Recognised Employer Program changes effective 8 May 2025

From 8 May 2025,

• Streamlined application process: The new online form significantly simplifies the application and renewal process.
• Removal of mandatory supporting documents in the application process: Employers are no longer required to submit mandatory supporting documents, reducing the administrative burden.
• Online access to learning and development standards: Clear documentation outlining minimum learning and development standards will be available online to assist with self-assessment during the application process. Employers will also have ongoing access to this documentation as a reference guide to support their continued commitment to best practices.

The following changes that affect CPA Australia members of REP partners will become effective from 8 May 2025:

CPD annual review and method to itemised CPD: 

• The CPA Australia CPD Diary will no longer feature the "L - CPA Australia Recognised Employer Program" code. CPA Australia members of REP partners will now be required to itemise CPD they undertake and provide these records if they are selected in an annual CPD review. This ensures equity and compliance with CPD requirements across all CPA Australia members as part of the annual CPD review process. 
• Itemising of records needs to include the precise nature of CPD undertaken with details of dates, time expended, and topics covered.  
• To learn more about how to itemise different types of professional development and CPD requirements click here. 
• For Associate Members (ASA’s), CPA program subjects will automatically be entered into their CPD diary; 120 hours for successful completion and 20 hours if unsuccessful.

Associate Members (ASAs): Itemising skills for Your Experience application 

• ASAs will now be required to itemise and record all 10 skills in the skills table to satisfy the experience requirement as part of the Your Experience Application. This ensures clear documentation for progression toward their CPA Australia designation which is consistent with all CPA Australia members.
• For ASAs who have commenced a Your Experience application, they are encouraged to login here and complete and submit this prior to the 8th May 2025.  This will enable them to finalise their application under the current rules.

To maintain the integrity of the CPA Australia designation and its requirements, we conduct an annual review of the records of a selected number of members. Selected members will be asked to share the records of their CPD activities. 

We encourage CPA Australia members to record their CPD hours by keeping their CPA Australia CPD diary updated each year, as the diary will ensure the most streamlined experience during the review process. 

• To learn more about how to itemise different types of professional development and CPD requirements click here. 
• For Associate Members (ASA’s), CPA program subjects will automatically be entered into their CPD diary; 120 hours for successful completion and 20 hours if unsuccessful.

A REP partner is required to support CPA Australia members in meeting their CPD obligations and keeping records for CPD review requirements. 

We encourage you to communicate to staff that they are required to inform their Manager (or other appropriate delegate) if they have been selected for a CPD review and to inform them of the outcome.

Should any staff, who are CPA Australia members, have difficulty with compliance in respect of their CPD requirements, it is recommended that they engage their manager (or delegate) for support. 

• REP partners can access their CPA Australia account manager or CPA Australia via [email protected] 
• CPA Australia members can contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone options for assistance.

Your REP partner status remains for the duration of your current REP agreement. You are not required to re-apply until your agreement is due for renewal. From 8 May 2025, renewals will be completed using the new online REP application.

REP partners can connect with their organisation's account manager for information on renewal date. If this is unknown please contact CPA Australia via [email protected].

REP partners will be receiving an email in February 2025 communicating these changes. We request you to forward the email communicating the REP changes to your accounting and finance teams for their information and encourage CPA Australia members to click on the link to access supporting information and FAQs.

We have also provided an email communication to CPA Australia members who have an REP partner as their ‘primary employer’ in their membership profile. This email communication provides details of the changes and a link through to a CPA Australia webpage with further information.

If the CPA Australia member no longer works for the listed REP partner they can they can click here to log into their member profile and update their details.

CPA Australia members can contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone contact options for assistance. 

No information sessions have been scheduled.  However, as an REP partner you can connect with your organisation's account manager to discuss what further information assistance may be required. If your account manager is unknown, contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone contact options for assistance. 

We will be introducing additional offers designed specifically for REP partners to further support their commitment to excellence. These offers will enable REP partner teams to upskill, reskill, and develop, ensuring they remain ahead in an ever-evolving landscape.

We will communicate new offers to support REP partners when they become available.

We are introducing a Jobs Community on CPA Member Connect that will provide REP partners an opportunity to post job vacancies to the members on CPA Member Connect. This new value feature will allow REP partners to share accounting and finance job opportunities and connect with potential hires. More information about this new benefit will be communicated to REP partners when it is launched.

REP partners can connect with their organisation's CPA Australia account manager. If this is unknown, contact CPA Australia via [email protected]

For feedback or complaints, you can contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone contact options.

