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New Zealand's AML/CFT Levy Regulations 2026: What every regulated NZ business needs to know
New Zealand's Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (Levy) Regulations 2026 come into force on 8 October 2026, introducing an annual levy that funds the country's AML/CFT regime.
Twelve classes of reporting entity are covered, from banks and casinos to real estate agents, each billed under its own formula based on transaction value, customer numbers, or revenue.
Not to panic! The levy is not payable until the financial year starting 1 July 2027.
What is the AML/CFT Levy Regulations 2026?
The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (Levy) Regulations 2026 is secondary legislation made under the AML/CFT Act 2009. It was signed off on 7 September 2026 and takes effect from 8 October 2026, with the Ministry of Justice running it.
The regulations answer three questions: who has to pay, how much, and what happens if you don't agree with your bill. The idea behind it is straightforward cost recovery.
Running the AML/CFT system costs money (the Ministry of Justice, the DIA, and Police all do work under the Act), and instead of that coming entirely out of general tax revenue, part of it is now being billed directly to the industries the regime regulates.
Who has to pay the AML/CFT levy?
Twelve classes of reporting entity are named in Schedule 2 of the regulations:
- Licensed deposit takers (banks),
- Casinos and online casino operators (including Entain New Zealand Limited, TAB NZ's betting partner)
- Real estate agents
- Currency exchange providers
- Payment providers
- Operators of a money or value transfer service
- Virtual asset service providers
- Derivatives issuers
- Client money or property service providers
- Conveyancing practitioners
- Law firms
- Trust and company service providers
If a business falls into more than one class, it pays the levy for each class it's part of, not just one.
How much does each type of business pay?
Banks are expected to carry the bulk of the new levy, contributing an estimated 80% of the total, calculated on their total assets. Casinos are levied on gaming revenue. The other ten classes pay on either transaction value from the previous financial year or customer numbers.
| Reporting entity class | Threshold | Levy |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate agents | $10m to $50m | $398 |
| Real estate agents | Over $50m | $769 |
| Currency exchange providers | $10m to $100m | $1,529 |
| Currency exchange providers | Over $100m | $3,568 |
| Payment providers | $100m to $1bn | $1,443 |
| Payment providers | Over $1bn | $4,088 |
| Money or value transfer operators | $100m to $1bn | $3,950 |
| Money or value transfer operators | Over $1bn | $11,061 |
| Virtual asset service providers | Over $10m | $11,468 (flat) |
| Derivatives issuers | Over $10m | $4,460 (flat) |
| Client money or property service providers | $100m to $1bn | $1,710 |
| Client money or property service providers | Over $1bn | $2,487 |
Levies based on customer numbers:
| Reporting entity class | Threshold | Levy |
|---|---|---|
| Conveyancing practitioners | Over 100 customers | $600 (flat) |
| Law firms | 101 to 2,500+ customers | $544 to $2,492, across ten bands |
| Trust and company service providers | 101 to 600+ customers | $2,236 to $7,475, across six bands |
Businesses below the lowest threshold in their class, for example a real estate agency under $10 million in settled transactions, or a conveyancing practice with 100 customers or fewer, pay no levy at all.
When does the levy take effect?
There are two dates in play here, and they’re easy to mix up. The regulations themselves kick in on 8 October 2026, that's when the rules, definitions, and processes officially exist. But the levy doesn't actually get charged until the financial year starting 1 July 2027. Nobody is billed for 2026/27.
That matters because of how the amount gets worked out: your first invoice is based on whatever your business reports for the year ending 30 June 2027, whether that's the value of transactions you settled or the number of customers you had. So every regulated business has roughly a year to see where it's likely to land before any money changes hands.
Is my business exempt from the levy?
There are two ways to end up paying nothing. The first is simply falling below the threshold in your own class's table, for instance a real estate agency under $10 million in settled transactions, or a law firm with 100 customers or fewer. The second is a separate, broader exemption: if your business has already been exempted from sections 10 to 71 of the AML/CFT Act 2009 (under section 156E or 157), you're out of scope for the levy too, no matter your size or turnover.
How is the levy calculated, invoiced and paid?
The DIA (your AML/CFT supervisor) works out what you owe soon after the financial year starts, using the figures from your AML/CFT annual report. If it genuinely can't get hold of that information, even after taking reasonable steps to chase it down, it’s allowed to estimate instead.
Whatever the amount, you'll get an invoice that spells out when it was issued, which financial year it's for, how the figure was reached, how to pay, and a due date at least 30 days out. Payment goes to the DIA, and GST is added on top. If it goes unpaid, it's treated as a debt owed to the Crown and can be recovered accordingly.
What should regulated businesses do now?
The clock's already running. Anything you settle or onboard between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 is what your first invoice will be based on, so it’s important that your information is accurately filed. Whether you're in real estate, legal, banking, payments, or virtual assets, you can start estimating today roughly where you'll land and budget for it ahead of FY2027/28.
This levy is an addition to your existing AML/CFT obligations, not a replacement for them. As the compliance landscape in New Zealand keeps shifting, APLYiD helps regulated businesses across sectors keep AML compliance and reporting simple, so changes like this stay a line item, not a fire drill.
