Accountancy Service Provider (ASP)

As an ASP the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 apply to you. From 15 December 2007 ASPs must have anti-money laundering controls in place.

Businesses that could be ASPs include:

  • accountants
  • auditors
  • tax advisers
  • bookkeepers
  • payroll agents
  • tax consultants

Registration information

You will need to register with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) if your business is not supervised by a designated professional body (such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales or the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers). You can find a list of bodies in our Guide to Registration MLR 9, Appendix 2.

Businesses that apply to register are subject to a registration fee. The charge is linked to the number of premises through which the business operates and is renewable annually. Applicants must send a cheque with their application form, payable to HMRC for £95 X (multiplied by) the number of premises through which they operate. They will receive an acknowledgement when their application has been received and a registration certificate once their application has been successfully processed.

At present there are ongoing discussions concerning the range of individuals and businesses that need to register with us and we recommend that you do not send us your forms at this time if you have not yet registered.

We will now set a new application deadline of a minimum of four weeks from the date on which updated guidance is published.

We recommend that businesses should continue to check our latest news page for updates.

We recommend

Our New Money Laundering Regulations page will give you the support and help you need. Our Legislation and Guides page will provide you with our Guide to Registration MLR 9 (PDF 1.0MB) and the legislation you must follow.

To help you register you can find the forms you will need and guidance to help you complete them in our Forms section. We have also added some ASP Frequently Asked Questions.

All auditors, insolvency practitioners, external accountants and tax advisers should follow the guidance published by the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB).

What is an ASP?

ASPs is the term used by HMRC for auditors (a), external accountants (b) and tax advisers(c) who are not already supervised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) or one of the professional bodies listed in the Regulations.

  • An auditor is any person eligible for appointment as a company auditor under section 25 of the Companies Act 1989(a) or article 28 of the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1991(b) who by way of business provides audit services.
  • An accountant is any person who by way of business provides accountancy services.
  • A tax adviser is any person who by way of business provides advice about the tax affairs of another person.

However, you will not need to register with us if your practice will be supervised by one of these legal or accountancy professional bodies:

  • Association of Accounting Technicians
  • Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
  • Association of International Accountants
  • Association of Taxation Technicians
  • Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
  • Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
  • Chartered Institute of Taxation
  • Council for Licensed Conveyancers
  • Faculty of Advocates
  • Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury
  • General Council of the Bar
  • General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland
  • Insolvency Practitioners Association
  • International Association of Book-keepers
  • Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
  • Institute of Financial Accountants
  • Law Society
  • Law Society of Scotland
  • Law Society of Northern Ireland