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Page last updated: 15 March 2023

Single adviser business

You must hold a Financial Advice Provider licence to provide regulated financial advice to retail clients.

  • The licence can be in your entity name (if, for example, you run your business through a company and your company will hold the licence with you as the individual adviser) or your individual name, if you personally will hold the licence in your own name.  
  • Holding a Financial Advice Provider licence in your individual name means you cannot call yourself a financial adviser and you will be personally responsible for any liabilities incurred as a financial advice provider, including liabilities for breach of legal duties 
  • Applications for Financial Advice Provider full licences are now open. Apply now.

Duties and obligations

As a provider of financial advice, you will be regulated under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (FMC Act), as amended by the Financial Services Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (FSLAA).  You will need to meet certain duties and obligations.

For a summary of the duties and obligations that apply to you, see what it means to be a Financial Advice Provider in the new regime.

 

Costs

Charge Amount

Licence application fee (payable to the FMA)

$703.80* for standard applications.  

For complex applications that take longer than two hours, we will notify you and charge $178.25* per hour for any additional time

FMA levy (payable to the Companies Office at FSPR annual confirmation)

MBIE have announced an increase in FMA levies, which will be phased in over three years.

As an indication, the FMA levy payable for annual confirmations that fall between 1 July 2021 – 30 June 2022 will be:

  • $713* if your business is the financial advice provider and you are a financial adviser providing advice on your business’s behalf ($322* + $391*).
  • $1,449*, if you hold a financial advice provider licence in your own name and give advice purely on your own account In this example you cannot refer to yourself as a financial adviser.

For full details, including the increased levy amounts (exclusive of GST) that will apply from 1 July 2022 and outyears, see the FMA levy table on the MBIE website.

FSPR annual confirmation fee (payable to the Companies Office)

2 x $86.25* if your business is the financial advice provider and you are a financial adviser providing advice on your business’s behalf
1 x $86.25* if you’re a financial advice provider giving advice purely on your own account

Initial FSPR registration fee (payable to the Companies Office)

$345* plus $529 levy if registering a new entity on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR).

* Inclusive of GST

For more information on fees and levies, see MBIE’s website.