Your experience

Experience can be gained at any time, including:

• Before or during your CPA Program studies
• Through relevant volunteer work
• Through eligible work experience completed during university
• From roles you may already be working in

Please note:

• You cannot claim the same skill across multiple roles
• You cannot claim concurrent employment

CPA Australia’s career support resources

We understand many members begin the CPA Program to progress their careers. If you’re not currently working in a relevant role - or you’re seeking career development support - these exclusive member resources can help.

CPA Member Connect

Our private and secure online community allows you to connect with other members, including CPAs and FCPAs, to build your network, ask for career advice or discuss topics affecting the industry. Join the conversation. 

Complimentary Career Suite

Our Career Suite is a collection of complimentary online courses designed to help all members accelerate their professional success. You’ll find a range of topics designed to help you secure a new role or progress your career.

Networking events

We host events and discussion groups all over the globe so you can connect with peers, build your professional network and gain CPD hours along the way.

INTHEBLACK

CPA Australia’s INTHEBLACK is a leading source of information on business, finance and accounting, offering key insights into strategic thought leadership by way of expert analysis. It includes a section dedicated to career and workplace content. Find out more.

If you’ve already gained 36 months of full-time relevant experience, or the part-time equivalent, you’re ready to submit an application. Follow the steps below to complete your claim:

Step 1: Submit your claim

1. Log in and select the Experience application
2. Create and submit your claim
3. Submit a separate application for each signatory
4. Once signed off, submit your claim to CPA Australia for verification

Important notes:

• Experience claims are submitted online—PDF forms are no longer accepted
• Please allow up to 20 business days for processing
• You can check your application status by logging in to your applications portal. 
• Experience claims are only available to Associate  members

Once you’ve met the experience requirement and satisfied all remaining membership conditions, you’ll be eligible to advance to CPA status.

Step 2. Get your experience signed off

You’ll need to have your experience and skills digitally signed off by one of the following:

• A CPA or FCPA, or
• A full member of an accounting body recognised by International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)

The signatory will review your experience, confirm the time claimed, and validate the skills you’ve demonstrated.

The signoff process is completed as part of your online experience claim application. Remember, each role must include at least one technical skill.

If you’re supported by a mentor who is a CPA, FCPA or IFAC member, they can sign your claim. It’s optional to work with a mentor, but we encourage all our Associate members to have one so that you have guidance and support throughout your CPA Program. 

Find out more about finding a mentor below.

If you currently hold an equivalent full membership with another accounting body recognised by IFAC, please submit a Letter of Good Standing issued directly by the accounting body within the last 6 months confirming your membership status issued by the accounting body in lieu of the Third Party Sign Off Form.

Studying the CPA Program with the support from a mentor provides many benefits. It’s optional to work with a mentor but we highly recommend it. Our experience has shown that Associate members studying with a mentor have a higher likelihood of passing their subjects than those who don’t. An experienced mentor can also give you the opportunity to progress your career and broaden your professional networking.

How to find a mentor

A mentor can be a CPA, FCPA or anyone who holds full membership with an equivalent professional International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) member body.

Your mentor can be:

• working within the same company as you
• working within an external organisation
• retired or unemployed if they still have full membership

If your manager or supervisor is not suitable or available to be a mentor, you can try:

• contacting others in your workplace
• advertising your need for a mentor on your organisation's intranet or website
• attending networking events and local discussion groups
• or post your interest for a mentor on CPA Australia’s Facebook page or LinkedIn group