Legislated Education Standard

Do you know if you meet the legislated education standard for 1 January 2026?

As previously stated by ASIC, financial advisers who are existing providers have until 1 January 2026 to meet the qualifications standard in the Corporations Act.

This can be met either by completing an approved qualification, completing qualifications the minister has determined to be equivalent to an approved qualification for existing advisers, or by accessing the experienced provider pathway – learn more.

Meeting the 10 year experience pathway does not prevent you also obtaining an approved degree and meeting the education standard. To meet this you must have been authorised to provide personal financial product advice to retail clients for at least 10 years (3,650 days) between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2021, and had a clean disciplinary record at 31 December 2021.

AFSLs can learn how to assess adviser qualifications and input the relevant information to the Financial Adviser Register, here.

We have developed a tool which aims to guide you in relation to potential outcomes regarding the 1 January 2026 education standard and the experienced adviser pathway. It is for personal use only and can be accessed via the FAAA Portal below.

Your AFSL is ultimately responsible for determining whether you need to do any study to meet the education standard by the 1 January 2026 deadline. As such, you should consult with them for a definitive decision for what you are required to do to comply with the law before making any decisions. 

It is important to determine your status as soon as possible. Start early to allow for unforeseen delays, changes to personal circumstances, resubmission requirements or needing to complete more than one course.

Guidance

  • You control how you navigate this PDF tool. Use the buttons on screen to select an option or the images at the top of the screen to go backwards to change your selection.
  • Different designations have been given different credits in the legislated education standard. This tool will always present the higher credit designation to you first.
  • There are additional education requirements to be registered as a Qualified Tax Relevant Provider (QTRP). You may need to complete an approved Commercial Law unit and/or an approved Australian Tax Law unit to be 1 January 2026 compliant.

This tool is for FAAA members only, become a member here.

Reminder – as an FAAA member you can access discounts of up to 25% from a range of education providers!

The FAAA does not take responsibility for the final determination of your personal situation following the use of this tool. As mentioned above this is to guide you in checking your status and the final determination should be made by your AFSL. All actions (if any) should be discussed with them first.