AML course for a principal who is also the compliance officer

A search for “aml course” from a one-principal practice is not a request for a diploma. It is a question about what to sit through when the same name is on the door and on the AUSTRAC enrolment. Checked against AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF training guidance, the compliance officer page, and governance for sole traders and micro businesses on 2 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. This page does not reproduce those pages. Whether the practice is in the regime is /tranche-2.

Two jobs, one name

AUSTRAC says an AML/CTF compliance officer does not have to be an expert on day one. A small business appoints someone at management level who can learn the risks and apply the policies, including through training. In a micro practice that person is often the principal. The officer role and the file work are still different jobs. How one person can hold the governance titles is the sole trader compliance officer. This page is the course that person should be able to point at.

A bought certificate does not finish the obligation

• Tailored to the role. AUSTRAC expects training that fits the person, the responsibilities, and the risks of that role. A slideshow that never mentions your escalate path is awareness. It is not your program.
• Outsourcing stays with you. You may use an association, a provider, or a platform. You remain responsible for whether it is understandable and specific to your business. This page does not reproduce their due-diligence list.
• Not a staff-only module. People who are not specialists still need a shorter course: recognise, escalate, attest. That cut is AML training for non-specialist staff. The principal who is the officer needs the governance layer on top.
• Not an accreditation. Completion shows a module was finished. It does not enrol the firm, approve the program, or make FreeAML the compliance officer.

How often, and whose register

Initial training sits at the start of the role. Ongoing training continues. AUSTRAC’s expectation, on the training page, is that compliance officers and senior management refresh about every 6 to 12 months, and sooner when the risks, the policies, or the law move. Confirm that cadence on their page before you diary it. AUSTRAC also expects a record of who completed training and when the next round is due. In a one-person practice that record is still yours. You do not skip it because you would be signing your own name.

The existing notes on the modules stay in place. Free AML training and free AML training in Australia describe what is in the suite. This page is who the course is for when the principal and the compliance officer are the same person.

Where the free suite sits

The FreeAML firm suite is A$0, including the modules at Trainings. You work through the module and the quiz. You file the completion in the register your program describes. The product does not appoint the officer and does not tell AUSTRAC who that officer is.

A customer check is a different step. When the program says a designated matter needs one, 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. Confirm the live amounts on FreeAML pricing. Training yourself does not verify the customer. FreeAML does not decide that a service is designated.

Frequently Asked Questions