CSLR and ASIC Levies for Credit Licensees

A Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR) levy funds compensation for eligible consumers with unpaid financial complaint determinations, while an Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) levy recovers regulatory costs. Credit licensees can owe both. To reconcile a notice, match its levy type and subsector to the named entity, then use the activity figures for its reference period.

The dates matter because CSLR uses an earlier qualifying year. A brokerage’s current representative count can be different from the count that determines its liability.

Identify the Levy and Subsector

Start with the levy notice’s legal entity name, licence number and levy period. Keep the notice number and issue date with the calculation. ASIC collects both charges, so the sender alone doesn’t identify which levy you’re paying.

ASIC’s scheme overview explains CSLR funding. Industry funding pays for ASIC’s regulatory work. Licence application fees and company annual review fees are separate charges.

For application costs and eligibility, use the Australian credit licence guide.

Under the industry funding regulations, classification follows the licence authorisation during the relevant year:

• Credit intermediaries hold authorisation to engage in credit activities other than as a credit provider.
• Credit providers hold authorisation to engage in credit activities as a credit provider.
• Small and medium amount credit providers have a separate industry funding component for those contracts.

Compare your licence conditions and variations with each notice line. A business with both provider and intermediary authorisations can owe both CSLR subsector levies. ASIC’s CSLR FAQs explain that each applicable subsector is payable.

Separate Annual and Special CSLR Levies

A CSLR funding increase doesn’t automatically give every credit licensee the same extra bill. A special levy requires a ministerial determination identifying the contributing subsectors. Annual and special charges must be reconciled separately.

For 2025-26, ASIC’s special levy summary includes credit intermediaries and credit providers. It follows the 11 December 2025 ministerial determination addressing a shortfall in the personal financial advice subsector. Credit businesses are therefore included even though that shortfall arose elsewhere.

The summary shows $5.72 per credit representative for intermediaries. For credit providers, it shows $9.66 per $1 million of qualifying credit above $100 million, excluding small and medium amount contracts. Both use 2023-24 activity metrics.

That charge is separate from the 2025-26 annual CSLR levy. Its intermediary rate is a $100 minimum plus $52.04 per representative. Notices were issued on 27 August 2025 and were due on 10 October 2025.

Check Business Activity Metrics

Reproduce the figures from the relevant annual return before recalculating the levy. Use the submitted return and its reference number, supported by licence records and representative appointment or cessation records.

The periods below explain why two notices can use different figures.

Charge	Activity reference period	Credit intermediary count date
ASIC industry funding for 2024-25	1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025	30 June 2025
Annual or special CSLR for 2025-26	1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024	30 June 2024
Annual CSLR for 2026-27	1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025	30 June 2025

ASIC’s current annual CSLR guidance confirms the 2024-25 metrics for 2026-27. Reducing representative numbers later doesn’t replace the historical qualifying count.

Reconcile Representatives and Licence Days

ASIC’s 2025-26 metric checklist identifies two pre-filled intermediary inputs. They are the number of credit representatives at year-end and the days the entity held the relevant credit licence authorisation.

Reconcile the year-end count against written authorisations and effective appointment or cessation dates. Use the licence’s commencement and variation history to check the day count. The day count concerns the licensee’s authorisation, rather than each representative’s working days or joining date.

For a part-year intermediary authorisation, the metric is adjusted for the licensee’s eligible days as a fraction of that year. Section 12 of the CSLR regulations applies this adjustment to the qualifying period. Keep that calculation separate from the year-end headcount.

The checklist names Form CL30 for appointments and Form CL31 for cessations. Correct inaccurate register information before declaring a pre-filled return true and correct. For licence or registration details, ASIC lists 1300 300 630 as the correction contact.

Credit providers instead need the gross credit provided for the reference year, separated by the required contract categories. Reconcile that amount against lending records using the checklist’s definition. Broker commission revenue and loans arranged for another lender aren’t substitutes for credit provided by your entity.

Reconcile the Levy Notice

Calculate each notice line using its own period’s rate, minimum and activity metric. All amounts below are Australian dollars. ASIC’s CSLR FAQs state that CSLR levies aren’t subject to goods and services tax (GST).

