AUSTRAC enrolment — what, when, how
How real estate agencies get onto the AUSTRAC reporting entities roll, the 28-day deadline, and what AUSTRAC needs from you.
In short
Real estate agencies enrol with AUSTRAC within 28 days of first providing a designated service. Tranche 2 starts on 1 July 2026, so the practical deadline is 29 July 2026. Registration is a separate process and does not apply to real estate.
AUSTRAC runs two separate systems. Enrolment lists every reporting entity on the roll. Registration is an additional licensing layer for remittance providers and digital currency exchanges. Real estate agencies enrol. They do not register.
Under the AML/CTF Act 2006 (Cth), a reporting entity must enrol within 28 days of first providing a designated service. Tranche 2 commences on 1 July 2026. If you take an exclusive listing on day one — which most agencies will — the statutory deadline is 29 July 2026.
Treat the deadline as a backstop, not a target. Enrol in advance and start operating on 1 July with the AUSTRAC reference number already issued.
What enrolment needs from you.
- ABN and ACN
- Legal entity name and any trading names
- Registered office and principal place of business
- Names, dates of birth, and residential addresses of directors and beneficial owners
- The appointed AML/CTF Compliance Officer (a natural person with their contact details)
- A description of the designated services the agency provides
- Estimated transaction volumes
Enrolment is completed through AUSTRAC Online at online.austrac.gov.au. There is no fee. Once processed, AUSTRAC issues a unique reference that appears on every report you file from that point on.
Keeping the record current. Material changes — new directors, change of registered office, replacement Compliance Officer — must be notified to AUSTRAC. The expectation is prompt notification, generally within 14 days of the change. Failing to keep enrolment data current is itself a contravention.
Penalty exposure. Operating as a reporting entity without enrolment, or with stale enrolment data, attracts civil penalties. A penalty unit is currently $330. The civil maximum for a body corporate is 100,000 penalty units ($33 million) per contravention; for an individual it is 20,000 penalty units ($6.6 million). AUSTRAC will not normally seek the maximum, but the exposure is the framing that matters when boards approve compliance spend.
What to do next. Open an AUSTRAC Online account now. Gather the entity, director, and Compliance Officer information you will need. Diarise enrolment for the week before 1 July 2026, not the week after.
Frequently asked questions
- Do real estate agencies need to register with AUSTRAC, or just enrol?
- Enrol only. Registration is a separate regime for remittance providers and digital currency exchanges. Real estate agencies enrol on the reporting entities roll.
- When does the 28-day clock start?
- From the day your agency first provides a designated service after Tranche 2 commences. For most agencies that will be 1 July 2026, making 29 July 2026 the final enrolment date.
- Is there a fee to enrol?
- No. Enrolment through AUSTRAC Online is free.
- What happens if we miss the 28-day deadline?
- Operating without enrolment is a contravention of the AML/CTF Act. Civil penalties scale by penalty unit — currently $330 per unit, with a body corporate maximum of $33 million per contravention.