Who assesses software, engineering and accounting? ACS, Engineers Australia, CPA/CA ANZ

A skilled migration application turns on one thing the general occupation map can only half-answer: which body assesses your skills. For most professional codes there is a single designated assessing authority, and it is decided by the code, not by your job title. Three specialist authorities own three large code families — ICT, engineering, and accounting. This is the specialist layer that sits beneath the broader “who assesses your occupation” question.

The authority for any specific code is the one named on its occupation page and on the Home Affairs skill occupation list. Always confirm there before you apply — authorities and their scope change.

ACS — the ICT codes

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the assessing authority for ICT occupations. Its occupation list covers three families — information technology, data science, and cyber security — and the codes run across several unit groups:

• 2613 Software and Applications Programmers — including Software Engineer (261313), Analyst Programmer (261311), Developer Programmer (261312), and DevOps Engineer (261316).
• 262x / 263x — database and systems roles (Database Administrator (262111), Systems Administrator (262113)) and network and security roles (Computer Network and Systems Engineer (263111)).
• 135x ICT managers — including Chief Information Officer (135111) and ICT Project Manager (135112).

ACS assesses through two main pathways: a qualifications-based route for applicants with a closely related ICT degree, and a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route for those with ICT experience but no qualification. It also deducts a number of years from your experience as the “ICT skill requirement” before the rest counts as skilled. Confirm the current rules on the ACS pages.

Engineers Australia — the engineering codes

Engineers Australia (EA) is the assessing authority for engineering occupations, including the 233xxx Professionals codes such as Civil Engineer (233211), Electrical Engineer (233311), and Mechanical Engineer (233512). Its Migration Skills Assessment sorts applicants into four occupational categories: Professional Engineer, Engineering Technologist, Engineering Associate, and Engineering Manager. The first three map to engineering degrees of decreasing length; Engineering Manager is a Managers-group code rather than a 233xxx one.

The headline route is the Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) — career episodes plus a summary statement, used when your qualification is not from an accredited programme or an accord-recognised one. Graduates of programmes covered by the Washington, Sydney, or Dublin Accords generally use an accredited-qualification pathway instead. Check the EA application guidance for which pathway your qualification triggers.

CPA Australia and CA ANZ — the accounting codes

Accounting codes in unit group 2211 are assessed by the accounting bodies — CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants ANZ (CA ANZ), and the IPA. They are designated authorities for the same code set, so you can usually apply to any one of them. CPA Australia’s occupation list covers Accountant (general) (221111), Management Accountant (221112), Taxation Accountant (221113), External Auditor (221213), Corporate Treasurer (221212), and Finance Manager (132211).

The core requirement is a qualification assessed as equivalent to at least an Australian bachelor’s degree, with mandatory competency areas for each code — for Accountant (general) these include financial accounting, management accounting, business law, economics, and quantitative methods. An English-language threshold applies too. A separate skilled-employment assessment can verify your work history once the qualification outcome is suitable.

Why the code, not the title, decides

The pattern across all three is the same: a job advertised as “software engineer”, “engineer”, or “accountant” only routes to ACS, EA, or CPA/CA ANZ once it is pinned to a 6-digit code. A data-heavy role might read as an ACS data-science code or a non-ICT Data Scientist (224115) code — different authority. An “engineering” job in maintenance might land outside the 233xxx Professionals range. Get the code right first; the authority follows from it.

For the live authority on any code, open its occupation page — for example Software Engineer (261313) — which names the current assessing body and links to it.

Find your code

Browse all ANZSCO 2022 occupations at /en/anzsco/2022/. If you are unsure which code fits your background — and therefore which authority assesses you — the CV matcher at app.anzscofinder.com matches your CV to the closest codes and shows its working.

For advice on which authority and pathway suit your situation, speak to a registered migration agent. We find codes and show sources. We do not give migration advice.