Lawyers & solicitors compliance obligations in Western Australia: sole trader
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine for a sole trader with no employees, turnover $100K–$1M, in lawyers & solicitors, operating in Western Australia and selling to consumers and small businesses.
Short answer: 26 obligations
26 obligations apply (11 critical) across 9 regulators, plus 5 to check. Risk rating: high. Licensed or supervised regime: AML/CTF reporting entity. These carry licence conditions, regulator audit and per-contravention civil penalties.
Sole trader or company: what changes
Compared with the same business run through a Pty Ltd company with no employees in Western Australia, 0 obligations apply that did not, and 10 drop away.
- No longer applies: Apply for a Director Identification Number (Director ID)
- No longer applies: Comply with directors' general law and statutory duties
- No longer applies: Prevent insolvent trading (s 588G)
- No longer applies: Pay company PAYG/GST/SG or face Director Penalty Notice (DPN)
- No longer applies: Lodge the ASIC annual company statement and review fee
- No longer applies: Determine large proprietary company status annually
- No longer applies: Apply for a Tax File Number for new entities and partnerships
- No longer applies: Pay ASIC fees + lodge prescribed forms
What switches on when you take on staff
Moving to a sole trader with 1–5 employees, turnover $100K–$1M adds 19 obligations:
- Pay superannuation on every payday (Payday Super)
- Pay employees in accordance with the applicable modern award
- Manage psychosocial hazards at work
- Take reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent sex discrimination, sexual
- Withhold PAYG from employee and contractor payments
- Provide 10 days paid family + domestic violence leave (FDV)
- Document VEVO checks + retain employer records (s 245AYL Migration Act)
- Casual employment definition + conversion (Closing Loopholes 2024)
- Report under Single Touch Payroll Phase 2
- Honour employees' right to disconnect (s 333M)
Western Australia law that applies
1 Western Australia obligation applies on these facts:
| Obligation | Why it applies |
|---|---|
| PCBU primary duty of care (WA WHS Act 2020 s 19) | Every business is a PCBU — the primary duty of care applies whether or not you employ anyone · WA law |
Payroll tax in Western Australia (FY2026-27)
WA: 5.5% on Australian wages above the $1 million tax-free threshold (FY2026-27). On these facts the business is below the Western Australia threshold, so payroll tax does not apply yet.
- How the threshold works
- Diminishing threshold: reduces by $2 for every $13 of Australian wages above $1M, reaching nil at $7.5M.
- Returns
- Monthly by the 7th of the following month; annual reconciliation by 21 July
- Administered by
- RevenueWA
Western Australia regulators
Where the obligations sit
| Area | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Aml ctf | 8 |
| Privacy | 8 |
| Tax | 4 |
| Consumer law | 2 |
| Whs | 1 |
| Sanctions | 1 |
| Marketing | 1 |
| Records | 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)))
- Australian Business Number (ABN) application (Every business carrying on an enterprise needs an ABN)
- Lodge Business Activity Statements at assigned frequency (Turnover above the $75K GST registration threshold)
- Designate an AML/CTF Compliance Officer (Tranche 2 industry (Lawyers & solicitors) — AML/CTF reporting entity from 1 July 2026)
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
- 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
- Comply with AANA Code of Ethics + community guidelines: only if you advertise to consumers or engage influencers
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 Western Australia run as a sole trader with no employees?
- 26 obligations apply (11 critical) across 9 regulators, plus 5 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 Western Australia laws apply?
- PCBU primary duty of care (WA WHS Act 2020 s 19)
Related
- Lawyers & solicitors compliance in Western Australia
- Lawyers & solicitors: all obligations
- Compliance obligations by industry, state and size
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: sole trader with employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: partnership
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: trading trust
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: no employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: 1–5 employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: 20–99 employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: 100–499 employees
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: 100–499 employees, turnover $100M–$1B
- Lawyers & solicitors in WA: 500+ employees, turnover $1B+
- Lawyers & solicitors in New South Wales: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in Victoria: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in Queensland: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in South Australia: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in Tasmania: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in Northern Territory: sole trader
- Lawyers & solicitors in Australian Capital Territory: sole trader
- 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
- RevenueWA: payroll tax thresholds and rates
- PCBU primary duty of care (WA WHS Act 2020 s 19)
- 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
- Australian Business Number (ABN) application
- Lodge Business Activity Statements at assigned frequency
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.