Holding an accounting designation brings ongoing professional development obligations set by the body responsible for that designation. The requirements for accounting CPD in Australia are not identical across the major professional bodies. Programs attended through Legalwise Seminars can form part of your professional learning across the CPD cycle. The relevant continuing professional development requirements depend on the rules attached to your membership.
Two accountants completing the same number of CPD hours may not have met the same professional requirements. CPA Australia, CA ANZ and IPA apply their own rules to annual minimums, ethics or professional conduct learning, and the records members need to retain. A 120-hour triennial target therefore gives you only one part of the comparison. Your designation determines what must happen within those hours and how you need to account for them.
Accounting CPD Requirements in Australia
For accounting CPD in Australia, full CPA Australia members, CA ANZ Chartered Accountants and IPA members share a 120-hour three-year benchmark. The comparison changes once those accounting CPD hours are broken down.
- CPA Australia CPD requirements specify at least 120 hours per triennium, with at least 20 hours in each year. The total includes 10 hours of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, with at least two verifiable ethics hours each year.
- CA ANZ CPD requirements for a CA require at least 120 hours per triennium, including 90 hours of verifiable CPD and at least 20 hours each year. Different totals apply to ACA and Accounting Technician designations.
- IPA CPD requirements set 120 hours over each three-year CPD period and at least 20 hours in each financial year. The Institute of Public Accountants also requires minimum allocations across Technical and Product Knowledge, Management and Professional Skills, and Professional and Ethical Standards, with verified hours in each area.
A comparison of CPA and CA ANZ CPD requirements therefore cannot stop at 120 hours. The answer to how many CPD hours accountants need in Australia depends on the designation, while compliance also depends on how those hours are allocated.
CPD Activities and Verifiable Learning
The subject and format of an activity affect what you can record. If you are checking what counts as CPD for accountants, the activity needs to meet your professional body's definition and remain relevant to your role or professional competence. CPA Australia recognises continuing professional development through activities including conferences, webinars, seminars, online learning and mentoring. CA ANZ also recognises structured learning through courses, workshops, webinars, in-house training and eligible on-the-job learning.
For online accounting CPD requirements, delivery format is only one part of the test. CA ANZ requires 90 of a CA's 120 triennium hours to be verifiable and requires evidence for verifiable activity. A completed webinar with appropriate evidence therefore has a different record-keeping position from informal learning that cannot be verified. Our on-demand recordings give you another format for accounting professional development, subject to the rules applying to your membership and the activity. On-demand recordings
Ethics CPD Requirements
Ethics CPD for accountants differs across the three bodies. CPA Australia requires 10 ethics hours within the 120-hour triennium total, including two verifiable hours in each year. For CA ANZ trienniums beginning on or after 1 July 2024, all members must complete at least six hours of verifiable ethics CPD.
Under the IPA framework, Professional and Ethical Standards forms one of three competency areas. Members must complete at least 20 hours in that area during the three-year period, including at least 15 verified hours. The ethics obligation therefore cannot be inferred from the overall CPD total.
CPD Records and Additional Professional Obligations
Accountant CPD record keeping is part of the compliance task because completed learning must be capable of substantiation. CPA Australia requires CPD records covering the activity, dates, time expended and topics, retained for at least 12 months after the relevant triennium. IPA members must maintain records for at least five years after each three-year CPD period.
Membership requirements may sit alongside statutory obligations. CPA Australia states that members holding a statutory registration must comply with its By-Laws and their statutory obligations. IPA likewise notes that regulators such as the TPB and ASIC may require designated CPD for accountants. Your CPD plan therefore needs to reflect the memberships, registrations and authorisations attached to the work you perform.
Browse accounting seminar options from Legalwise Seminars. Browse accounting seminars
