Some members may be able to apply for recognition of prior experience and receive a reduced timeframe to complete the Mentor Program requirements. There are four different recognition arrangements:

• transitional arrangements
• members of a recognised professional body
• maximum 12 month exemption
• partial completion of the CA Program

For further information about each arrangement visit Recognition of prior experience arrangements.

Once you have determined which recognition arrangement applies to you, follow these steps to apply:

1. Read the Terms and conditions of the Mentor Program.
2. Read the checklist and requirements for the arrangement/s you intend to apply for.
3. Gather supporting documentation. You must be able to answer 'yes' to all points on the relevant checklist.
4. Complete an application for recognition of prior experience form, which is available in the Information for Associate members booklet.
5. Attach supporting documentation.
6. Submit to CPA Australia for assessment.

Please allow up to six weeks for your application to be assessed and for a confirmation letter to be sent.

General conditions

• Members may claim fulltime work experience that has been supervised by a CPA or equivalent. If all the requirements are met, the length of exemption can range between six and 36 months under arrangement one (transitional arrangements) and up to 12 months under arrangement three (maximum 12 month rule).
• If the experience was unsupervised the length of experience will be multiplied by 0.6.
• Members can claim a combination of supervised and unsupervised experience.
• Only experience in the fields of accounting / finance can be considered for recognition of prior experience.
• A maximum exemption of six months may be claimed for entry level accounting experience such as bookkeeping, accounts receivable / payable or payroll.
• The minimum period of experience that can be claimed is six months of fulltime supervised experience.
• If working part-time, an exemption will be calculated on a pro-rata basis: number of part-time hours per week divided by 35, multiplied by number of months worked = number of months of supervised or unsupervised experience.