Hi I am currently working as General accounting (account payable+asset) for 6years and wanting to take up CPA.i have some doubt and need ppl to help

How much is the total fee to finish all 6 paper?
Also do I need to work in audit for 3 years. My manager is a CPA holder so can my experience be use
What are the simple subject. I have pass my audit n taxation in Australian degree
Will it be easier for me to migrate to Australia/newzealand with CPA
Also after getting cpa will I get a higher pay?

Thanks ^^

First and foremost, I am not a CPA holder (I am however an ACCA and CAANZ/ICAA member) but I have mentored a lot of CPA who worked for me and I am working in Australia so perhaps I can answer some of your questions.

1.How much is the total fee to finish all 6 paper?
- I don't know but these are information on the web so it should be easy to check.

2. Also do I need to work in audit for 3 years. My manager is a CPA holder so can my experience be use?
- Like all other professional qualifications, audit is not the only route to get your 3 years recognized working experience for certification purpose, Ideally, if they are closely related to accounting / finance / investment / internal audit it will be better because it is easier to relate them to your CPA qualification process. It can be a combination of audit + others (accounting related).

3. What are the simple subject. I have pass my audit n taxation in Australian degree?
- I was told that Other than Financial Reporting and Tax, the rest should are manageable. Hope other CPA holders can tell you specifically instead.

4. Will it be easier for me to migrate to Australia/newzealand with CPA?
- This is a very broad question and the answer can be nuanced because it depends on a lot of factors. Assuming your definition of 'Migrate' is to secure a 189 Visa (PR), then having a CPA and Australian Uni definitely add points to your case. However, visa point system changes and it has changed about 1/2 year ago where your age and years of working experience also contributes to your points - so yes it will make it 'easier' for you in that sense.

If your question is more about 'Will CPA help me to get a job easily in Australia' then answer is yes but very slightly because employers in Australia care more about 'Local Australian experience' instead of qualification although from the employer's perspective, your AU uni and CPA are familiar to them so it helps especially if they wish to recruit an oversea candidate. However, competition for jobs in Australia is so high that AU uni and CPA themselves make very little difference.

One 'easier' route however are the Australian Big 4 audit team since they constantly hire/second experienced auditors (from Big 4 as well) from overseas because like everywhere else in the world, turnover in audit is always high and they are always in need of people. But I don't know will this change in the future because things are tightening up.

5. Also after getting cpa will I get a higher pay?
- You won't get higher pay purely because you pass CPA but certain roles or positions requires the candidate to be professionally qualified for CV and regulatory purposes and if you are going for those roles (i.e, audit managers in Big 4 are required to be professionally qualified) then obviously you stand a chance to get a higher salary because of promotion. Some companies may set passing CPA as a KPI in their finance department and hence reward their staffs for doing so but generally it is just a piece of paper and you won't directly get a pay bump purely because you pass your CPA.

This post has been edited by Justin Wong: Aug 8 2020, 04:09 PM

Thanks u so much for taking the time to answer ^^. Yes my plan was to finish CPA so that I could migrate to aus/Nz but it seems it won’t be that easy due to change. I have check the total fee n membership is RM20k+ Which got me to the next question is it worth to pursue for someone doing general accounting( invoice+asset) and also non of my colleague even my supervisor have yet to finish their papers(quit halfway) so only my manager have it(cpa) ?

The standard answer is yes.

It is always better to pursue a professional accounting qualification if you can afford it because it gives you options in the future (i.e., so that you can obtain MIA membership and be called 'CA' and provide public accounting services (if you choose to do so) and for market recognition purposes as well because most companies these days by default would want to employed a 'qualified accountant' especially if you want to move to a bigger company (MNC or listed) due to regulatory and governance requirement - general internal control policy of big companies to make sure that accounts are done by qualified personnel).

So long story short - it is always better to have CPA than not unless you couldn't afford it but I believe most companies would sponsor or subsidize your professional accounting studies. If they don't and you cannot afford it then you need to seriously ask yourself whether you will be doing accounting in the long run. If the answer is no then maybe you shouldn't waste your 20k but otherwise I would strongly suggest you do do it.

