A client pays fees of AU$12,000 in cash. TTR?

Your own fees are not a designated service, so the TTR duty does not attach in the same way, but large cash fees are a risk indicator worth recording and structuring is a reason for an SMR. Check AUSTRAC guidance.

Threshold transaction reports: cash of AU$10,000 or more in a legal matter

What triggers it

Notes and coins only. Transfers, cheques and cards do not.
AU$10,000 or more in one transaction. Several smaller cash payments that seem designed to stay under the threshold are not a TTR but are a reason for a suspicious matter report.
Received in connection with a designated service, typically into trust.

What to record

Date, amount, currency.
Who paid it, with identification.
The matter.
Who at the firm handled it.

The simplest policy

Do not accept cash of AU$10,000 or more, say so in your program, and never lodge a TTR.

Questions people ask

A client pays fees of AU$12,000 in cash. TTR?: Your own fees are not a designated service, so the TTR duty does not attach in the same way, but large cash fees are a risk indicator worth recording and structuring is a reason for an SMR. Check AUSTRAC guidance.

Sources

Official AUSTRAC guidance this page was checked against. The date is when we captured the page; AUSTRAC may have updated it since.

Threshold transaction reports · AUSTRAC, captured 07 June 2026

This guide is general information for solicitors, conveyancers, settlement agents, not legal advice. Check AUSTRAC's current guidance for your situation.