Yes, Irish accountants can work in Australia, and if you’re a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) you don’t have to requalify. CAI has mutual recognition agreements with both Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and CPA Australia, so you can join either one while keeping your Irish membership. For a skilled visa you need a separate migration skills assessment, and Accountant (General), Management Accountant, Taxation Accountant and External Auditor are all on the lists for the 482, 186, 189, 190 and 491 visas.
Everything below is as of November 2026, so check the official pages we link before you pay for anything. Planning the wider move too? Start with our complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland.
Short version
- CAI members: CAI is one of CA ANZ’s Global Accounting Alliance reciprocal bodies, and since April 2025 it has a mutual recognition agreement with CPA Australia, which asks for five years of post-qualification experience.
- Membership isn’t a visa: for a skilled visa you need a skills assessment from CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA). CPA Australia charges AUD 514 if you apply from outside Australia.
- No English test with an Irish passport at CA ANZ, CPA Australia or the IPA.
- Visas: all four main accounting occupations are on the Core Skills Occupation List and the MLTSSL. On the 482 and 186, three of them exclude bookkeeping roles and small businesses.
- Working holiday: in most accounting jobs you can only stay 6 months with one employer, so contract roles suit.
Can Irish accountants work in Australia?
Yes. CAI notes you don’t have to join the local body to work as a Chartered Accountant abroad, but employers recognise a local designation, and public practice, tax agent work and company audits need extra registrations:
| Your situation | What to look at |
|---|---|
| CAI member, including former CPA Ireland members | Reciprocal membership of CA ANZ or CPA Australia |
| ACCA member | CPA Australia’s ACCA pathway, or CA ANZ’s agreement with ACCA |
| Applying for a skilled visa | A migration skills assessment from CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA |
| Aged 18 to 35 and want to try it first | Working holiday visa and contract roles |
| Running your own practice, lodging client tax returns or signing company audits | A public practice certificate, Tax Practitioners Board registration or ASIC auditor registration |
CAI to CA ANZ: the reciprocal route
CAI’s agreements let members “become reciprocal members while maintaining their Chartered Accountants Ireland membership”, and CA ANZ lists CAI as one of its Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) reciprocal bodies. You need:
- Full CAI membership in good standing, gained through the standard examination pathway, not a third-party arrangement.
- A letter of good standing from CAI, dated within 3 months of your application, confirming your membership date, membership number and exam route. CAI’s Professional Standards department issues these.
- Proof of identity, such as your passport.
- Two references from CA ANZ members or full members of a GAA body, each a member for at least 3 years.
You then apply for Special Admission to Full CA ANZ Membership. CA ANZ says to allow up to 40 business days and strongly recommends keeping your CAI membership. If you only want local CPD and events, the free GAA Passport gives you access to CA ANZ member services. See CA ANZ’s GAA pathway page.
Qualified through CPA Ireland? CPA Ireland and CAI amalgamated in 2024. CA ANZ’s pathway page has a separate line for CPA Ireland members of CAI, asking for a letter signed off by CAI confirming 2 years of full time (or part time equivalent) post-qualifying experience, so read it before you order your letter.
Want to work in practice or audit? CAI warns that special conditions “can and usually do exist” for practice, which may mean local company law and tax exams, and suggests getting your Irish practice rights, including the Audit Qualification, before you leave. CA ANZ also requires its Certificate of Public Practice if you provide services to the public as a Chartered Accountant.
CAI to CPA Australia
CAI and CPA Australia signed their first mutual recognition agreement in Melbourne on 10 April 2025. CPA Australia’s CAI pathway page says you may be eligible if you:
- Are a current CAI member in good standing and not under investigation.
- Completed the Chartered Accountants Program or Qualification Program, including the work experience.
- Hold a degree CPA Australia rates as at least comparable to an Australian bachelor’s.
- Have five years of post-qualification relevant work experience.
- Didn’t join CAI through another mutual recognition agreement.
You apply online, nominate CAI and pay the application and membership fee, and you must keep your CAI membership. CPA Australia sends former CPA Ireland members to this same pathway, noting the two Irish bodies joined in September 2024.
ACCA members
CPA Australia’s ACCA pathway is for full members in good standing who passed all exams and the Practical Experience Requirement, have held full membership for five consecutive years, didn’t join through another agreement, and hold a degree comparable to an Australian bachelor’s. Verification takes about 10 to 15 working days. ACCA also has a reciprocal membership agreement with CA ANZ and sends members to the CA ANZ website to apply.
