Lawyers & solicitors compliance obligations in Australian Capital Territory: sole trader with employees
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine for a sole trader with 1–5 employees, turnover $100K–$1M, in lawyers & solicitors, operating in Australian Capital Territory and selling to consumers and small businesses.
Short answer: 47 obligations
47 obligations apply (20 critical) across 23 regulators, plus 10 to check. Risk rating: high. Licensed or supervised regime: AML/CTF reporting entity. These carry licence conditions, regulator audit and per-contravention civil penalties.
Taking on staff as a sole trader: what changes
Compared with a lawyers & solicitors business run as a sole trader with no employees in Australian Capital Territory, 20 obligations apply that did not.
- Applies: Pay superannuation on every payday (Payday Super)
- Applies: Pay employees in accordance with the applicable modern award
- Applies: Manage psychosocial hazards at work
- Applies: Take reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent sex discrimination, sexual
- Applies: Withhold PAYG from employee and contractor payments
- Applies: Provide 10 days paid family + domestic violence leave (FDV)
- Applies: Document VEVO checks + retain employer records (s 245AYL Migration Act)
- Applies: Casual employment definition + conversion (Closing Loopholes 2024)
- Applies: Report under Single Touch Payroll Phase 2
- Applies: Honour employees' right to disconnect (s 333M)
What switches on if you incorporate
Moving to a Pty Ltd company with 1–5 employees, turnover $100K–$1M adds 10 obligations:
- Apply for a Director Identification Number (Director ID)
- Comply with directors' general law and statutory duties
- Prevent insolvent trading (s 588G)
- Pay company PAYG/GST/SG or face Director Penalty Notice (DPN)
- Lodge the ASIC annual company statement and review fee
- Determine large proprietary company status annually
- Apply for a Tax File Number for new entities and partnerships
- Pay ASIC fees + lodge prescribed forms
- Discharge of directors' duties — practical evidence
- Beneficial ownership transparency (Tranche 3 — under consultation)
Australian Capital Territory law that applies
3 Australian Capital Territory obligations apply on these facts:
| Obligation | Why it applies |
|---|---|
| PCBU primary duty of care (ACT WHS Act s 19) | Every business is a PCBU — the primary duty of care applies whether or not you employ anyone · ACT law |
| Industrial manslaughter offence (ACT WHS Act s 34A) | Applies to every PCBU and its officers — a death caused by reckless or negligent breach of a WHS duty is a crime · ACT law |
| Comply with Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (ACT) | You have employees (1–5) · ACT law |
Payroll tax in Australian Capital Territory (FY2026-27)
ACT: 6.75% on Australian wages above the $1.75 million tax-free threshold (FY2026-27). On these facts the business is below the Australian Capital Territory threshold, so payroll tax does not apply yet.
- How the threshold works
- Flat tax-free threshold, apportioned by days employed and the ACT share of Australia-wide wages.
- Returns
- Monthly by the 7th of the following month; annual reconciliation by 28 July
- Administered by
- ACT Revenue Office
Australian Capital Territory regulators
Where the obligations sit
| Area | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Privacy | 9 |
| Aml ctf | 8 |
| Workplace | 7 |
| Tax | 5 |
| Whs | 4 |
| Super | 2 |
| Migration | 2 |
| Consumer law | 2 |
| Wages | 1 |
| Discrimination | 1 |
Critical obligations on this profile
- Enrol with AUSTRAC as a reporting entity (Tranche 2 industry (Lawyers & solicitors) — AML/CTF reporting entity from 1 July 2026)
- Maintain a written AML/CTF program (Tranche 2 industry (Lawyers & solicitors) — AML/CTF reporting entity from 1 July 2026)
- Customer due diligence (KYC) on every customer (Tranche 2 industry (Lawyers & solicitors) — AML/CTF reporting entity from 1 July 2026)
- Suspicious matter, threshold, and IFTI reporting to AUSTRAC (Tranche 2 industry (Lawyers & solicitors) — AML/CTF reporting entity from 1 July 2026)
- Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme (AML/CTF reporting entity — covered by the Privacy Act for AML/CTF activities (s 6E(1A)))
- Pay superannuation on every payday (Payday Super) (You have employees (1–5))
- Pay employees in accordance with the applicable modern award (You have employees (1–5))
- Manage psychosocial hazards at work (You have employees (1–5))
Check whether these apply
- Trust account audit + ASIC / state regulator submission: only if you hold money in a statutory trust account
- Conduct conveyancing via PEXA (e-conveyancing) where mandated: only if you act in property transactions
- Lodge an FBT return and pay FBT by 21 May: only if you provide fringe benefits (cars, entertainment, loans) to employees
- Wash outbound marketing lists against the Do Not Call Register: only if you make outbound telemarketing calls
- Influencer + ad disclosure under ACL + AANA Code: only if you advertise to consumers or engage influencers
- Track eligibility for the electric car FBT exemption: only if you provide electric vehicles to employees
- Comply with AANA Code of Ethics + community guidelines: only if you advertise to consumers or engage influencers
- Enforce + manage post-employment restraints — current state: only if your contracts contain restraint of trade clauses
Thresholds to watch
- Lose the Privacy Act small-business exemption at $3M annual turnover (removal of the exemption altogether is proposed, not yet law) (threshold $3M; approaching)
Check your AML/CTF programUpload the AML/CTF program you already have and get a gap score against the Tranche 2 requirements of the Act and Rules. Personal information is removed before analysis.Primary actionRun the compliance journeyAnswer a short questionnaire about your business and get the obligations that apply to you, with the reason each one applies.
Questions
- How many compliance obligations apply to lawyers and solicitors in Australian Capital Territory run as a sole trader with 1–5 employees?
- 47 obligations apply (20 critical) across 23 regulators, plus 10 to check. Risk rating: high. Licensed or supervised regime: AML/CTF reporting entity. These carry licence conditions, regulator audit and per-contravention civil penalties.
- Which Australian Capital Territory laws apply?
- PCBU primary duty of care (ACT WHS Act s 19), Industrial manslaughter offence (ACT WHS Act s 34A) and Comply with Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (ACT)
Related
- Lawyers & solicitors compliance in Australian Capital Territory
- Lawyers & solicitors: all obligations
- Compliance obligations by industry, state and size
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: partnership
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: trading trust
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: no employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: 1–5 employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: 20–99 employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: 100–499 employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: 100–499 employees, turnover $100M–$1B
- Lawyers & solicitors in ACT: 500+ employees, turnover $1B+
- Lawyers & solicitors in New South Wales: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in Victoria: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in Queensland: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in Western Australia: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in South Australia: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in Tasmania: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in Northern Territory: sole trader with employees
- Enrol with AUSTRAC as a reporting entity: does it apply to lawyers & solicitors?
- Maintain a written AML/CTF program: does it apply to lawyers & solicitors?
- Customer due diligence (KYC) on every customer: does it apply to lawyers & solicitors?
- Suspicious matter, threshold, and IFTI reporting to AUSTRAC: does it apply to lawyers & solicitors?
Sources
- ACT Revenue Office: payroll tax thresholds and rates
- PCBU primary duty of care (ACT WHS Act s 19)
- Industrial manslaughter offence (ACT WHS Act s 34A)
- Comply with Workplace Privacy Act 2011 (ACT)
- Enrol with AUSTRAC as a reporting entity
- Customer due diligence (KYC) on every customer
- Suspicious matter, threshold, and IFTI reporting to AUSTRAC
- Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine from the published obligation corpus; facts last checked 3 October 2026. Rules Mate is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with the regulator source or a qualified adviser before acting.