How to become a Professional Accountant with The South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) and Austral Accounting

Academic Requirements:

A Bachelor’s degree from a SAIPA accredited tertiary institution. The degree must include the following core subjects:

  • Financial Accounting 3
  • Taxation 1
  • Auditing 1 or Internal Auditing 2 or Internal Control and Code of Ethics
  • Corporate Law 1 or Commercial Law 2
  • Management Accounting 1 (Financial Management 1)

Practical Requirement:

Consisting of one of the following:

  • Three years supervised training at an Accredited Training Centre (ATC), documented in the Institute’s official training logbook, regularly updated by the Trainee Accountant and the Training Centre Principle, and monitored on an annual basis by a SAIPA nominated Monitoring Officer.
  • Six years relevant experience based on the Institute’s official training logbook and verified by current and previous employees.
  • Completed a training programme from another accredited professional accountancy body (e.g. SAICA).

Professional Evaluation Examination (PE):

The PE examination is to determine your ability to integrate academic knowledge with the practical skills required in the workplace. If you meet the academic and practical requirements, you can apply to write the PE examination. Once you have passed the written PE examination, you may then register as a Professional Accountant (SA). The examination is based on the core subjects mentioned above.

Once you have passed the PE examination and have paid the entrance and membership fees, you may be registered as a Full Member.  This will change your status to Professional Accountant (SA) with all the rights and privileges contained in this title.

Continued Professional Development (CPD):

As a fully qualified SAIPA Member, you will be required to complete your CPD regularly to improve and update your knowledge and skills through additional courses and resources.

Trainee Accountants:

Austral Accounting is proud to be an Accredited Training Centre registered with SAIPA.