These published intermediary rates show why reusing last year’s formula can produce the wrong result.

Charge	Minimum component	Published graduated rate
ASIC industry funding, actual 2024-25	$1,000	$89 per credit representative
Annual CSLR, 2025-26	$100	$52.04 per credit representative
Special CSLR, 2025-26	No minimum shown in this summary	$5.72 per credit representative
Annual CSLR, 2026-27	$100	$37 per credit representative

The industry funding figures come from ASIC’s 2024-25 actual levy summary. The CSLR figures come from the period-specific summaries above. Published rates are rounded, so a notice calculated from the underlying formula can differ from this guide calculation.

Hypothetical Full-Year Intermediary Example

Assume a credit intermediary held the relevant authorisation throughout 2024-25 and had five credit representatives on 30 June 2025. Assume it has no other subsector liability or penalties.

Using the published 2024-25 industry funding rate, the guide calculation is $1,000 + (5 × $89) = $1,445. Using the 2026-27 annual CSLR rate with that same qualifying-year count, it is $100 + (5 × $37) = $285.

These are separate liabilities for different levy periods. The example doesn’t include a 2025-26 special levy because that charge uses the earlier 2023-24 record.

For a credit provider, the threshold changes the calculation. ASIC’s 2026-27 annual summary specifies $100 plus $2.28 per $1 million of credit above $100 million. A hypothetical qualifying amount of $150 million gives $100 + (50 × $2.28) = $214 using the rounded rate.

This assumes all $150 million falls within the specified contract category.

Identify the Cause of a Difference

An arithmetic difference needs a calculation showing the same inputs and the expected amount. First account for published-rate rounding, penalties and separate subsector lines.

An incorrect metric needs evidence of the correct historical figure. Attach the submitted return and the records supporting the disputed count, credit amount or authorisation days.

An incorrect subsector needs the licence conditions and effective variation dates supporting the classification. Give ASIC the notice number and explain the disputed authorisation. A lower present-day headcount alone doesn’t establish an error in an earlier CSLR levy.

Plan Payment and Review

Use the ASIC Regulatory Portal to retrieve the notice for the correct entity. For CSLR, select the entity, open Administration, then Billing and the CSLR levy and reminder notices tab. Save the notice before scheduling payment.

The CSLR payment guidance gives a general deadline of 30 days after issue. Industry funding notices use 30 business days. Enter the actual due date printed on each notice in your calendar.

Pay using the notice’s payment details and reference. CSLR payment options include BPAY, electronic funds transfer and portal credit card payment. Allow three business days for electronic processing.

Choose the Relevant Response

For a disputed input or calculation, contact ASIC with your reconciliation and supporting records. Keep the payment deadline visible while ASIC considers the query. A routine enquiry doesn’t establish a payment extension.

For financial hardship, use the separate CSLR or industry funding payment-plan transaction in the portal. Provide the amount requested and proposed instalments, with documents supporting the hardship.

A waiver is for exceptional circumstances. ASIC says it cannot waive an amount already paid and instructs applicants to leave the disputed waiver amount unpaid pending its decision. Its guidance suspends late penalties while it considers a waiver application.

To challenge a waiver decision, submit a further waiver application with additional evidence. ASIC’s guidance then provides an Administrative Review Tribunal route if you’re dissatisfied with its review. Keep this waiver process distinct from correcting an activity metric.

Budget for the Next Cycle

As at 3 October 2026, ASIC’s industry funding page says the 2025-26 annual return window is closed. The deadline was 24 September 2026. If your return is outstanding, contact ASIC about the missed obligation.

ASIC’s 2025-26 Cost Recovery Implementation Statement contains estimates for budgeting. It schedules levy notices for January to March 2027 after actual amounts are calculated. Keep estimated provisions separate from issued bills.

Assign a compliance owner to maintain licence history and representative records. Give finance responsibility for separate industry funding, annual CSLR and special CSLR provisions. Retain each return receipt, calculation and notice with payment evidence or review correspondence.

Under ASIC’s annual reporting process, a director or secretary can invite an authorised delegate. Keep the billing contact current and allocate a backup for deadline coverage. Close each levy record only when the portal balance and retained payment or adjustment evidence agree.