Recognised accounting qualifications

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (the Institute) recognises not all skills assessment applicants have the same accounting qualifications, this guide will outline the differences and what's required.

1. Graduates with an Australian or Overseas Tertiary Qualification
2. Members of Fully Recognised Overseas Accounting Bodies
3. Members of Partially Recognised Overseas Accounting Bodies
4. Not a member of any of the listed accounting bodies?

The following applies for Graduates with an Australian and/or Overseas Tertiary Qualifications:

• Graduates with an Australian qualification: the Institute recognises graduates with a Bachelor degree or 12 unit accredited Masters degree in accounting/business/commerce or economics from a recognised Australian University.
• Graduates with overseas tertiary qualifications: to assess the general education level of overseas tertiary qualifications the Institute adheres to the guidelines of the National Office of Overseas Skills recognition (AEI-NOOSR), an Australian government body.

When it has been established that your qualifications are at least comparable to the level of an Australian Bachelor degree, the Institute then examines individual subjects to determine coverage of the required core knowledge areas.

Each nominated occupation has 4 compulsory core knowledge areas and 5 optional areas - please refer to the table below.

Core Knowledge Areas	ACCOUNTANT GENERAL 221111	TAXATION ACCOUNTANT 221113	MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT 221112	EXTERNAL AUDITOR 221213	FINANCE MANAGER 132211	CORPORATE TREASURER 221212
Accounting Systems and Processes	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory
Corp Accounting & Reporting	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory
Accounting Theory, Professional & regulatory processes	compulsory	optional	compulsory	optional	optional	optional
Cost & Management Accounting	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory	compulsory
Finance	optional	optional	optional	optional	compulsory	compulsory
Auditing & Assurance	optional	optional	optional	compulsory	optional	optional
Legal Framework & Commercial Law	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional
Corporations Law	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional
Taxation Law	optional	compulsory*	optional	optional	optional	optional
Information Systems Design and Development	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional
Economics	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional
Quantitative Methods	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional	optional

* Australian Taxation Law is compulsory only for this code – local tax law is optional for all other codes.

• IELTS Academic Test Report Form (TRF) Number to show you have a band score of at least seven (7) on each of the four (4) components – speaking, reading, listening and writing;
• or Evidence of completion of the Skilled Migration Internship Program Accounting: (SMIPA)

Please note that practical experience in a core knowledge area is not accepted as an alternative to formal tertiary study.

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Members of Fully recognised overseas accounting bodies

The Institute has reciprocal agreements with the following overseas accounting bodies:

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
• Chartered Accountants Ireland
• Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
• A legally constituted State Authority in the United States of America (the person having CPA status) subject to appropriate service. Also having a Licence to Practice in the state of issue
• The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
• The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (members of the College of Chartered Accountants)
• The Hong Kong Society of Accountants (only members who have completed the HKICPA Qualifications Programme and trained under an Authorised Employer/Supervisor).

Current Members of these professional bodies will, in general, be assessed as suitable for migration purposes. For more information visit our article on Members of recognised overseas accounting bodies.

Please note that student members of these bodies without a recognised Bachelor degree should only apply when they have become a full member.

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Members of Partially recognised overseas accounting bodies

The partially recognised overseas accounting bodies are:

• Current members of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA, UK)
• Current members of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA, UK)
• Current members of The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA,UK)
• Current members of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
• Current members of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP)

Current members of partially recognised overseas accounting bodies will, in general, be assessed as suitable for migration purposes depending on the nominated occupation chosen. The table above outlines the compulsory and optional areas for each nominated occupation that the Institute can assess.

Please note that student members of these bodies without a recognised Bachelor degree should only apply when they have become a full member.

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Not a member of any of the listed accounting bodies?

The Institute will assess studies undertaken with an accounting body that is not listed above along with other tertiary studies to determine adequate coverage in at least 9 out of 12 core knowledge areas listed above.

Please note that the basic requirement for a suitable assessment is that your qualifications are assessed as at least comparable to the level of an Australian bachelor degree.

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Article last updated 1 February 2011