Law firms and conveyancers that do this work for clients
Each of these is a designated service. If your firm provides even one, AML/CTF obligations apply. See all nine
Conveyancers: identity checks in Chekbox align with the ARNECC verification of identity standard for electronic conveyancing.
- Act on property sales, purchases and transfers
- Help clients buy or sell a business
- Set up or restructure companies and trusts
- Hold client money in trust for a transaction
Five obligations, and where Chekbox fits
These apply from the day your firm provides a designated service. Whether it does is your firm's decision, and AUSTRAC's "check if you'll be regulated" tool can help.
Enrol with AUSTRAC
Within 28 days of first providing a designated service. Update your details within 14 days of any change.
Chekbox is itself AUSTRAC enrolled and registered. Book a consult to talk through what enrolment involves.
Run an AML/CTF program
A written risk assessment, plus the policies and controls that manage those risks. Senior management approves it and a compliance officer oversees it. In a small firm, one person can hold all three roles.
Chekbox runs and records the client checks your program sets out, and can verify your own staff when they join.
Know your client
Verify who your client is before you act, keep monitoring through the relationship, and apply enhanced checks when the risk is high.
Biometric identity checks, beneficial ownership checks and sanctions screening, with every result saved to the client's file.
Report to AUSTRAC
Suspicious matters within 3 business days, or 24 hours for terrorism financing. Cash transactions of A$10,000 or more within 10 business days. Plus an annual compliance report.
Every check is logged with who, when and the result: the evidence behind each report.
Keep records for 7 years
Your program, client checks, transactions and staff training, kept accurate and complete.
Checks, signatures and key document actions are recorded in a tamper-proof audit trail kept for 7 years. Each document's audit trail downloads as a PDF.
The nine services that bring AML/CTF obligations
Obligations come from the work you do, not your job title. If your firm provides even one of these designated services, they apply. Whether it does is your firm's decision.
Transactions
Work on a client's deal, sale or financing- Property dealsHelping a client plan or carry out the sale, purchase or transfer of real estate.For example: Acting on a client's property purchase or sale.
- Selling a business or entityHelping a client plan or carry out the sale, purchase or transfer of a company, trust or other legal arrangement.For example: Acting on the sale of a client's business.
- Handling client moneyReceiving, holding or managing a client's money or property as part of a transaction.For example: Holding a deposit in your trust account until settlement.
- Raising financeHelping organise equity or debt financing for a company, trust or other legal arrangement.For example: Acting on a share issue or loan for a client's company.
Structures
Setting up and changing companies and trusts- Setting up and restructuringHelping create or restructure a company, trust or other legal arrangement.For example: Drafting a company constitution or family trust deed for a client.
- Shelf companiesSelling or transferring a shelf company.For example: Selling a ready-made company to a client.
Roles and addresses
Acting for a client or lending your address- Acting in a positionActing, or arranging for someone to act, in certain positions such as director, secretary, partner or trustee.For example: Acting as a trustee or director for a client.
- Nominee shareholderActing, or arranging for someone to act, as a nominee shareholder of a company or other legal arrangement.For example: Holding shares on a client's behalf as their nominee.
- Registered officeProviding a registered office or principal place of business address.For example: Letting a client company use your office as its registered address.
Not sure if your work is covered? AUSTRAC's "check if you'll be regulated" tool can help. These services apply when they have a geographical link to Australia.
Schedule a consultOne login for the whole client file
A new property matter, start to finish.
- 1Send the intake formThe client fills in your smart form from a link, on its own or before their identity check. No account or password needed.
- 2Verify the clientA biometric identity check for individuals, and beneficial ownership checks when the client is a company or trust.
- 3Run your searchesRun title and PPSR searches without leaving Chekbox, with each cost recorded against the matter.
- 4Send for signingSet the signing order, add witnesses, and turn on an identity check so you know who signed.
- 5Certify and invoiceCertify documents as true copies, then invoice. The client pays through a link.
Verify clients properly
Clients photograph their ID and take a selfie on their phone. Biometric facial matching, liveness detection and document authenticity checks do the rest, aligned with the ARNECC verification of identity standard.
See who controls the entity
Entity and beneficial ownership checks confirm who controls a company or trust, not just who signs for it.
Title and PPSR searches, built in
Run title and PPSR searches without leaving Chekbox, so there's no separate search platform or login. Each search is kept with its result and cost.
Keep trust money in order
Trust accounting connected to Xero to support your annual independent trust account auditor.
Signing that follows your process
Signing in order or any order, witnesses invited after their signatory signs, an optional identity check on the signer, and reminders before the deadline.
