Accountant as nominee director

People search “accountant nominee director AML” when a suburban accounting practice is offered a nominee director appointment and wonders if the tax-agent file already covers it. Checked against AUSTRAC's professional designated services page on 4 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. This page does not reproduce that guidance. How table 6 items are sorted is table 6 designated services. Which accounting services are in scope is designated services for accountants. The sector map is /tranche-2.

The appointment is its own sentence

Accountant nominee director AML questions start with a plain sentence: will this firm hold the office of director for a client. If the answer is yes, you are not in the same job as lodging the return. Table 6 is where the firm looks for the item that covers acting as a director for someone else. This page does not quote that item and does not decide it for you.

The risk is structural. A nominee is there so someone else can stay off the public office. That is a reason to know who owns and controls before you accept, not a reason to skip the question because the client is old.

• Split the services. Tax agent work, company accounts, and a directorship are three descriptions. Only the ones you provide belong in the program.
• Do the due diligence before the consent. Accepting first and checking later reverses the order.
• Ask who the real controller is. If the client cannot say, you are not ready to be the name on the record.
• Write the refusal rule. The program should say the firm does not take the office while due diligence is open.

Nominee, or something quieter

Practices slide into the role. They sign a consent because the shelf company needs a second director this afternoon. Sort the signature before it happens. A one-off consent is still an appointment.

Where the nominee page stops

This page is the nominee-director question for an accounting firm. It is not the whole of table 6. The sorting page is table 6 designated services.

A registered office with no directorship is a different service. Do not treat this page as the answer to that one.

What the client pays

On FreeAML the firm suite is A$0. The firm emails the client a link. Verification is client-pays. On the public list a personal KYC check is A$20 and a company or trust KYB check is A$40. Use KYB when the customer is a company or a trust. The nominee appointment is not prepaid inside the firm suite, and the individuals the program names are still separate checks. Confirm the live amounts on FreeAML pricing. FreeAML does not decide that a nominee appointment is a designated service or accept the office for you.

Frequently Asked Questions