PwC Australia is committed to helping prevent and detect financial crime, including money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorism financing. As part of this commitment, and in line with Australian Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 and associated rules (together the AML/CTF laws), we may ask our clients to confirm their personal and/or business details from time to time.
These processes ensure we hold accurate, up-to-date information to meet our legal and regulatory obligations, while supporting our broader risk management approach and the integrity of our services. They also enable us to better understand our clients—helping us protect data they provide to us, tailor our services, and build stronger, more trusted relationships over time.
I have been a long-term client of PwC. Why is this the first time I’ve been asked to confirm my details and/or verify my identity?
Regulatory requirements evolve over time to respond to emerging financial crime risks and changes in the operating environment. From 1 July 2026, certain services provided by professional services firms are subject to expanded AML/CTF obligations. As a result, we may now be required to collect and verify information that was not previously required.
Why do we ask for your details?
We may ask you to confirm or provide your personal and/or business information (“client information”) to ensure the information we hold is accurate and up to date, and to meet our obligations under applicable laws and regulations.
Maintaining current information helps us assess and manage financial crime risks, including money laundering and terrorism financing risks, and supports us in complying with the AML/CTF laws. In some circumstances, we are required to verify your identity and the identity of individuals associated with an organisation (such as directors, trustees or beneficial owners).
Before providing any client information (including personal information), you will be asked to review our Client Information Collection Notice and Consent which explains what client information we collect for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing purposes, why we collect it, who we share it with and how long we retain it. This webpage also provides information of a similar nature.
If we are unable to obtain or verify the required information, we may not be able to commence or continue providing services to you.
I’ve received a message asking me to confirm my details and/or verify my identity. How do I know it’s legitimate?
We will only contact you through trusted channels. In most cases, requests will come from your PwC engagement partner, a member of your PwC engagement team, or a PwC representative you already know and can contact directly.
Where identity verification is required, we may ask you to complete this through a secure verification link provided by PwC. If you are unsure about any request, we encourage you to contact your usual PwC representative directly using known contact details before proceeding.
Which of my personal and/or business details need to be confirmed?
The information we request will depend on the services you receive, the information we already hold, and whether we have previously obtained your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of information. For further details on consent, please refer to the ‘Important Information about Consent’ section in the Client Information Collection Notice and Consent which will be sent to you along with any request for information.
Generally, the types of information we may ask you to confirm or provide include identity and contact details, as well as documents used to verify your identity or authority. This may include items such as:
- Identity and contact details (name, DOB, address, etc.)
- Information about roles, authority, ownership/control
- Identification/verification information (e.g. passport, licence, document numbers)
- Screening results and risk indicators
We will only request information that is reasonably necessary for the recipient to perform their role or for us to meet our regulatory and compliance obligations.
How often do I have to confirm my details?
You should notify us whenever your personal or business details change. In addition, we may periodically ask you to confirm your information to ensure it remains complete, current and accurate, as part of our ongoing regulatory obligations.
What happens if I don’t confirm my details or verify my identity?
If you do not provide the requested information or complete identity verification where required, we may be unable to commence or continue providing services to you.
It is important that we have your current contact details so we can reach you about these requests.
Who do you share client information with?
We may share your information with:
- Third-party service providers who assist us with identity verification and financial crime screening
- Other PwC network firms where required to support our KYC, risk and ethics processes
- Regulators or government authorities where required or authorised by law
We only share information that is reasonably necessary for these purposes.
How do I learn more about how you treat my personal information?
You can find more information in the Client Information Collection Notice and Consent which will be included in any request for information and our Privacy Policy available on our website. Our Privacy Policy explains more broadly:
- What personal information we collect
- How we use and disclose your information
- How we store and protect your data
- How you can access or correct your information
- How to make a privacy complaint
If you have further questions about how we handle your personal information, you can also contact the PwC Australia Privacy Team.
If you have any questions regarding our AML/CTF obligations, please contact our Client Due Diligence (CDD) Operations Team.
Contact us
PwC Australia Client Due Diligence (CDD) Operations Team
AML and CTF obligations enquiries, PwC Australia