Certify true copies
Qualified staff certify documents with a stamp showing their name, qualification, licence number and date. Stamp every page in one step, and re-certifying updates every stamp's date at once.
What an ID document check alone leaves out
A government document check confirms an ID number exists. Here is what else Chekbox covers, in the same platform.
| What you get | ID document check on its own | Chekbox |
|---|---|---|
| Checks the ID details against government records | ||
| Matches the person to the photo on their ID* | ||
| Confirms the person is physically present (liveness)* | ||
| Certifies documents as true copies | ||
| Title and PPSR searches in the same file | ||
| Identity-verified e-signing | ||
| Trust accounting connected to Xero | ||
| Bills each check back to your client |
*Included in biometric checks, from $10 per check. The checks and searches your firm can use depend on its plan and industry.
Clear prices, and you can bill them back
Every plan includes unlimited e-signing. Identity checks are charged per check, and most plans include a set number of checks. There's no lock-in contract, and plans are billed monthly.
Up and running in three steps
- 1Book a demo or start a free trialSee the platform with your own workflow in mind.
- 2Choose a plan and get verifiedWhen you subscribe, Chekbox checks your ABN, directors and owners, and a person reviews the application.
- 3Send your first client checkYour client gets a link, verifies on their phone, and the result lands in their file.
AML/CTF for law firms and conveyancers
Can't find your answer? See all FAQs or schedule a consult.
Do lawyers and conveyancers have to comply with AML/CTF laws?
Yes, if your firm provides a designated service. Obligations began on 1 July 2026. What matters is the work, not the practice area: acting on property transactions, buying or selling a business, setting up or restructuring companies and trusts, and holding client money for a transaction are all designated services.
Is ARNECC verification of identity the same as AML/CTF due diligence?
No. They come from different rules. ARNECC verification of identity applies to electronic conveyancing. AML/CTF customer due diligence applies whenever you provide a designated service. Chekbox's identity checks are built for both, and every result is saved to the client's file.
Do the obligations apply if my client lives overseas?
They can. What matters is whether the service has a geographical link to Australia. AUSTRAC's geographical link guidance explains how this works.
When was the AUSTRAC enrolment deadline?
For firms already providing a designated service when Tranche 2 began, enrolment was due by 29 July 2026. A firm that starts providing one later has 28 days from that date.
Do I need to re-verify my existing clients?
Not straight away. Clients you had before 1 July 2026 are pre-commencement customers. Due diligence applies to them if you need to file a suspicious matter report, or if a significant change raises their risk to medium or high.
What does an AML/CTF program need to include?
A risk assessment covering money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing, plus the policies and controls that manage those risks. Senior management approves it, a compliance officer oversees it, and it is independently evaluated at least every three years.
What happens if we don't comply?
AUSTRAC is the regulator and can take enforcement action against businesses that do not meet their obligations. A weak process also makes it easier for criminals to use your firm to move money.
How does Chekbox verify a client's identity?
Your client gets an email link from your firm, with your logo on it. For a biometric check, they photograph their ID and take a selfie on their phone. The result is saved to their client file and the cost is added to the matter as a disbursement. You can also add an AML credit check, which they consent to on the same page.
How much does a client check cost?
Identity checks start at $7 per check and biometric checks with a liveness scan start at $10, both AUD plus GST. Every plan includes unlimited e-signing, and you can bill each check back to your client.
Can we certify documents in Chekbox?
Yes. Staff with certify permission and a complete certifier profile (qualification, licence number and saved signature) can certify documents. The stamp shows their name, qualification, licence number and date, and anyone can confirm a certified document is genuine on Chekbox's public validation page.
Can we pass search and check costs on to clients?
Yes. Every check and search is recorded against the matter as a disbursement. You set your fee, raise the invoice in Chekbox, and the client pays through a secure link.
Does Chekbox work with our other software?
Chekbox connects directly to Xero for trust accounting, and client payments are processed through Stripe. Existing clients can be imported from a spreadsheet. To see how it fits with your practice management software, schedule a consult.
Who in our firm can see a client's documents?
Admins see every document. Other staff see the documents they created and the documents in Files they have been given access to. Only Professional and Admin logins can sign or certify documents.
How do we get started?
Book a demo or start a free trial. When you choose a plan, Chekbox verifies your firm: your ABN, and the identity of your directors and owners. Import your existing clients from a spreadsheet, then send your first client check.
Tranche 2 began on 1 July 2026.
Get your firm's client checks in order, with a platform built by a lawyer.