Who is a Qualified Accountant?
A qualified accountant is defined in s88B of the Corporations Act as a person meeting the criteria in a class declaration made by ASIC. Under ASIC Corporations (Qualified Accountant) Instrument 2016/786, an accountant is a qualified accountant if the accountant:
- belong to one of the following professional bodies at the declared membership classification, and
- the accountant comply with the professional body’s continuing professional education requirements.
Professional Bodies |
Declared Membership Classifications |
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (formerly The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia) |
CA, ACA and FCA |
CPA Australia |
CPA and FCPA |
Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) |
AIPA, MIPA and FIPA |
One can also be a qualified accountant if the accountant is a member of one of the eligible foreign professional bodies listed in the following section and the accountant:
- have at least three years’ practical experience in accounting or auditing, and
- is only providing a certificate for the purposes of ss708(8)(c) and 761G(7)(c) to a person who is resident in the same country (other than Australia) as yourself.
Eligible foreign professional bodies:
- The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (United Kingdom)
- Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
- Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, and
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.