Dormant Trust Account Audit
Use this service when a trust account remained open but your records show nil activity across the audit period. We check the bank evidence, confirm the account status, and tell you early if the file needs standard audit scope instead.
When a Trust Account Is Dormant
For audit intake, dormant is an evidence question. The bank record needs to support a nil-activity position for the period being reviewed, and the state or profession may still require a lodgement, declaration, or other documented next step.
No transactions
The account had no deposits, withdrawals, transfers, interest, fees, or other activity during the audit period.
No trust money
No client money or other trust money was received, held, or paid through the account during the period.
Zero balance
The account remained free of funds for the full period, not only at year end.
Still open
The account remained open in the bank records, so a regulator or reporting step may still apply.
What the Dormant Scope Checks
The first question is not why the account stayed open. It is whether the evidence supports dormant treatment for the audit period. We look for a complete bank record, the account status, the relevant state, and the profession or licence context before applying the dormant fee.
A file can be simple only when the records are clear. If the statement shows any movement, has missing months, or does not match the audit period, the auditor needs to resolve that before confirming a nil-activity outcome.
AuditsPro keeps this check at the front of the workflow. That way, clients do not commit to the wrong scope, and the auditor can request broader ledgers, reconciliations, or supporting records only when the dormant evidence is not enough.
What We Usually Need
How We Confirm Dormant Audit Scope
Dormant pricing only works when the evidence is narrow and clean. Before applying the dormant scope, the auditor checks the bank record, account status, trust-money position, state, and audit period together.
Full-period evidence first
A year-end balance alone is not enough. The review usually starts with the bank record for the full period under review. The auditor checks for bank fees, interest, closure entries, transfers, corrections, or other movements because any one of those can change the work required.
Profession and state still matter
Dormant status does not remove every reporting step. A real estate agency, conveyancer, solicitor, accountant, broker, or other regulated professional may still have a state or licence pathway to follow. AuditsPro uses that context to keep the first document request proportionate.
Scope changes are handled early
If the evidence shows activity, trust money, a non-zero balance, missing bank records, or unclear account status, we explain the issue before expanding the work. That gives the client a chance to confirm standard audit scope before wider ledgers, reconciliations, receipts, or supporting records are requested.
Practical examples of dormant-scope questions
A trust account can show a nil balance at year end while still having reportable movement earlier in the period. A bank fee, interest item, transfer, correction, or closure entry needs review before the auditor treats the matter as dormant.
A client may also have an open account that was not used in the audit period. In that situation, the practical task is to prove the nil-activity position and match it to the right regulator step, rather than assuming the account can simply be ignored.
Before you start, it helps to send the exact audit period, the profession or licence type, the state or territory, the trust account name, and whether the bank account remains open. If a regulator has sent a reminder, nil activity form, late notice, or portal instruction, include that context as well. These details do not replace the auditor's review, but they help the intake team decide whether the first document request should be limited to dormant evidence or broadened to standard trust account audit records. Clear intake also reduces repeated follow-up because the auditor can separate account-status questions from evidence-quality questions before the file is assessed.
If the account closed during the year, include the closing statement and confirmation of the closure date. If the account stayed open, include any regulator instruction or nil-activity form already received. Those details help separate account status questions from audit-evidence questions.
Dormant Trust Account Audit Pricing
The dormant fee applies after nil-activity evidence is checked. If the statement shows movement, missing months, or trust-money handling, we confirm whether standard trust account audit scope is required.
Dormant treatment is scope-specific. It does not replace any official regulator declaration, nil-trust notification, or lodgement step that applies to your state or profession.
Prompt replies - Fixed pricing - No hidden fees
Dormant trust accounts by state and territory
A nil-activity trust account does not remove every obligation. Each regulator sets its own audit period, deadline, and declaration pathway, so confirm the right step for your state before the due date.
New South Wales
- Audit period
- Audit period ends 30 June
- Deadline
- No later than 30 September
Victoria
- Audit period
- 1 July to 30 June
- Deadline
- Audit within 3 months after 30 June; lodge in myCAV within 10 business days of receiving the report
Queensland
- Audit period
- Based on licence issue month
- Deadline
- 4 months after audit period end; 2 months in final year
Western Australia
- Audit period
- Calendar year ending 31 December
- Deadline
- 5pm on 31 March
South Australia
- Audit period
- Usually ends 2 months before licence or registration expiry unless otherwise approved
- Deadline
- Linked to Annual Return and renewal documents
Australian Capital Territory
- Audit period
- Financial-year audit period
- Deadline
- 30 September
Northern Territory
- Audit period
- Most agents use 1 July to 30 June
- Deadline
- Normally 30 September; nil statutory declaration normally 30 August
Tasmania
- Audit period
- Annual audit report plus 6-monthly reporting obligations
- Deadline
- 30 September annual audit report
Not sure which applies? Compare every state on the trust account audit deadlines page.
Dormant Trust Account Questions
What is a dormant trust account?
For this service, dormant means the account remained open while the audit-period evidence shows nil trust activity. The auditor checks that the bank record supports no receipts, payments, transfers, fees, interest, or trust-money balance for the period being reviewed.
How much does a dormant trust account audit cost?
AuditsPro dormant trust account audit support starts from $149 + GST per trust account after the nil-activity scope is confirmed. If the evidence shows account movement, missing records, or trust-money handling, we confirm whether standard audit pricing applies before proceeding.
Is a dormant trust account the same as a closed account?
No. Dormant means the account is still part of the audit-period record set but appears to have no trust activity. A closed account needs separate evidence of the closure date, final statement position, and any regulator notification required for the relevant state or profession.
Can I use the dormant fee if the account had one small transaction?
Do not assume so. A small bank fee, interest item, transfer, correction, deposit, withdrawal, or closure entry can change the work required. Send the statement first so the auditor can decide whether the dormant pathway is still appropriate.
Does a dormant or nil-activity account still need a declaration or audit?
Often yes. A nil balance does not automatically end the reporting obligation. The correct step depends on your regulator, profession, audit period, and account status, so we confirm the pathway before treating the file as dormant-only work.
Which states does AuditsPro cover for dormant trust accounts?
AuditsPro can review dormant or nil-activity trust account matters across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, ACT, NT, and TAS. We use the state, profession, and audit period to identify the likely regulator step before asking for wider audit records.
What documents are needed for a dormant trust account audit?
Start with the bank statement or equivalent bank record for the whole period being reviewed, plus the state, profession, licence or business context, account status, audit period, and any regulator reminder, nil-activity form, or deadline notice.
Trusted government and regulator references
Dormant and nil-activity obligations come from each state regulator. These are the official sources we rely on, with the date each was last checked.
NSW · Official regulator page · Last checked 2026-06-05
VIC · Official regulator page · Last checked 2026-06-05
QLD · Official regulator page · Last checked 2026-06-16
WA · Official regulator PDF · Last checked 2026-06-05
SA · Official government page · Last checked 2026-06-05
ACT · Official regulator page · Last checked 2026-06-05
NT · Official regulator page · Last checked 2026-06-05
TAS · Official board page · Last checked 2026-06-05
Compliance guidance last reviewed on 19 June 2026 against official regulator sources.
Need to confirm if your account is dormant?
Send the audit period, state, profession, and account status. We will help confirm whether the dormant trust account audit scope is suitable before you commit.
Ready to Plan Your Audit?
confirm the right audit scope.