Accounting Certifications

Certifiably certified On the books, Australia doesn't have a legislated requirement for most accountants, aside from financial advisers, tax agents and external auditors. You most certainly can perform accounting functions without being certified, and there are many successful people in the profession who have taken this route. However, accounting firms generally recruit from a number of local professional accountancy bodies for graduates. These include:

• CPA Australia (CPAA) -- Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) certification
• National Institute of Accountants (NIA) -- Professional National Accountant (PNA) and Member of National Institute of Accountants (MNIA) certifications
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia (ICAA) -- Chartered Accountant (CA) certification

In addition, membership in the UK's Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is recognized in Australia for insolvency and audit. This opens the doors for migration to Australia, and allows members to sit the exams for the NIA and ICAA certifications. However, the ACCA is not recognized by the CPAA. Finally, if you're looking at management accounting, Australia's Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA) provides Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certification, as well as other management accounting certificates.