Bookkeepers: insurance and scheme requirements

Day-to-day transaction processing, payroll and activity statement preparation.

Data as at 2026-08-25

Required by law or licence

Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. NSW · effective 2010-03-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. It is a notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. NSW · effective 2010-03-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: There is NO general bookkeeper licence in Australia — bookkeeping itself is unregulated. What IS regulated is the work: a person providing a BAS service for a fee or other reward must be registered as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board, under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends entirely on what services are being sold, not on the job title. NSW · effective 2010-03-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. VIC · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. VIC · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in Victoria or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. VIC · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. QLD · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. QLD · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in Queensland or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. QLD · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. WA · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. WA · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in Western Australia or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. WA · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. SA · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. SA · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in South Australia or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. SA · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. TAS · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. TAS · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in Tasmania or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. TAS · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. ACT · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. ACT · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in the Australian Capital Territory or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. ACT · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence liability condition: Yes, where registration applies. Both tax agents and BAS agents must maintain professional indemnity insurance meeting Tax Practitioners Board requirements throughout registration. Failure to do so is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and can result in registration being terminated — the sanction is loss of the right to practise, not a fine. NT · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licence evidence required: Notification to the Board within 14 days of receiving registration confirmation, and maintenance of cover for the whole registration period thereafter. A notify-and-maintain obligation rather than a document filed once. NT · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24
Licensing body: Nobody licenses bookkeepers as such — there is no general bookkeeper licence in the Northern Territory or anywhere else in Australia, and membership of CPA Australia, CA ANZ or the IPA is voluntary professional membership rather than a licence. What IS regulated is the work: providing BAS services for a fee or reward requires registration as a BAS agent with the Tax Practitioners Board under federal law. So the honest answer to "am I licensed?" depends on what services are sold, not on the job title. NT · effective 2010-07-01 Tax Practitioners Board · 2026-08-24

Cover commonly held

Ordered by how central each cover is to this occupation. This is what businesses in the trade commonly hold and what contracts commonly ask for — it is not a statement that any of it is legally required, and it is not a recommendation.

Professional indemnity insurance — Cover for legal liability arising from professional advice or services, written on a claims-made basis.
Public liability insurance — Cover for legal liability to third parties for personal injury or property damage arising from business activities.
Workers compensation insurance — Statutory cover for injury to workers, arranged through each state or territory scheme rather than on the open market.
Cyber liability insurance — Cover for the costs of a data breach or cyber incident, including response, restoration and third-party liability.
Management liability insurance — Cover for company and director exposures such as employment practices, statutory liability and defence costs.
Tax audit insurance — Cover for the professional fees of responding to an audit or review by a revenue authority.
Business pack insurance — A packaged policy combining property, liability and interruption sections for small business.

Statutory schemes that can apply

Workers compensation (NSW) · NSW — The New South Wales workers compensation scheme, with the nominal insurer and specialised insurers underwriting employer policies.
Workers compensation (Queensland) · QLD — The Queensland workers compensation scheme, underwritten by the state insurer with self-insurance available to large employers.
WorkCover (Victoria) · VIC — The Victorian workers compensation scheme, administered by the state regulator through appointed agents.
Workers compensation (Western Australia) · WA — The Western Australian workers compensation scheme, where cover is placed with approved private insurers under a regulated framework.
Return to Work (South Australia) · SA — The South Australian work injury scheme, funded by employer levies and administered by the state corporation.
Workers compensation (Tasmania) · TAS — The Tasmanian workers compensation scheme, where employers hold a policy with a licensed insurer.
Workers compensation (ACT) · ACT — The Australian Capital Territory private-underwriter workers compensation scheme.
Workers compensation (Northern Territory) · NT — The Northern Territory workers compensation scheme, placed with approved insurers.

Checking what you hold

The document a principal, a landlord or a licensing team will ask for is a certificate of currency. The checker reads one and lists what it does and does not show.

Sources

Tax Practitioners Board — Tax Practitioners Board — professional indemnity insurance