.

Key points
  • Period: the financial year, 1 July to 30 June. The reporting period moved from calendar years in 2026.
  • Window: lodge between 1 July and 30 September through AUSTRAC Online.
  • First Tranche 2 report: for 2026–27, due by 30 September 2027.
  • Questions cover program, officer, due diligence, reports lodged, records and training. Numbers must match your records.
  • Not an audit, but a late or false report is a contravention.
The annual compliance report: financial year and lodgement windowA month strip from July to the following September showing the reporting period (1 July to 30 June) and the lodgement window (1 July to 30 September).JulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepReporting period: 1 July to 30 JuneLodge: 1 Jul to 30 Sep
The first Tranche 2 period runs 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; the first report is due by 30 September 2027.

What the report is

A set of yes/no, multiple-choice and numeric questions lodged through AUSTRAC Online. AUSTRAC uses the answers to understand how the regime is working across each sector and to decide where to look more closely. It is a self-assessment: nobody checks your answers against your files when you lodge, but AUSTRAC can and does follow up, and a compliance assessment will compare the two.

The period and the deadline

The report covers the financial year from 1 July to 30 June and is lodged in the window from 1 July to 30 September that follows. Under the 2026 reforms the period changed from the calendar year to the financial year. For Tranche 2 entities the first reportable period runs 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; the first report is due by 30 September 2027. Set the diary entry now.

What it asks

The exact questions change from year to year; AUSTRAC publishes them before the window opens.

  • Your program: whether you have one, when it was last reviewed, whether a senior manager approved it, whether an independent evaluation was done in the period.
  • Your compliance officer: who, at what level, whether AUSTRAC was notified.
  • Customer due diligence: how you identify and verify, how you handle beneficial owners and politically exposed persons, how many customers were rated high risk.
  • Reports lodged: the number of SMRs and TTRs in the period.
  • Record keeping and training: where records are kept, how many staff were trained and when.

Getting ready in an afternoon

Firms that keep these records in one place finish the report in under an hour. The sector tools in our group produce the counts automatically from the records already entered.

  1. Open your program's version history and note the dates of the last review and approval.
  2. Count the SMRs and TTRs lodged in the period and check them against your receipts.
  3. List the clients onboarded in the period with their risk ratings and the reviews completed.
  4. Check the training log: who, when, what.
  5. Confirm the compliance officer's details on AUSTRAC Online are current.

If you lodged nothing all year

That is a normal answer for many small firms: no suspicions formed, no cash over AU$10,000. The report simply records zero. What AUSTRAC looks for is whether the program and due diligence were actually in operation, not whether you reported.

Late or missed reports

Failing to lodge by 30 September is a contravention of the Act. AUSTRAC's early approach with new entities is education, but a missing annual report is also the easiest non-compliance for it to detect, because the lodgement itself is the evidence.

Questions people ask

When is the AUSTRAC annual compliance report due?
Between 1 July and 30 September each year, for the financial year that ended on 30 June. The first Tranche 2 report is due by 30 September 2027.
Is the annual compliance report an audit?
No. It is a self-assessment questionnaire. AUSTRAC may follow up with a compliance assessment that checks your answers against your records.
What if I have no SMRs or TTRs to report?
Report zero. Most small firms do. The report is about whether your program operated, not about how many reports you made.
Who lodges the report?
Usually the compliance officer, through AUSTRAC Online. The business remains responsible for its accuracy.

Read next

Sources

Official pages this page was checked against. The date is when we captured the page; the publisher may have updated it since.

General information about Australian AML/CTF law, not legal advice. The Act, the Rules and AUSTRAC's guidance are the primary sources; check them before you rely on a date or a figure.

Go deeper for your profession

Accountants and bookkeepersLedgerAMLSector guide and tool →Real estate agentsRealtyAMLSector guide and tool →Law firms and conveyancersPracticeAMLSector guide and tool →
AUSTRAC annual compliance report: what and when · AML/CTF Guide