The figures are derived from annual statistical returns submitted to HMRC by pension providers.

It is divided into four sections:

• Section 1 – an introduction to the different types of pensions and their tax treatment
• Section 2 – commentary and analysis of the key trends in personal pension contributions and tax relief
• Section 3 – detailed statistical tables
• Section 4 – details of the data used in this publication and the estimation methodologies

The figures are based on HMRC administrative data and information compiled from a variety of sources by the ONS. Costs are subject to large revisions and have a particularly wide margin of error.

The figures are derived from annual statistical returns submitted to HMRC by pension providers.

Data is derived from annual statistical returns submitted to HMRC by pension providers.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is a supervisory body for Money Laundering Regulations. Check if you need to register your business with us.

You must tell us about your premises in your application to register and you must pay the relevant fees due.

Your application won’t be reviewed until the fees have been paid.

Accessing the service

You’ll use your Government Gateway account User ID and password to sign in.

If you don’t already have a Government Gateway account, you’ll be able to register for one at the beginning of the online service.

If you’re unable to use the online service, email the Anti-Money Laundering Team at amls.communicationsteam@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and provide your contact details. They’ll send you a form to complete and to send to HMRC by post.

What happens next

You may have to send additional documents to HMRC if you’re a money service business or a trust or company service provider. Fit and proper checks will be applied to the ‘responsible’ people you include in your application.

HMRC will review your application. This can take up to 45 days.

We’ll send you an email when a decision has been made. You’ll need to sign in to see if your application has been accepted or refused. If you disagree with the decision you can appeal.

If you’re already supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), you don’t also need to register with HMRC.

You must not run a money service business until you’ve registered.

The term money service business has a special meaning under the Money Laundering Regulations.

When you put anti-money laundering policies and procedures in place, you must make sure they cover all your activities carried out under the regulations.

Who should register

You must register your business if it:

• acts as a bureau de change, even if this is on a ship that isn’t always in UK territorial waters
• transmits money, or any representation of money (just collecting and delivering money as a cash courier isn’t transmitting money)
• cashes cheques that are payable to your customers
• is a pawnbroker acting as a money service business
• has a consumer credit license and is acting as a money service business

If you exchange currency or cash cheques occasionally

You don’t have to register if you meet all of these conditions:

• the total turnover from your money service activities is no more than £64,000 a year or 5% of your total annual turnover
• currency exchange or cheque cashing transactions worth more than €1,000 are limited to one per customer (this could be a single transaction or a series of smaller transactions that seem to be linked)
• money service activities must be secondary to your main business activity and directly related to it
• the currency exchange or cheque cashing service must only be available to customers of the main business, it mustn’t be available to the public
• your business isn’t operating as a trust or company service provider or an accountancy service provider

Transmitting money that’s not ‘by way of business’

If you transmit money from time to time but not by way of business you may not have to register. If you think you fall into this category contact HMRC to check.

Cash courier

If you collect money from your customers and deliver it to someone else, like re-stocking cash dispensers and delivering cash for shops you don’t need to register.

How to register

You should apply to register with HMRC using the online service. The registration will include a fit and proper check and you’ll also be able to pay the relevant fees online.

Annual renewal

At the end of each registration period we’ll send you a renewal notice inviting you to renew your registration by paying the annual fee on all your listed premises. If you don’t need your registration to continue then you should notify HMRC.

If you don’t pay the correct renewal fee then HMRC may terminate your registration and remove your business from its anti-money laundering register.

Premises to register

You must tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about your premises when you register for anti-money laundering supervision.

You’ll need to pay fees for each premises where you carry out certain types of business and related activities covered by the Money Laundering Regulations.

This includes:

• offices
• shops and auction houses
• call centres
• cruise ships (in UK territorial waters)
• home address or contact address (if you don’t have a business address)
• virtual offices and agent premises

Several outlets at one address

If you run more than one outlet from the same address, such as an airport, you can treat each outlet as a single premises and you’ll only pay one fee. They must all be managed by the business and all staff must be employed by the business. The nominated officer for the business must be responsible for all the outlets.

Premises you don’t need to register

You don’t need to register any premises that are outside the UK or that you only use for:

• storing your business records
• training employees
• generally managing your employees

If any part of processing transactions takes place there though, such as paperwork being completed, you’ll need to register the premises.