Skills assessment for a skilled visa
Membership and a migration skills assessment are different things. As the IPA puts it, “The assessment criteria for migration purpose are different to the professional bodies’ membership requirements.” Home Affairs lists three assessing authorities for accounting occupations: CPA Australia, CA ANZ and the IPA. You pick one.
CPA Australia’s qualification assessment checks for a qualification equivalent to at least an Australian bachelor’s degree, study covering set competency areas, and English. Taxation Accountant needs study covering Australian taxation law and External Auditor needs audit and assurance, so Irish tax modules alone won’t do for a tax nomination. CPA Australia’s foundation exams are one way to fill a gap. A separate skilled employment assessment covers your work history, counting only paid work done after your degree.
Do Irish accountants need an English test?
No. All three assessing bodies accept an Irish passport. CA ANZ’s English language requirement is met if you’re a citizen of, and hold a valid passport issued by, the Republic of Ireland. CPA Australia exempts holders of passports from Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada and New Zealand for applications submitted after 7 May 2026, and the IPA’s English requirement accepts a valid Irish passport too.
Fees and processing times
| Assessment | Cost (November 2026) |
|---|---|
| CPA Australia qualification assessment, about 10 business days | AUD 514 offshore, AUD 565 onshore |
| CPA Australia Fast Track, about 5 business days | AUD 614 offshore, AUD 675 onshore |
| CPA Australia skilled employment assessment | AUD 236 offshore, AUD 260 onshore |
| IPA qualification assessment, 10 business days | AUD 595 (priority in 2 business days: AUD 795) |
| IPA skilled employment assessment, 10 business days | AUD 300 |
| CA ANZ | See its fees page |
Figures are from CPA Australia’s fees table and the IPA’s fees page as listed on 11 November 2026, and processing times are indicative. Both say an outcome is valid for three years.
Which accounting jobs are on the skilled lists?
All four are on both the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) on Home Affairs’ skilled occupation list as of November 2026:
| Occupation (ANZSCO code) | Visas it’s listed for |
|---|---|
| Accountant (General), 221111 | 189, 190, 491, 482 Core Skills, 186 Direct Entry (caveats on 482 and 186) |
| Management Accountant, 221112 | 189, 190, 491, 482 Core Skills, 186 Direct Entry (caveats on 482 and 186) |
| Taxation Accountant, 221113 | 189, 190, 491, 482 Core Skills, 186 Direct Entry (caveats on 482 and 186) |
| External Auditor, 221213 | 189, 190, 491, 482 Core Skills, 186 Direct Entry (no caveats) |
The caveats exclude clerical, bookkeeping and accounting clerk positions, and any position in a business with annual turnover under AUD 1,000,000 or fewer than 5 employees, so a sponsored job at a two-person practice won’t qualify.
Points-tested visas (189, 190 and 491)
- The 189 basics: at least 65 points, under 45 when invited, and a suitable skills assessment obtained in the 3 years before your invitation. After your expression of interest you’re “ranked against other intending applicants and might be invited”. It costs from AUD 6,135.
- English: your Irish passport proves competent English, worth 0 points. Proficient English scores 10 and superior 20, and those need a test result.
- Experience: work outside Australia in your nominated or a closely related occupation, in the 10 years before invitation, scores 5 points for 3 years, 10 for 5 and 15 for 8.
- Professional Year: 5 points for a 12 month accounting Professional Year completed in Australia in the 4 years before invitation, so it only helps if you’re already here. The full points table is on Home Affairs.
Employer sponsored visas (482 and 186)
- 482 Core Skills stream: up to 4 years with your sponsor. You need at least 1 year of relevant experience in the last 5 years, and you must be paid the market rate and no less than AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. It costs from AUD 4,015, and keeping adequate health insurance is a visa condition. Home Affairs can ask for a skills assessment even where one isn’t mandatory.
- 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream: permanent, from AUD 6,140. You usually need 2 years of full time sponsored work on a 482 and must usually be under 45 when you apply.
Browse jobs with visa sponsorship on our board. Our partner Migration Unity are registered migration agents who can check your options, and our guide to visa options to stay longer covers the wider picture.
Working holiday visa: the low-commitment route
If you’re 18 to 35, the working holiday visa (subclass 417) gets you here without a sponsor or a skills assessment. It costs AUD 840 for 12 months, you must be outside Australia when you apply and when it’s decided, and Home Affairs says processing averages around three months, so don’t book flights until it’s granted. Our working holiday visa guide walks you through it.
