Licensing for Accountants chief executive Kath Bowler says accountants are far more concerned about the 30 June deadline this year in relation to licensing and providing advice compared to last year.
“Now reality is hitting, because accountants know they need to give advice before 30 June,” Ms Bowler told SMSF Adviser.
In the past, accountants could put off meetings with clients, particularly while the environment was still uncertain.
“Now [that we have] that certainty, the clients need the advice and so now accountants are realising they need a solution,” she said.
The super reforms are also testing the licensing solutions that are already in place, with the documentation process still clunky for licensees in some cases.
“The advice document doesn’t always cater for the sorts of advice they want to give [either],” Ms Bowler said.
She said some of the licensing providers may also not be 100 per cent across the exemptions that still remain for accountants.
“ASIC only released guidance on that at the end of last year, so we are ourselves just finalising our viewpoint on all of that.”
And there are still plenty of accountants saying to clients they can give AFSL advice without an AFSL, as the client has no idea.
Or proving AFSL advice with zero AFSL compliance, no fact finds, no SoAs, no PDS, no FSG, no PI cover, etc, etc