An AHPRA audit checks that the declarations you made when renewing your registration were true. Psychologists are selected at random and receive an audit notice in the mail naming which standards are being checked: CPD, recency of practice, professional indemnity insurance or criminal history. You then have 28 days to send the evidence listed on the checklist.

What is an AHPRA audit for psychologists?

Every year at renewal you answer a set of questions in your annual statement. You declare whether you met the Psychology Board of Australia's continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, whether you meet recency of practice, whether you practised with appropriate professional indemnity insurance (PII), and whether your criminal history has changed. Most people tick "yes" and move on.

An audit is where Ahpra asks you to back those answers up. The Psychology Board's audit page explains that under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, Ahpra can request evidence, within 28 days, that you meet the standards as declared in your previous annual statement.

The audit is not an investigation and does not mean anyone has raised a concern about you. It is a nationally consistent compliance check that Ahpra and the National Boards run across every regulated profession. The approach grew out of pilot audits in 2012 and 2013 that helped determine the size, frequency and type of audits used today.

How are psychologists selected for an audit?

Selection is random. The Board states that audits of random samples of practitioners from all professions occur periodically throughout the year, so there is no particular season to watch for.

If you are selected, you receive an audit notice by post. That letter matters more than anything you read online, because it tells you exactly which standard or standards are being audited and includes a checklist of the documents you need to submit.

One timing detail surprises people. The CPD guidelines confirm that audits happen after you have already renewed for the next year. You will not be asked for the CPD portfolio for the year you are currently in. The audit looks backwards at a period you have already signed off on.

Which registration standards can be audited?

Your notice can cover one or more of four mandatory registration standards:

Criminal history. Ahpra uses an independent service provider to check your domestic criminal history automatically, at no cost to you. You do not need to do anything unless you are asked for more information.
Continuing professional development. You provide evidence of the CPD activities you completed.
Recency of practice. You provide evidence of practice that meets the Board's recency standard.
Professional indemnity insurance. You provide evidence of PII arrangements that meet the Board's standard.

In practice, the three that take work are CPD, recency of practice and PII. The Board also notes you may be audited on more than one standard at once, so preparing all three at the same time is sensible.

What evidence do you need for a CPD audit?

CPD usually takes the most preparation, and it is the standard where good habits during the year save the most time. The CPD registration standard requires general registrants to complete at least 30 hours of CPD between 1 December and 30 November, including at least 10 hours of peer consultation. If you held general registration for less than the full year, the pro rata requirement is 2.5 hours for every full month.

If audited, you submit your CPD portfolio, which must contain:

A learning plan based on a skills and knowledge self-assessment, with learning objectives.
An activity log of all CPD activities.
Written reflection for each activity, including how it relates to your professional development goals.
Receipts, tax invoices or certificates as evidence of participation.

A few points from the Board's guidelines take the pressure off:

You only need to show the minimum. Many psychologists exceed 30 hours through employer and professional requirements, but the audit only asks you to demonstrate that the minimum standard was met.
Reflections are checked for presence, not polish. The guidelines say an auditor is generally checking that written reflection exists, not its word count, length or writing style.
Other logs are acceptable. A portfolio kept for a professional association or employer program is accepted if it contains everything the standard requires. If that plan runs on a calendar or financial year, you need to extend it across the Board's December to November cycle or submit two plans that together cover it.
You carry the burden of justifying hours. The Board does not certify CPD hours in advance. It is your responsibility to appraise the quality of CPD activities and be prepared to justify the hours claimed at audit.

The counting rules for peer consultation are detailed and easy to misread. Our guide to CPD requirements for psychologists walks through those rules in detail.

How do you prove recency of practice in an audit?

The recency of practice requirements are met in one of three ways:

at least 250 hours of practice as a registered psychologist or provisional psychologist within the previous five years, or
a Board-approved program of study within the past five years, or
a Board-approved internship or other Board-approved supervised practice within the past five years.

The standard itself advises that you should maintain records as evidence that you meet the requirements in case you are audited. For employed psychologists, the Board's audit page provides a letter from employer template for recency of practice, which is the simplest form of evidence to obtain.

