Guidance: Anti-Money Laundering: service availability and issues

While this is not a new regulatory requirement, it carries operational significance for businesses that are registered with HMRC for AML supervision, including accountancy service providers, tax advisers, money service businesses, and other supervised firms. The guidance serves as a real-time status check, enabling compliance teams to verify whether the service is operating normally before attempting to complete AML registrations, updates, or submissions. For compliance teams, the immediate implication is to incorporate this availability page into their operational workflow.

When the service is experiencing disruption, firms should plan for potential delays in submissions, ensure alternative contact routes are available, and maintain clear records in case of missed deadlines due to technical failures. HMRC generally expects regulated businesses to meet filing obligations; therefore, proactive monitoring of this page can help firms mitigate the risk of inadvertent non-compliance. There are no changes to underlying obligations or policy, and the guidance is purely informational.

Compliance teams should bookmark the URL, check it before key filings, and alert relevant staff when service issues are reported. Given that this is an availability notice, no internal policy changes or remediation programmes are required. However, firms that rely heavily on the AML online service should consider building resilience into their compliance processes, such as starting submissions early and maintaining evidence of service disruption if they need to explain late filings to HMRC.