The following changes take effect from 8 May 2025, 

CPD Annual Review and method to itemised CPD: 

• The CPA Australia CPD diary will no longer feature the "L - CPA Australia Recognised Employer Program" code. CPA Australia members of REP partners will now be required to itemise CPD they undertake and provide these records if they are selected in an annual CPD review. This ensures equity and compliance with CPD requirements across all CPA Australia members as part of the annual CPD review process. 
• Itemising of records needs to include the precise nature of CPD undertaken with details of dates, time expended, and topics covered.  
• To learn more about how you can itemise different types of professional development and CPD requirements click here.  
• For Associate Members (ASAs), CPA Program subjects will automatically be entered into your CPD diary; 120 hours for successful completion and 20 hours if unsuccessful.

Associate Members (ASAs): Itemising skills for Your Experience Application 

• ASAs will now be required to itemise and record all 10 skills in the skills table to satisfy the experience requirement as part of the Your Experience application. This ensures clear documentation for progression toward their CPA Australia designation which is consistent with all CPA Australia members.
• For ASAs who have a commenced a Your Experience application, they are encouraged to login here and complete and submit this prior to the 8th May 2025.  This will enable them to finalise their application under the current rules.

We will be providing an email communication to CPA Australia members who have an REP Partner as their ‘primary employer’ in their member profile. This communication provides details of the changes and a link to access further information and FAQs. 

If you no longer work for the listed REP partner you can click here to log into your member profile and update your details.

To maintain the integrity of the CPA Australia designation and its requirements, we conduct an annual review of the records of a selected number of CPA Australia members.  Selected members will be asked to share evidence and appropriate records of their CPD activities.

We encourage CPA Australia members to record their CPD hours by keeping their CPA Australia CPD diary updated each year, as the diary will ensure the most streamlined experience during the review process. To learn more about how you can itemise different types of professional development and  CPD requirements click here. 

If you have difficulty with compliance in respect of your CPD requirements, it is recommended you engage your employer for support. Should you require any assistance please contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone options for assistance.

If a CPA Australia member fails a CPD review, we encourage them to familiarise themselves with the CPD review process. A CPA Australia member who fails to meet their CPD obligations during the review period will be issued a support plan where they will be required to complete additional hours and/or may be referred to CPA Australia’s Professional Conduct unit for potential disciplinary action.

Complete and submit the online application before 8 May 2025 to finalise it under the current rules.

To satisfy the experience requirement you will need to gain 36 months of full time, or the equivalent for part-time work, of relevant experience. For more details on the experience requirement visit CPA Australia’s website here.

To complete your application login here and submit the required information prior to the 8th May 2025.  This will enable you to complete your application under the current rules. Otherwise, you will be required to start a new application which will require the itemisation of all 10 skills to satisfy the experience requirement.

Complete and submit the online application before 8 May 2025 to finalise it under the current rules.

To begin your application, click here to visit the CPA Australia website. Navigate to the "How to submit your claim" section, where you'll find the login link. From there, select the "experience" application to create and submit your claim. 

When your experience claim application has been signed off and completed, you can submit it to CPA Australia for verification.

To satisfy the experience requirement you will need to gain 36 months of full time, or the equivalent for part-time work, of relevant experience. If you have not yet completed 36 months of experience, you can still claim the partial experience gained working for an REP partner by submitting your experience application before 8th May, 2025.

For the outstanding experience requirement, you will need to submit a new application and complete the itemised skills requirement in order to complete the 36 months.

For information click this link or contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone contact options for assistance.

You will be required to submit full details of your completed CPD activities for the 2025 calendar year.  This will include details of dates, time expended, and topics that you have covered. Please note this itemisation includes any completed CPD hours you are claiming under category ‘L’ between 1 January 2025 and 8 May 2025. 

All CPA Australia members (except those excluded in the By-Laws) must undertake relevant CPD each year. The required hours are spread out over a three-year period, but include a minimum number of hours in each year of the triennium. To learn more about your obligations click here.

REP partners will be able to feature their job opportunities on CPA Member Connect, linking them with CPA Australia members. More information about this new feature will be communicated to CPA Australia members and REP partners when it is launched.

When the Jobs Community becomes available, as a CPA Australia member you will need to log in to CPA Member Connect if you haven’t done so already. To do this go to our CPA Member Connect webpage CPA Member Connect and click the ‘Connect Now’ button to set yourself up.

More information about this new feature will be communicated to CPA Australia members when it is launched.

We are providing email communication to CPA Australia members who have a REP partner as their ‘primary employer’ in their membership profile. This email communication provides details of the changes and a link to access supporting information and FAQs.

For further information, contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone contact options for assistance.

For feedback or complaints, you can contact CPA Australia via the contact us page which provides email and phone contact options for assistance.