What is AML compliance really costing your office?

Your software bill is only part of it. Add your team's time doing the Compliance Officer work, the verification charges and the extras most providers don't advertise, then compare it with AMLHQ. It takes about 3 minutes.

Start the calculator Take the 2-Minute Exposure Check

Before you start, grab

Your latest invoice from your AML software provider
How many sales you process in a typical month
Who in your office does the compliance work, and roughly what their time costs

The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing is sent to us unless you choose to send it.

Founding Agency Offer: 50% off setup, $575 + GST instead of $1,150 + GST, for agencies that sign up by 31 December 2026. Promo codes are issued by AMLHQ at sign-up.

True Cost Calculator

Run your numbers

Enter all amounts excluding GST. Your results appear in the blue panel as you type.

1Choose an AMLHQ model to compare

Not sure which to pick? Here's the difference in one line each:

Solo $350: You act as your own Compliance Officer, using our SENTINEL platform, which suits sole agents.
Hybrid from $990: Keep your current AML software and add an AMLHQ Compliance Officer to do the compliance work for you.
CO from $990: We supply the SENTINEL platform and a dedicated AMLHQ Compliance Officer who does the compliance work for you.
CFO $990: Everything in CO, plus a licensed finance officer who builds a finance income stream that may offset your compliance cost.

All AMLHQ prices are + GST per month.

Sales agents in your officeSets the Hybrid and CO fee: $990 for 1–3 agents, $1,250 for 4–5, $1,750 for 6–7. Larger offices are quoted individually.

2Your current provider

Check your latest invoice. If your provider only charges per transaction, leave the subscription at $0.

Monthly software subscription

Verification (VOI) charged

Who pays verification charges?Applied the same way to your provider and to AMLHQ.

Company or trust check, per entityWhat you pay now, whether it's your provider's business (KYB) check or your own ASIC extract. Published provider rates run from about $35 to $90+ per entity. An ASIC extract alone is $9–$20. AMLHQ charges the ASIC extract price ($18 used here).

Entities checked per trust or company fileA trust with a company as trustee is often two entities. Some providers bill every entity in the structure as a separate check.

Your AML/CTF program (risk assessment and policies)

Setup and program build, one-offWhat you paid or were quoted to set up and write your program. Platform setup fees are commonly $500–$2,000, and a consultant-built risk assessment is typically $1,500–$5,000. Default: $500, the low end. AMLHQ's setup fee includes building your tailored program.

Program review and update, per reviewAUSTRAC requires your risk assessment and policies to be reviewed at least every 3 years, and sooner when things change. Consultants typically quote $1,500–$5,000. Default: $1,500, the low end, spread over 36 months. Under AMLHQ Hybrid, CO and CFO, your Compliance Officer does this at no extra charge.

Add your provider's other charges

Many providers charge for these on top of the subscription, and few publish the price. Check your invoice or contract, or ask your provider. Fields left at $0 only apply if your provider charges them.

Reporting assistance (help with SMRs and TTRs)Usually quoted on request. Your team's time for this is already counted in step 5, so only enter a fee your provider charges on top.

$/mth

Red flag or escalation assistanceUsually quoted on request. Your team's time for this is already counted in step 5, so only enter a fee your provider charges on top.

$/mth

Help desk or advisory supportSome providers include it; others charge for consulting time. Your team's help desk time is already counted in step 5, so only enter a fee your provider charges on top.

$/mth

Outsourced file handling, per fileOne provider publishes $50 per outsourced transaction, plus check fees.

$/file

Files you outsource each month

Extra office, entity or user surchargesOne provider publishes $49 per month for each entity above those included.

$/mth

Charges for going over your included checksPublished overage rates run from about $3 to $20 per check.

$/mth

External staff training, per agent per yearTypically $50–$150 per staff member per year where not included. Default: $50, the low end, for each sales agent.

$/yr

Any other fees on your invoiceFor example CRM integration or branding fees.

$/mth

Stop. Go and get your last invoice.

This comparison is only as real as the numbers you put in. Guess, skip or wave a field through and you'll get a result that looks finished, a bit like an AML file with half the documents missing. It looks fine right up until someone checks it.

If you're not going to fill in every field accurately, don't proceed. It's not worth the exercise.

3Your volume

Transactions per month

People verified per transaction

Deals that didn't proceed, checked anyway, per monthWithdrawn listings or buyers who fell away after being verified. Most providers still charge for the check.

