How to become an accountant in Australia.

Published 14 July 2026 · Sydney · Prime People

Accounting remains one of the most reliable careers in Australia. It is portable, well paid once you are qualified, and, right now, in genuine shortage, which means capable people have real choice. This is the standard pathway, the shortcuts and alternatives, and what we would tell you about landing and keeping that first role. Where a claim is a matter of accreditation or regulation, we have cited the source.

The standard pathway

1. Finish an accredited degree. A bachelor's degree in accounting (or a related discipline with the right units) is the usual foundation. If you intend to pursue the CA or CPA, choose a degree accredited by the professional bodies so it satisfies their entry requirements.
2. Land a graduate or entry role. Start applying in your final year. Public practice graduate programs are the classic entry point because they compress a lot of technical exposure into your first two years.
3. Qualify as a CA or CPA. Enrol with CA ANZ or CPA Australia and work through the program while you gain the required practical experience. Both require 36 months of relevant experience (CPA Australia; CA ANZ). Not sure which to pick? See our CA vs CPA comparison.
4. Register as a tax agent (if you will prepare returns). To provide tax agent services for a fee you must be registered with the Tax Practitioners Board. One common route is a degree in accountancy plus board-approved courses in commercial law and taxation, and at least a year of relevant experience in the past five years (Source: Tax Practitioners Board).
5. Specialise. Once qualified, the biggest jumps in pay and demand come from depth: SMSF, complex tax, technical reporting, or moving into commercial finance. The 2026 salary guide shows where specialisation pays.

Alternative routes

The degree-then-CA/CPA path is the main road, but it is not the only one.

• Bookkeeping and accounts support. A Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping or a Diploma lets you start in accounts payable, accounts receivable or bookkeeping without a degree. To lodge BAS for a fee you register as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board. Many people use this as a stepping stone, studying part-time toward a degree while working.
• Career changers. If you already hold a degree in another field, both professional bodies offer foundation exams to cover the accounting knowledge you are missing before you begin the core program (CPA Australia). A Master of Professional Accounting is another well-worn route for graduates converting from another discipline.
• School leavers who want to earn sooner. Some firms offer cadetships or traineeships that combine part-time study with paid work from day one, so you finish your degree with several years of experience already on your CV.

How long it takes, and what you earn on the way

Budget roughly three years for the degree and about three more to complete a CA or CPA alongside full-time work. Most people are fully qualified about six years after starting university, and, importantly, you earn throughout the qualification stage. Graduate salaries typically start between $55,000 and $67,000 (SEEK Grad), and pay climbs steadily as you move from assistant to qualified accountant, senior and beyond. The full ladder, with sourced figures, is in our accountant salary guide.

Which specialisations are worth aiming at

Once you are qualified, the accountants in shortest supply, and therefore highest demand, tend to cluster in a few areas. If you want your career to compound, it is worth pointing yourself at one of them early rather than staying a generalist by default.

• SMSF and superannuation. Relatively few accountants genuinely understand fund compliance, contribution caps and audit-ready workpapers, which is why capable SMSF specialists are advertised well above the general accounting average.
• Tax. Complex structures, trusts and advisory work reward depth, and tax agent registration opens the door to running your own client relationships.
• Technical accounting and reporting. Consolidations and standards-heavy reporting are hard to do well, so people who can are rarely short of options.
• Commercial finance. Moving from practice into a business, and eventually toward finance manager, controller or CFO, is where the pay ceiling lifts most.

Where accountants work

The two broad worlds are public practice and commerce. Practice, an accounting or advisory firm, gives you a high volume of varied technical work early and clear exposure to clients; it is the classic training ground. Commerce, working inside a single business, tends to pay a step more at the same level and pulls you closer to decisions, operations and strategy. Neither is better in the abstract. Many accountants spend their formative years in practice, then move into commerce once they know what kind of work energises them. Government and not-for-profit sit alongside both and suit people who value stability and mission.

First-job advice from the recruiter's chair

We place accountants for a living, so here is what actually helps early on, stated plainly.

• Optimise for learning, not the first salary. Your first two years shape the next twenty. A role with strong supervision, varied work and genuine client exposure is worth more than a few thousand dollars up front.
• Get broad before you get deep. Early breadth across company, trust and individual tax, or across reporting and analysis, makes you far more employable when you later choose a specialisation.
• Finish what you start. Being fully qualified rather than perpetually part-qualified is one of the strongest signals on a CV. Employers read it as follow-through.
• Cloud fluency is assumed. Comfort with platforms such as Xero is now expected, not a differentiator. Treat it as table stakes and build the judgement on top.
• Use a specialist. A recruiter who only works in accounting and finance will tell you which firms genuinely develop juniors and which quietly burn through them.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Tax Practitioners Board — Qualifications and experience for tax agents. Accessed July 2026.
• CPA Australia — CPA Program (subjects, 36 months experience, entry). Accessed July 2026.
• CA ANZ — CA Program (Mentored Practical Experience). Accessed July 2026.
• SEEK Grad — Graduate accountant salary ($55,000–$67,000). Accessed July 2026.