CPA Australia CPD Requirements: 120 Hours Per Triennium

CPA Australia members must complete 120 hours of CPD in each three-year period (a triennium), with at least 20 hours in every year. At least two verifiable ethics hours are required each year, and ten across the triennium, and those ethics hours count within the 120. This guide explains how the triennium is set, what counts as verifiable CPD, the ethics topics CPA Australia accepts, and what happens with exemptions and reviews. If you are comparing professional bodies, our guide to ACCA vs CPA Australia covers the qualifications themselves.

CPA Australia CPD requirements at a glance

When your triennium starts

Your three-year period is tied to when you joined. CPA Australia says that if you joined before June 30, your triennium starts on January 1 of that year, and if you joined after June 30 it starts on January 1 of the following year. Your start date is shown in your CPD Diary, and it is worth checking because it decides which year of the cycle you are in and how many hours remain.

The 20-hour annual floor

The requirement is 120 hours per triennium, but you cannot leave your learning to the final year. CPA Australia asks for a minimum of 20 hours in each year of the triennium. A member with 50 hours in year one, 50 in year two and 20 in year three meets the rule. A member with 100 in the first year and nothing in the second does not. A sensible plan is 40 hours a year, which keeps you comfortably above the floor.

What counts as verifiable CPD

CPA Australia requires evidence to be objective, corroborated and retained. For ethics hours, acceptable proof is a certificate of completion or confirmation of attendance. The organisation says presentation slides, registration emails and general course materials are not sufficient for verification. If you take a course from an external provider, make sure it issues a certificate that shows your name, the date, the hours and the topic, and save it in the CPD Diary straight away. Our wider guide to what counts as CPD for accountants explains the difference between verifiable and unverified learning in other bodies, and our page on structured and unstructured CPD covers the related UK terms.

Ethics CPD

The minimum is two verifiable ethics hours per year and ten per triennium, and the requirement applies from October 2023. The hours are included in the usual 120, not added. CPA Australia lists qualifying topics including its own regulatory updates covering the Act, By-Laws, Regulations and Code of Professional Conduct, regulatory updates relevant to your role or industry, corporate codes of conduct, independence and conflict of interest, ethical business culture, whistleblowing, and bribery and corruption. Division webinars count only if they are organised through CPA Australia's event registration platform, and ethics CPD from other providers needs supporting evidence uploaded to your CPD Diary or it may not be accepted. A partial CPD exemption does not waive the annual two-hour ethics minimum.

Other activities that count

Formal study with an external provider counts as CPD and should be logged under courses, webinars, seminars or workshops. For members working through the CPA Program, the organisation says that passing a professional level segment gives 120 hours for that year, while failing or not sitting gives 20 hours. If you hold a statutory registration, you must complete CPD relevant to that field and meet both the By-Laws and your statutory obligations.

Exemptions and reviews

Life Members, Honorary Members and members on the Retired Membership list are generally exempt. If you are away from work for another reason, check the By-Laws or ask CPA Australia before assuming you are exempt. CPA Australia may select members for a CPD review, so keep your certificates for the whole triennium. The organisation also notes that changes to the Recognised Employer Program may affect how CPD is recorded, so check the current guidance if your employer is a recognised employer.

Comparing with UK bodies

If you also hold a UK qualification, the numbers differ. See ACCA CPD requirements and ICAEW CPD requirements to compare the units, annual targets and verifiable-hour rules.

Frequently asked questions

How many CPD hours do CPA Australia members need?

120 hours per triennium, with at least 20 hours in each year.

How many ethics hours are required?

At least 2 verifiable hours a year and 10 per triennium, included in the 120.

What proof does CPA Australia accept?

A certificate of completion or confirmation of attendance. Slides, registration emails and general course materials are not sufficient.

When does my triennium start?

It depends on when you joined: January 1 of the year you joined if before June 30, or January 1 of the next year if after June 30.

Finding CPD with Learnsignal

Learnsignal publishes accounting, tax, audit and ethics learning in its CPD and CPE library. CPD is called CPE in the US, and our guide to CPE versus CPD explains the overlap. Always check that a certificate shows the hours and topic CPA Australia asks for before you rely on it.

Source: CPA Australia, Continuing Professional Development and Ethics requirements for CPD pages (cpaaustralia.com.au), checked October 2026.