Licence Verification & Regulatory Guides

How to check a practitioner on the official register yourself before you hire them, and what the register entries on this site mean.

Checking a financial adviser in Australia

ASIC keeps the Financial Advisers Register, which can be searched on Moneysmart by name or adviser number. An entry shows whether the adviser is current, the Australian financial services licensee they act for, the products they can advise on, their qualifications and memberships, and the year they first provided advice. It also records bans, enforceable undertakings and other ASIC action. We leave out of this directory any adviser whose entry records such action.

Checking a tax agent or BAS agent in Australia

Only registered tax agents can charge a fee to prepare tax returns or give tax advice, and only registered BAS agents can charge for BAS services. The Tax Practitioners Board register shows each practitioner's registration number, type, status and expiry date. Statuses other than plain "Registered", such as suspended, under review or sanctioned, are not listed here.

Reading a CQC rating

In England the Care Quality Commission rates GP practices, care homes, home care agencies and hospitals as Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. It rates five key questions: is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led? The date of the rating matters. A rating published years ago may not reflect the service today, and the full report on the CQC website explains what inspectors found.

Checking a contractor's RBQ licence in Quebec

Construction work in Quebec must be done by a contractor holding a Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence for the subcategory of work involved. The licence number has the form 1234-5678-01 and should appear on quotes and contracts. The RBQ register shows whether the licence is active, which subcategories it covers, any restriction and the licence bond.

Checking a licensed care facility in California

Child care centers, residential care for the elderly and home care organizations are licensed by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. Its facility search shows the license status, capacity and licensee, plus inspection visits, complaints and citations for each facility number.