Agents or franchisees

You should register your agent’s or franchisees’ premises if:

• you have an overview of transactions from all your agents or franchisees which they don’t have
• you’re responsible for the way their business is run
• you’re putting in place the anti-money laundering controls and procedures used when they deal with your customers

You don’t have to register your agent’s or franchisees’ premises if you have little control over the:

• way they work
• anti-money laundering controls they put in place

They must then apply to register their premises instead.

You should contact HMRC if you’re not sure which premises to include, or you’re an agent or franchisee wanting to know if you need to register.

Who should register

You may have to register with HMRC if your business operates as an accountancy service provider.

Under Money Laundering Regulations accountancy service providers are:

• auditors who carry out statutory audit work
• accountants who provide accountancy services to clients
• tax advisers and consultants who provide advice to clients about their tax affairs
• payroll agents that provide accountancy services and/or tax advice
• customs practitioners, freight forwarders and similar businesses if they provide accountancy or tax services

The services they provide can be recording, reviewing, analysing, calculating and reporting on financial information for other people. This includes:

• professional bookkeeping services
• accounts preparation and signing
• tax advice, for example:
  • help with completing and submitting tax returns or duty claims
  • advice on whether something is liable to a tax or duty
  • advice on the amount of tax or duty that is due

If you do some but not all of these things, and you’re still not sure, you can contact HMRC for guidance.

Who doesn’t need to register

You don’t need to register if:

• you’re an Insolvency Practitioner (you’ll be supervised by the Insolvency Service)
• you give tax advice or accountancy services on a non-commercial basis, for example within your own organisation rather than to a third party

Payroll businesses that don’t need to register

If you’re a payroll services provider to a third party, you’re not an accountancy service provider for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations if you:

• provide software or hardware service support for payroll data processing, as long as you don’t analyse or prepare any financial information
• pay invoiced service fees to self-employed people, umbrella companies, partnerships or other corporate service providers
• operate as a body like an umbrella company or a managed service company and carry out payroll functions for employees who are working on assignments for an end-user client
• provide recruitment or human resources management services and carry out payroll functions as a small part of your main business activity (for example, you might be an employment business that supplies or manages temporary or contract workers)

Customs practitioners that don’t need to register

If you’re in business as a customs practitioner, a freight forwarder or similar, you’re not covered by the Money Laundering Regulations if you only provide services like:

• helping your clients with classifying or valuing exports and imports for customs purposes
• helping clients to comply with customs and other procedures, like using simplified declaration procedures or facilities like warehousing
• helping clients with import or export licensing, and submitting import and export declarations on their behalf
  paying duties, taxes and levies on behalf of importers

Accountancy service providers already registered or supervised elsewhere

If you’re an accountancy service provider you must register with HMRC unless:

• you’re already supervised for Money Laundering Regulations purposes by a professional body
• all your customers are themselves supervised by HMRC or a professional body

The main supervisory bodies

For Money Laundering Regulations, the main supervisory bodies for accountants, bookkeepers, tax advisers and other financial advisers are the:

• 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 Taxation
• Financial Conduct Authority
• Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales
• Institute of Financial Accountants
• International Association of Bookkeepers
• Law Society

If you’re supervised by one of these bodies you don’t need to register with HMRC.

If all your customers are accountancy service providers

If all your customers are accountancy service providers supervised by HMRC or a professional body, you don’t need to register so long as:

• you don’t do business directly with the supervised accountancy service providers’ own customers
• you’re included in the supervised accountancy service providers’ anti money laundering controls and procedures, suspicious activity reporting, and training programmes
• you have a written contract with each of your customers confirming that every aspect of the relationship between you meets all anti money laundering requirements

You need to meet all of these conditions, otherwise you’ll need to register.

How to register

Apply to register with HMRC using the online service. You’ll be able to pay your fees at the same time.

Annual renewal

At the end of each registration period we’ll send you a renewal notice inviting you to renew your registration by paying the annual fee on all your listed premises. If you don’t need your registration to continue then you should notify HMRC.

If you don’t pay the correct renewal fee then HMRC may terminate your registration and remove your business from its anti-money laundering register.

This notice cancels and replaces Notice 700/1 April 2017. Details of any changes to the previous version can be found in paragraph 1.2 of this notice.