When you apply for registration as an approved SMSF auditor, we will ask you you to provide information demonstrating you have the educational qualifications required. These qualifications must satisfy the requirements as set out in the relevant regulations and described in Regulatory Guide 243 Registration of self-managed superannuation fund auditors (RG 243).
The prescribed qualifications are a degree, diploma or certificate from a prescribed university or institution that represents a course of study in accounting of not less than 3 years, and either:
that degree, diploma or certificate must include a course of study in auditing; or
if the degree, diploma or certificate does not include a course of study in auditing, you must have satisfactorily completed:
the SMSF specialist auditor program conducted by the Self Managed Super Fund Association (formerly the SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia); or
prescribed course in auditing.
University
Australian Catholic University
Australian National University
Bond University
Central Queensland University
Charles Darwin University
Charles Sturt University
Curtin University of Technology
Deakin University
Edith Cowan University
Griffith University
Flinders University of South Australia
James Cook University
La Trobe University
Macquarie University
Monash University
Murdoch University
Queensland University of Technology
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University
Southern Cross University
Swinburne University of Technology
University of Adelaide
University of Ballarat
University of Canberra
University of Melbourne
University of Newcastle
University of New England
University of New South Wales
University of Notre Dame Australia
University of Queensland
University of South Australia
University of Southern Queensland
University of Sydney
University of Tasmania
University of Technology Sydney
University of the Sunshine Coast
University of Western Australia
University of Western Sydney
University of Wollongong
Victoria University
Institution
Avondale College
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (formerly The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia):
Audit and Assurance in the CA Program
Financial Reporting and Assurance in the CA Program
Accounting 2 in the Professional Year Program
Audit and EDP Module in the Professional Year Program, or
An audit module in the Professional Year Program conducted before 1986 that is equivalent to a course mentioned above.
CPA Australia:
Assurance Services and Auditing, or
Advanced Audit and Assurance.
Institute of Public Accountants:
Issues in Auditing and Professional Practice in the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting, offered by the University of New England in conjunction with the Institute of Public Accountants, or
Issues in Auditing and Professional Practice in the Degree of Master of Commerce (Professional Accounting), offered by the University of New England in conjunction with the Institute of Public Accountants.
If you do not hold the prescribed qualifications, you will need to submit information to demonstrate that your qualification or combination of qualifications (obtained in Australia or overseas) is equivalent to the prescribed qualifications.
Evidence you must provide
You must provide evidence of your educational qualifications, including a copy of your academic transcript or record, to support your application.
If you don’t, we may not accept your application for lodgement and you would need to re-apply, or the assessment of your application might be delayed because we will need to contact you to request this information.
Over time, there have been changes to the legislative requirements for registration as a company auditor. In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis placed on providing evidence of educational qualifications.
As a result, many registered company auditors have not in the past provided the required level of evidence needed to prove they meet the educational requirements for registration as an SMSF auditor, particularly if they were registered before 2005.
If you are a registered company auditor and want to apply for registration as an SMSF auditor, regardless of when you were registered as a company auditor you will still need to provide evidence that you meet the educational requirements.
Registered company auditors
If you are unable to provide the required evidence or do not hold any of the prescribed academic qualifications, you will need to provide a detailed submission, accompanied by supporting documentation, to prove you meet the educational requirements.
We will review the information you provide and assess whether it proves you have the relevant tertiary qualifications or equivalent.
Required evidence not available
We are always looking to improve our information for SMSF auditors so we would like to know what's important to you. Please leave us some feedback.
