Anti-Money Laundering Fees and tests

lindylootoo

I've been self employed for over 40 years working mostly for accountants in practice and some private clients, doing year end accounts, audits, self assessment, PAYE, VAT etc etc. I am now mostly retired but still work direct for one client - just doing their day to day book keeping, PAYE, VAT and their draft year end accounts. That gives me just enough income to supplement the £25,000 I've lost from not getting my state pension at the promised date!
A fee for "Anti-Money Laundering Registration" was introducted for anyone in the business of handling cash or PAYE some 4 or 5 years ago. I was infuriated as it's obviously a revenue raising ploy and a tax on taxpayers! It started relatively low at about £50 per year, but last year it rocketed to £130 pa.
I now have another communication from HMRC to say that anyone handling cash or operating PAYE who is covered by the Anti-Money Laundering Registration has to take a "Fit and Proper" test..................and the fee to take the test is £40!!! I can hardly contain myself at the injustice of yet another fee.............for someone who is only a couple of years away from full retirement and has only ONE client operating a PAYE system for THREE employees!!!!
Can anyone PLEASE let me know if there's a way I can justify saying that I'm NOT required to take this test?

Savvy_Sue

This is not something I'm at all clued up on, but ...

Is there any mileage in working out whether you'd be better off as an employee of the company, rather than working self-employed? You'd have to do a cost benefit analysis for them as much as yourself, but ...

I can't think of anything else at all helpful ...

Pennywise

If you've only one "client", you're probably an employee, not self employed. Have you reviewed HMRC's "employment status indicator tool"?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-for-tax

If you're genuinely self employed, then unfortunately the money laundering fees/costs are just another "cost of business", presumably just another overhead to add to your PI insurance, professional subscriptions, etc that you'll have. Can you not just add the costs to the fees you charge your client?