Files involving a trust, company or SMSFExample: 1 in 20. Adjust to your office.

1 in

4Who does the Compliance Officer work now?

Pick the closest example as a baseline, or enter your own hourly cost.

Hourly cost

5The work involved

Example times. Change any of them to match your office. Agentwork happens under every model. COwork moves to AMLHQ under Hybrid, CO and CFO.

Show or hide the task list

Every file

AgentCollecting information, liaising with the client, sending the VOI link and uploading to the software

min

COReviewing the file, assessing risk and signing off

min

COFollowing up outstanding documents with clients and team members

min

Each trust, company or SMSF file (extra)

COReading and deciphering the trust deedAUSTRAC notes a trust's beneficial owners can usually only be identified from its deed.

min

COGetting the ASIC company extract and deciphering it

min

CORequesting, collecting and assessing additional documents

min

Each month

COSeeking help from AUSTRAC or your provider's help desk

min

COStaff training, maintaining registers and logging records

min

COSuspicious Matter Reports (SMRs) lodged per monthAbout 2 hours each to prepare and lodge with AUSTRAC.

per mth

COThreshold Transaction Reports (TTRs) lodged per monthCash of $10,000 or more. About 30 minutes each.

per mth

Each year

COPreparing the annual compliance reportExample: 2–4 hours.

hrs

COAUSTRAC requests and applying program updatesExample: 1–4 hours.

hrs

Your results update as you type. Scroll up and look to the right: your comparison is in the blue panel.Your comparison is in the blue panel below.

See my results

Your monthly comparison

Current setup compared with AMLHQ CO. Excluding GST.

Cost	Current setup	AMLHQ CO
AMLHQ Hybrid fee
Subscription / service fee
Verification (VOI)
Company and trust checks
Support and other provider fees
Your provider's other feesOverages, surcharges and other invoice fees. Unchanged under Hybrid
Compliance Officer time
Monthly total
Annual total
One-off setup and program build
First year, including setup
Estimated finance income to your agency	—
Net monthly cost after estimated finance income
Estimated finance income, first yearUpfront plus year-one trail, 30% agency share, 10% default settlement rate	—
Listing referrals from your CFO (not included in totals)	—
Agent time (same under every model, not included in totals)

Attention: some providers charge one-off costs when you leave, such as exit fees or data retention fees of up to 50% of the annual subscription. Check your contract. AMLHQ does not charge exit or data retention fees.

One-off AMLHQ setup: $1,150 + GST.

Get my personalised cost report

No calculator captures everything. A staff member filling the Compliance Officer role alongside their day job is not the same as a dedicated AMLHQ Compliance Officer whose job is AML/CTF. The difference shows up in how consistently files are completed, how escalations are handled, and whether decisions are documented the way AUSTRAC expects. For clarity, the end result for the monthly AMLHQ subscription includes an AML expert working with your office, which you did not have previously.

Then there is what no number measures: the risk you carry, and the time spent wondering whether a file was done right. It isn't in the totals above, but it's real.

This calculator is a comparison and approximation only. Figures are based on the information you enter and example defaults, and are not a quote. Actual costs depend on your agency, transaction volume, the parties verified, your chosen model and your provider's current pricing. Provider fee ranges shown are drawn from providers' published pricing as at September 2026 and may change. ASIC and third-party fees may change. AMLHQ prices exclude GST. AMLHQ verification is $5.90 + GST per person and includes PEP and sanctions screening. Offices with more than 7 agents are quoted individually. CFO finance income is an estimate only, based on the assumptions shown, and depends on client decisions, lender approval and finance activity; listing referral income is not included in the totals. Any credit assistance is provided by EZFinance Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 392611. Talk to us for a written quote.

Your personalised report

Send me a detailed report about the comparison

You enter the figures. We check the fine print. Then a Compliance Officer calls you to talk through what the numbers actually mean. This report represents an integral part of our awareness campaign to help real estate agencies to better understand AML compliance, what you are paying for, and what AUSTRAC expects.

What's in your report

Your numbers at a glance: your current setup against the AMLHQ model you compared
What your figures actually show, including the hours your team spends on compliance work
Any fields you skipped or left at our example figures, and how they could change the result
The costs that are coming whichever provider you use: program reviews, annual reporting and training
A table of AUSTRAC's critical dates and lodgement deadlines
How the model you compared changes the picture

Your report is written by AI from the figures you entered, then built into a branded PDF. Prefer a simple printout instead? .

