How to become an accountant in Australia
Accountants provide services relating to financial reporting, taxation, auditing, insolvency, accounting information systems, budgeting, cost management, planning and decision-making by organisations and individuals; and provide advice on associated compliance and performance requirements to ensure statutory and strategic governance.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the accountants group are projected to grow 16.6% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Assisting in formulating budgetary and accounting policies
- Preparing financial statements for presentation to boards of directors, management, shareholders, and governing and statutory bodies
- Conducting financial investigations, preparing reports, undertaking audits and advising on matters such as the purchase and sale of businesses, mergers, capital financing, suspected fraud, insolvency and taxation
- Examining operating costs and organisations' income and expenditure
- Providing assurance about the accuracy of information contained in financial reports and their compliance with statutory requirements
- Providing financial and taxation advice on business structures, plans and operations
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the accountants group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 86% a degree or higher, 6% a diploma, 2% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria29 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Accounting Professional Practice · RMIT, City80.05 Accounting · Monash, Caulfield77.55 Commerce (Accounting major) · La Trobe, Melbourne71.05 Accounting (Degree) · RMIT, City68.65 Accounting (Bachelor) · La Trobe, Online68.05 Accounting · Swinburne, Hawthorn63.05 Business (Accounting) · Federation, Mount Helen (Ballarat)62.75 Accounting and Finance · ACU, Melbourne61.95Diplomas and other ways in
Business (Associate Degree)/Accounting (Degree) · RMIT, City42.50Showing 12 of 29 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT44 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Accounting · Charles Sturt93.20 Bachelor of Professional Accounting · Wollongong85.70 Bachelor of Accounting · Notre Dame81.40 Bachelor of Professional Accounting · Macquarie80.35 Bachelor of Accounting · Western Sydney74.95 Bachelor of Business (Accounting) · Southern Cross74.05 Bachelor of Accounting · CQUniversity63.90 Bachelor of Accounting and Finance · ACU63.00Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 44 matches. Search every course.
Queensland45 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Accounting · UniSQ, Online68.85 Bachelor of Accounting · CQUniversity, Online63.35 Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) · UniSC, Sunshine Coast54.35Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 11 of 45 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia2 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Business in Accounting · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteedMatched on course names, 120 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Conventional, Enterprising, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Accountants and Auditors", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.