The catch is the 6 month work limitation: unless an exemption applies, you can only work for the same employer for 6 months. The exempt critical sectors are agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, and tourism and hospitality. Accounting isn’t one of them, though health does cover “all work carried out in hospitals”. You can stay longer with one employer if no single location goes over 6 months (switching to or from working at home counts as a move), or with permission, which Home Affairs may give if you’re waiting on a visa allowing ongoing full time work or your employer writes to say your work is critical. That’s why contract roles of up to 6 months suit working holiday makers. Sort your tax file number when you land, and before you leave read our guides to your tax refund and claiming your super back.
Tax agent and company auditor registration
- Tax agents: to provide tax agent services for a fee you register with the Tax Practitioners Board. You must be fit and proper, meet one of six qualification and experience options (which can include Board approved courses in Australian taxation law and commercial law) and hold professional indemnity insurance.
- Registered company auditors: registered with ASIC. Overseas qualifications need a letter from your Australian accounting body confirming equivalence, and overseas experience means 3,000 hours of auditing in the last 5 years, in a country ASIC sees as having equivalent standards, plus practical experience in Australia, generally at least 12 months.
Jobs and pay
Jobs and Skills Australia’s profile for accountants (ANZSCO 2211) gives median weekly earnings of AUD 2,003, against AUD 1,852 for all occupations. That’s for full time non-managerial employees before tax, from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025. Weigh it against the cost of living.
One adjustment from home: Australia’s income year ends on 30 June, while Ireland’s tax year runs 1 January to 31 December. And if your firm has an Australian office, ask about a transfer or secondment before you resign. You’ll find accounting and finance roles on the Irish Around Oz job board, and you can set up job alerts so new ones land in your inbox.
Before you leave Ireland
- Irish tax residence. If you’re tax resident in the year you leave and not the next, you can claim split-year treatment, so employment income you earn abroad after leaving is ignored for Irish tax. You stay ordinarily resident for three years, but income from a job with all duties performed outside Ireland is excluded.
- Your CAI subscription. The 2026 rates are EUR 647 in the Republic of Ireland and EUR 385 for overseas members. For the overseas rate, update your home and firm address in My Account by the end of April in the billing year. CAI warns that back payments at the full rate apply if your membership lapses.
- Your practising certificate. It’s only needed for public practice, renews every 1 January and costs EUR 490 for 2026. Holders must carry professional indemnity insurance, meet CPD rules and be monitored by Quality Assurance, so check with CAI whether you still need yours from abroad.
- Money. CurrencyFair is our main partner for moving euro to Australian dollars.
Moving with a partner in another profession? We have the same kind of guide for Irish nurses, Irish teachers, Irish doctors, Irish tradespeople and Irish social workers.
Starting a new job on the other side of the world? Our Facebook groups are full of Irish people in Australia who can tell you which areas suit you and help you find your feet.
FAQ
Can a Chartered Accountant from Ireland work in Australia?
Yes, with a visa that has work rights. Joining CA ANZ or CPA Australia isn’t required for most jobs, but CAI members can join either through a reciprocal agreement.
Is Chartered Accountants Ireland recognised by CA ANZ?
Yes. CAI is one of CA ANZ’s Global Accounting Alliance reciprocal bodies, so members who qualified through the standard exam pathway can apply for special admission to full membership.
Can I join CPA Australia with my CAI membership?
Yes, under the April 2025 mutual recognition agreement, if you have five years of post-qualification experience and a degree comparable to an Australian bachelor’s. You must keep your CAI membership.
Do Irish accountants need IELTS for a skills assessment?
No. CA ANZ, CPA Australia and the IPA all accept a valid Irish passport for the skills assessment. You’d still need a test to claim points for proficient or superior English.
Is accountant on the skilled occupation list in 2026?
Yes. Accountant (General), Management Accountant, Taxation Accountant and External Auditor are on the MLTSSL and CSOL for the 189, 190, 491, 482 Core Skills stream and 186 Direct Entry. For the sponsored route, see our 482 visa guide for Irish citizens.
How much is an accountant skills assessment?
CPA Australia charges AUD 514 offshore or AUD 565 onshore for a qualification assessment. The IPA charges AUD 595 for its standard service.
Can I work as an accountant on a working holiday visa?
Yes, but usually for no more than 6 months with the same employer, unless Home Affairs gives you permission.
Can ACCA members join an Australian body?
Yes. CPA Australia has a pathway for members with five consecutive years of full ACCA membership, and ACCA has a reciprocal agreement with CA ANZ.