Why the numbers differ

Software isn't the whole job

Most AML software handles verification and workflow. Someone in your office still has to do the Compliance Officer work around it, and that's where the hidden cost sits.

Someone has to make the call

Reviewing files, reading trust deeds, deciding what's a red flag and what isn't. Software flags; a person decides, documents it and carries the responsibility.

Reporting has deadlines

A Suspicious Matter Report (SMR) is due within 3 business days of forming a suspicion, or 24 hours for terrorism financing. A Threshold Transaction Report (TTR) is due within 10 business days.

The program has to stay current

AUSTRAC requires your risk assessment and policies to be reviewed at least every 3 years, and sooner when things change, plus staff training and records along the way.

Four ways to run your compliance

AML compliance built around the way your agency works.

Choose a structured platform you manage yourself, add professional oversight to your existing system, or use AMLHQ's managed Compliance Officer service. The biggest difference between the models is who does the Compliance Officer work.

Solo

$350 + GST per month

Who does the CO work: You. The principal or an eligible appointed officer acts as your own Compliance Officer.
Platform: SENTINEL
Best for: Sole agents.

Solo details

Hybrid

From $990 + GST per month

Who does the CO work: An AMLHQ Compliance Officer.
Platform: Keep your current AML software. Its charges continue.
Best for: Agencies happy with their software that want a professional CO.

Hybrid details

Compliance Officer (CO)

From $990 + GST per month

Who does the CO work: A dedicated AMLHQ Compliance Officer.
Platform: SENTINEL
Best for: Agencies that want the compliance work handled.

CO details

Compliance & Finance Officer (CFO)

$990 + GST per month

Who does the CO work: An AMLHQ Compliance & Finance Officer.
Platform: SENTINEL, plus an in-house finance arm.
Best for: Agencies wanting finance income that may offset compliance cost.

CFO details

Hybrid and CO fees depend on office size: $990 for 1–3 agents, $1,250 for 4–5 and $1,750 for 6–7. A one-off setup fee of $1,150 + GST applies to all models. Identity verification is $5.90 + GST per person, including PEP and sanctions screening (under Hybrid, verification stays with your existing provider).

Find your model: take the Exposure Check See full pricing

Not sure where you stand?

Take the 2-Minute Exposure Check. Answer a few questions about how your office handles compliance today and get a confidential report on where the gaps are, and which model fits.

Take the Exposure Check

About the numbers

Why you can trust this comparison

Conservative defaults

Where you don't know a figure, the calculator uses the low end of providers' published pricing, ASIC's own fee schedule and AUSTRAC's requirements. Replace any of them with your real numbers.

Your numbers stay with you

The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing is sent to AMLHQ unless you fill in the form and choose to send it.

No cash grab at the end

Some providers charge exit or data retention fees when you leave. AMLHQ doesn't charge exit or data retention fees.

Is this a quote?

No. It's a comparison and approximation based on the figures you enter. For a written quote, generate your cost report or call 1300 330 644.

Why isn't agent time included in the totals?

Your selling agents collect information, send the verification link and upload documents under every model, including AMLHQ's. Because that time is the same either way, it's shown in hours but left out of the dollar totals so it doesn't distort the comparison.

What if my provider charges differently?

Switch between per-transaction and per-person verification pricing, and open "Add your provider's other charges" to enter anything else on your invoice. If something still doesn't fit, add a note when you generate your report.

Does the $350 Solo plan include a Compliance Officer?

No. Under Solo, the principal or an eligible appointed officer acts as your agency's own Compliance Officer. If you want AMLHQ to supply your Compliance Officer, see the Hybrid, CO and CFO models.

Who's behind AMLHQ

Finance. Real estate. Certified business advisory.

Phil Rice

Founder & Finance Veteran

A finance industry veteran with decades in regulated financial services, and a Certified Professional Business Advisor (CPBA).

Noel Currie

Real Estate Professional & Certified Business Advisor

Oversees the strategic and operational integrity of every AMLHQ program, combining real estate operations with business advisory.

Trish Johnson

Real Estate AML Trainer & Consultant

A seasoned real estate professional who makes compliance training practical and agent-friendly, built for real-world adoption.

Talk to us

Prefer to talk it through?

Call, email, or book a confidential strategy call. We'll go through your numbers and tell you honestly which model fits, including if the one you have is enough.

Call us1300 330 644 Email usadmin@amlhq.com.au Book onlineStrategy call