Under the new AML/CTF laws, we are legally required to verify the identity of every client before providing certain services. Government-issued photo ID – your passport or driver’s licence – is the most straightforward way to do that, because it confirms both your identity and your face.

We understand handing over these documents can feel unfamiliar in an accounting context. But this is now a standard requirement across accounting, legal, and financial services – the same requirement you’d encounter at a bank or conveyancer. We treat your documents with the same strict confidentiality as everything else you share with us.

New federal legislation – the AML/CTF Act – requires us to formally verify client identities before providing certain designated services. Because you are an existing client, we were not required to do this on 1 July 2026. The requirement applies now because you have requested a service that triggers it. We are not singling you out – this applies to all clients when they request this type of work.

Absolutely not. Identity verification is required for every client without exception, regardless of history or relationship. It is simply the law, and it applies uniformly across our entire client base – exactly as it does at banks, conveyancers, and financial planners.

The checks apply when Accumen assists with forming or restructuring companies, trusts, SMSFs or partnerships; providing a registered office address; assisting with property transactions; assisting with business acquisitions or restructures; or acting as a nominee director or shareholder.

Tax returns, BAS preparation and general accounting advice are not affected.

No. Once your identity has been verified, the information stays on file. You won’t need to repeat the process unless your circumstances change significantly – for example, changes to ownership structure, new entities, or a significant change in the nature of your engagement with us.

It depends on your structure. In general:

🪪  Individuals – current passport or driver’s licence

🏢  Companies – ASIC extract plus ID for each director and beneficial owner

📄  Trusts – certified copy of the trust deed plus trustee and beneficiary IDs

🏦  SMSFs – trust deed, ATO registration confirmation, and member IDs

🤝  Partnerships – partnership agreement plus partner IDs

We’ll send you a personalised checklist when the time comes.

Yes. Your privacy is protected at every step. Accumen is not permitted to retain copies of your identity documents – we sight them through InfoTrackID’s secure platform for verification purposes only. We do retain a record of the verification (date, method, and outcome) for 7 years as required by the AML/CTF Act, but your actual documents are never held by us.

We do not share your information with third parties except as required by law.

Please contact us as soon as possible. We cannot begin work until verification is complete, so resolving any gaps promptly avoids delays to your matter. Alternative documents may be acceptable in some circumstances – just ask us.

We are required to report certain transactions and suspicious matters to AUSTRAC. If we make such a report, we are legally prohibited from informing you – this is called the ‘tipping-off’ rule under the AML/CTF Act. This is standard across all accounting and financial services in Australia, not unique to Accumen.

InfoTrack is one of Australia’s leading legal and professional services technology platforms, used daily by thousands of law firms, conveyancers, and accounting practices across the country. They have been operating in the Australian professional services sector for over 20 years and are widely regarded as the industry standard for identity verification and due diligence.

We use InfoTrack’s identity verification product – InfoTrackID – because it allows identity documents to be verified securely without Accumen ever handling or storing copies of those documents. This protects your privacy while satisfying our legal obligations under the AML/CTF Act. InfoTrackID verifies documents against the Australian Government’s Document Verification Service (DVS), making the check authoritative and government-backed.

When you complete the InfoTrackID verification process, your documents are checked against the Australian Government’s Document Verification Service (DVS) within InfoTrack’s secure system. The documents are used solely to confirm your identity – nothing else.

InfoTrack retains your identity documents and personal information within their secure platform for 90 days only, after which everything is permanently and irreversibly deleted. They do not sell, share, or use your information for any other purpose.

Accumen receives only the outcome of the verification – a record confirming that your identity was verified, when, and by what method. We never receive copies of your documents. That record is retained by Accumen for 7 years as required by the AML/CTF Act, but your actual documents are never in our possession at any point.

Yes. InfoTrack operates enterprise-grade security infrastructure with onshore data storage – meaning your information never leaves Australia. Their platform is compliant with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, and it is independently audited.

InfoTrackID is the same platform used by thousands of Australian law firms and conveyancers to verify client identities for property transactions. It is well-established, widely trusted, and purpose-built for exactly this type of sensitive verification work. You can review their security legislation compliance at any time.

No – and we are not permitted to. Under our privacy obligations, Accumen sights your identity documents through the InfoTrackID platform but does not retain copies. The only thing we record and retain is the verification outcome – the date verification was completed, the method used, and the result. Your actual documents remain within InfoTrack’s secure system and are permanently deleted after 90 days.

Yes. InfoTrackID supports both remote verification (online, at a time that suits you) and in-person verification at our Bathurst office. If you would prefer to complete the process face-to-face, please let us know and we will arrange that with you. Either way, the same privacy protections apply – Accumen does not retain copies of your documents regardless of how the verification is conducted.

This is more common than you might think, and it’s worth sorting out now rather than when you need us to act on the trust. We cannot complete identity verification for a trust without sighting the trust deed – it is required to confirm the trust structure, trustee powers, and beneficial ownership.

If your deed is missing, start by checking with the solicitor or accountant who set up the trust – they may have a copy. If it was set up through a document provider, a replacement certified copy may be obtainable. In some cases legal advice may be required. Please contact us as early as possible so we have time to resolve it before it delays a transaction.