If cost is the concern, perhaps you can choose to do ACCA or MICPA which are cheaper (and I think you may also get exemptions from the relevant uni subjects, but the examination process is more challenging compared to CPA). In addition, ACCA or MICPA also provide pathways for ICAA membership conversion in the future (generally more 'prestigious' compared in CPA (in Australia) if you care about such vain perception at all, although practically it doesn't make a difference especially if you already have relevant work experience) if you are working in Australia.

This post has been edited by Justin Wong: Aug 10 2020, 11:02 AM

I am currently completing my final paper in the CPA program. Truthfully, sitting for any professional paper is never easy, also because I am working in a firm (accounting firm), which is also challenging especially during peak season. Based on my experience, mostly a lot of us take CPA because we work in the firms and firms usually encourage and also offer help (i.e. via bonds) to further facilitate a candidates professional journey. Mostly all of our superiors are qualified CA's who can sign off our experience which makes it easier than doing it in a non-firm environment. Nevertheless, if your experience is in the realm of accounting and your superior is a chartered accountant it should be fine even if it is a non-firm environment as long as you fulfill all of the criteria's listed in the form. But I advise you to double check with CPA from time to time to ensure that it is allowed and nothing has changed. Additionally, having the CPA provides more credibility in your title as an accountant, and helps you move up the ladder and especially in the firm, we have colleagues or superiors who are in the process of obtaining or who have obtained a prof qualification that can advise us and provide guidance.

Other than that, many MNC's do appreciate and look for candidates who have the professional accounting qualification and/or experience in the firm. Nevertheless, relevant experience is also important in obtaining opportunities.

On the other hand, I also have friends just like you who are involved in GA. Majority of them did not decide to pursue the professional accountancy papers on the basis that they could opt for other certifications such as MBA or other forms of short certifications (i.e. Coursera and etc) and mostly are not serious in becoming a CA, or because they cant commit (do it halfway) and they have a different career objective.

Since your main aim of obtaining CPA is to emigrate to AUS/NZ , I cant comment much as i have had no experience, but I do have a majority of colleagues and friends who are auditors or work in advisory (i.e. tax consulting and etc) and who have obtained their CA and have had about 3-5 years audit/ advisory experience in the Big 4 firms in Malaysia and have migrated to the other Big 4's in AUS/ NZ / SG and the Middle East. Having the CA and audit/ advisory experience does help but the opportunity also greatly depends on the respective countries rules and regulations and if there are any recent changes employment of foreign skilled workers will put us in a disadvantaged/ challenging position and the vacancy for the position.

A friend of mine who works for one of the Big 4 firms in AUS tells me that work visa's are expensive and so they are cutting down on hiring foreign workers. I also have a few friends who have gone through the assessment and forked out huge amounts of money to obtain a work visa in AUS instead of have it borne by the Company as they have heard from their contacts that employers will be more keen to employ someone having a work visa in place, as it reduces the cost of the employer. But again, nothing is guaranteed and this will hurt more if they are not able to pass through the assessment because a huge amount of money has already been invested and of course the process still takes time.

Pursuing a professional paper requires commitment and also investment as the papers are expensive but upon obtaining the qualification you become credible in your field, it will help you climb the ladder and a gateway to pursue opportunities and most importantly invaluable theoretical knowledge. I doubt the CPA will help you give a huge bump in your salary, because at the end it is relevant experience that employers are also looking for. It would be good to speak to recruiters/ connect with people on Linkedin from the same field who managed to secure opportunities abroad or perform further research on migration rules of the countries to further understand the priorities or requirements.

My intention is not to discourage your dreams, but this is just let you know of my opinion and experience. I hope in some way this has helped provided some insight to pursuing CPA. I apologize if it is very discouraging but again that is not my intention. I wish you the very best and hope you will be able to materialize your dreams.