Source of Funds Check

A source of funds check is the anti-money-laundering step that evidences where a client's money came from, as distinct from KYC, which only establishes who the client is. Brokers ask for payslips, tax returns, audited accounts, a property sale contract or bank statements showing the accumulation — documents tying the deposit to a lawful origin rather than merely to your name. It is triggered by deposit size, by unusual funding patterns, by a higher-risk jurisdiction or by politically exposed person status, and the timing is what catches people out. Many firms onboard on identity documents alone and only request source of funds when a large withdrawal is submitted; the payout is then held, entirely lawfully, until the file is complete. Supplying the documents at account opening, and funding only from accounts in your own name, removes the single most common cause of a frozen withdrawal.