Tax Practitioners Board register.

Why check the register before you hire a tax agent

In Australia, preparing tax returns or giving advice about your tax obligations for a fee is regulated. The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) says that if you provide tax agent services for a fee or other reward you must be registered with the TPB unless an exemption applies, and that there are severe penalties for anyone providing tax agent services for a fee or reward, advertising tax agent services or representing themselves as a registered tax agent while unregistered. The TPB also says that generally only registered tax and BAS agents can charge or receive a fee or reward for tax agent, BAS or tax (financial) advice services. For you as a client, the practical step is to check the public register before sharing your documents.

What the TPB register contains

The TPB describes the register as containing the names of all tax and BAS agents currently registered, including those whose registration has been suspended, plus certain unregistered individuals and entities. It also includes breaches of the Code of Professional Conduct and sanctions imposed that are on the public record. For each practitioner, the register can show:

• current legal or registration name and any ASIC registered business name
• registration type: tax agent or BAS agent, and whether an individual, partnership or company
• TPB registration number, registration date and expiry date
• registration status, such as registered, unregistered, suspended or terminated
• contact details the practitioner has chosen to publish
• any conditions of registration, which limit the services the practitioner may provide
• sanctions and the reasons for them, and certain historical names or numbers
• recognised professional association memberships, if the practitioner provided them

Sanctions other than a written caution stay on the register for the longer of five years from when they take effect and the period they are in force; a terminated registration stays for five years. Association details come from the practitioner, and the TPB encourages you to verify them independently with the association.

How to search

1. Open the TPB public register using the link on this page.
2. To check a named practitioner, enter their legal or registration name, their ASIC registered business name or their registration number and select Find. You can narrow results by practitioner type, state or territory, suburb and registration status.
3. Use the information icon beside a result to open the full registration details.
4. To find someone nearby, use the location search: start typing your address and choose the correct option from the dropdown list, because the TPB warns that skipping the dropdown can give an inaccurate result. The search covers practitioners up to 75 km away and can be narrowed by type and distance.

Worked example: reading a result

Say you want help with a business activity statement. You search for the business name “Example Bookkeeping Pty Ltd” (an invented name for illustration). The result shows registration type BAS agent, status registered, an expiry date next year and one condition. Check each element against your need: a BAS agent can only provide some of the services a tax agent can, so if you also need a personal tax return you should confirm that the practitioner is registered as a tax agent. Read the condition, because a condition limits the subject area the practitioner may work in. If the status says suspended or terminated, or the register lists sanctions that worry you, ask the practitioner to explain or choose someone else.

Agreeing the work

The TPB suggests you discuss, with any registered tax or BAS agent, your financial situation, the details of the work and its deadline, the cost or fee structure, where your refund will be sent and how long you can expect to wait. Many registered practitioners ask you to sign a letter of engagement setting out each side’s obligations. If something goes wrong, the TPB encourages you to try resolving it with the practitioner first, and you can then lodge a complaint with the TPB.

Symbol versus register

The TPB created a registered tax practitioner symbol to give consumers confidence that they are using a registered practitioner. It is a quick visual cue, but the register is the reliable test, because a logo on a website is not proof of current registration. The checklist on this page reflects that: it asks you to confirm the type, the status, any conditions and that you checked the register itself.

What this page does not do

It does not search, copy or proxy the register, and it cannot tell you whether anyone is registered. It is not affiliated with the TPB or the ATO. Other regulators handle other professions, so for health practitioners see the Ahpra practitioner search guide, for financial advisers the ASIC financial adviser register check and for tradespeople the building licence check by state. Before giving anyone your tax file number, you can sanity-check a typed number with the TFN validator, though that tool cannot confirm a number was issued.

Sources

Official and primary sources used for this page, retrieved October 2026.

• TPB: Public register (retrieved 2026-10): What the register contains, registered and certain unregistered entities, breaches and sanctions.
• TPB: Help with using the TPB Register (retrieved 2026-10): Search options, 75 km near-me search, fields displayed, status, conditions and sanctions.
• TPB: Finding and using a tax practitioner (retrieved 2026-10): Symbol versus register, services, conditions, engagement letters and complaints.
• TPB: Apply to register (who needs to register) (retrieved 2026-10): Requirement to register for fee-based tax agent services, penalties, five-year retention of sanctions and terminations, association details.