17 February 2026
Today, 17 February 2026, HMRC has published guidance to confirm payroll only service providers will need to register for an agent services account (ASA) from 18 November 2026.
Payroll only service providers means you do not interact with HMRC in any other way on behalf of your clients, i.e., you are not part of an accountancy practice.
You will have three months from the date you need to register to apply for an agent services account, taking the final deadline date for registration to 18 February 2027.
Please note, you can if you wish, register from 18 May 2026, even if you’re not required to do so until a later date.
To register for an ASA, businesses must be supervised by an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Supervisor. HMRC provide AML supervision; you can view their guidance pages here.
The CIPP wanted to register with the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) to become a Professional Body Supervisor so we could support our members, however, HM Treasury has recently announced that AML supervision will now be managed centrally by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Therefore, the CIPP will be unable to become a Professional Body Supervisor moving forward, yet we have openly requested to support the FCA in our most recent consultation response:
“We therefore welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with HM Treasury, the FCA, and other stakeholders to shape a system that both safeguards against money laundering risks and avoids unnecessary burdens on businesses. By bringing payroll-specific expertise to the table, the CIPP stands ready to contribute constructively to the development of a robust, fair and sustainable AML supervisory landscape for the payroll profession.”
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