Two clarifications from the recency of practice FAQ are useful here. First, "practice" is broad. Non-clinical roles in management, teaching, research, policy or supervision count if you use your skills and knowledge as a registered psychologist. Second, there are no continuity rules. You could accumulate the 250 hours an hour a week or in concentrated blocks. What does not count is unregistered practice, or work of a non-psychological nature, even when a registered psychologist performs it.

What PII evidence does an audit ask for?

The answer depends on who holds the insurance. Under the PII registration standard:

If you hold private insurance in your own name, you must keep documentary evidence of your insurance for at least five years. This is usually a certificate of currency from an approved insurer or broker.
If you are covered by an employer, union or professional body, you are not required to obtain documentation unless the Board asks. If it does, you provide a certified copy of the certificate of currency or a letter from the third party confirming you are covered. The Board's audit page includes a letter from employer template for PII.

Psychologists who combine employed work with private practice should expect to show cover for both. The Board warns that an employer's arrangements are unlikely to cover your self-employed practice. Our article on professional indemnity insurance for psychologists covers what the cover itself must include.

How many years back can an AHPRA audit go?

This is a common audit question, and the answer has two parts.

The audit can cover more than one year. The CPD guidelines state you may be asked to submit a portfolio covering a period of two or more years. That is why both the CPD standard and the PII standard require you to keep records for five years. The clinical records you keep for clients follow separate, longer retention rules.

Audits are also not the only way your records get requested. The CPD guidelines note that the Board or a disciplinary panel may ask to see your CPD portfolio when investigating a notification, and the recency standard says compliance may be checked if the Board receives a notification about you.

What happens if you do not meet the standard?

The National Law sets out possible outcomes, and each standard lists them. For CPD, the Board may impose conditions requiring you to complete additional CPD within a specified period, further education, a period of supervised practice with a Board-approved supervisor, or the National Psychology Exam. A failure to undertake the required CPD may also be behaviour for which disciplinary action may be taken under section 128 of the National Law.

For recency of practice, the Board can refuse renewal, or renew but impose conditions such as a period of supervised practice with a Board-approved supervisor. For PII, practising without appropriate cover, or failing to tell the Board within seven days that your cover has ceased, is not an offence but may be behaviour for which health, conduct or performance action may be taken.

How can you make an audit a non-event?

Keep your evidence as you go rather than reconstructing it in a 28-day scramble:

Log each CPD activity and write the reflection on the day, while you still remember it.
File certificates and receipts in one folder per registration year.
Save each year's certificate of currency when your PII renews.
Keep a simple record of practice hours if your work is part time, sessional or non-clinical.
Update your postal address in the Ahpra portal, since the audit notice arrives by mail.

PractaLuma is AI-native practice management software for Australian mental-health practices, and part of its job is keeping practice records organised and findable. See the features to learn more, and our guide to AHPRA registration renewal costs for the rest of the renewal picture.

One thing to watch: the Board's registration standards page notes that 14 National Boards are reviewing their recency of practice and CPD standards, with public consultation on draft revised standards open until 17 July 2026. Check the current standards before you rely on the numbers above for a future year.

Frequently asked questions

Does being audited mean someone complained about me? No. Audits use random samples of practitioners. A notification is a separate process, although the Board can request your records during one.

Are provisional psychologists audited for CPD? The CPD standard applies to general registrants, not those with provisional or non-practising registration. Provisional psychologists still declare recency of practice at renewal and must hold appropriate PII, so those standards can apply.

Do I have to meet the standards on non-practising registration? The Board says non-practising registrants are not required to meet the PII, CPD or recency of practice standards. You must not practise at all while on non-practising registration.

What if I could not complete my CPD because of leave? The CPD standard allows exemption applications for exceptional circumstances that cause a substantial absence from practice, such as serious illness, injury, bereavement, parental leave or carer's leave. They must be submitted in writing before your registration expires, not after an audit notice arrives.

Who do I contact with audit questions? The Board's audit page lists Ahpra's customer service line, 1300 419 495, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

This article is general information, current as at 13 September 2026, and is not legal advice. Always follow the instructions in your own audit notice and confirm requirements against the Psychology Board of Australia's current registration standards.

AHPRA Audit for Psychologists: What to Expect