Before we can work as your accountant, we need to complete identity checks for key people in the business.
As accountants, we are required by law to check our clients are who they say they are. We do this by checking photo ID (through the use of our NZ-based partner Cloudcheck) and then checking proof of residence either against a national database such as Drivers Licences, or by checking a copy of a utility bill that has your address on.
Our partner Cloudcheck also checks details against international databases to make sure we aren’t acting for anyone on a global sanction list, or someone who is a politically exposed person (and therefore could be a risk to us as a client).
These checks aim to reduce the risk of us enabling money laundering or financing terrorism.
We also need to get IRD numbers for everyone that you need us to file tax returns for, and if you’re coming from another accountant we need to get in touch and let them know that we are taking over.