One of the most common questions Queensland agents ask is the simplest: when is my CPD actually due. The answer trips a lot of people up, because Queensland does not use the calendar year.
Your CPD year is personal to you. It runs from the day your licence was issued, and that means your deadline is almost certainly different from the agent sitting next to you.
How the QLD CPD year works
In Queensland, your CPD year runs for 12 months from the anniversary of your licence or registration issue date. So if your licence was issued on 14 March, your CPD year runs from 14 March to 13 March the following year, every year. You complete two CPD sessions inside that window.
Because it is tied to your own issue date rather than a fixed national date, two agents in the same agency can have completely different CPD years. One might be due in March, another in September. This is exactly why people get caught out: they assume CPD lines up with the calendar or with everyone else, and it does not.
Step one: find your licence issue date
Everything starts with your issue date. The OFT says it is printed on your current licence or registration. If you hold more than one licence or registration, use the earliest issue date. If you cannot find it, you can check with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading.
One thing moves it. The OFT says that if you upgrade or change your licence or registration, your CPD year aligns with the new issue date.
Step two: work out your window
Once you have your issue date, the rest is counting. Take the day and month, and that becomes the start of each CPD year. Count 12 months forward and you have the end of the current window.
For a licence first issued in 2025 or later, your first CPD year starts on the first anniversary of the issue date, and the OFT says you only need to start CPD 12 months after your current licence or registration was first issued. For a licence issued before 2025, the OFT's own calculator starts the first CPD year on an anniversary in 2025 or 2026.
From there, work out how many days you have left until that window closes. That number tells you whether you are comfortably ahead or whether it is time to get moving. Two sessions is a manageable task, so most agents who know their date finish with room to spare.
Step three: put the dates where you will see them
Worked example: a licence first issued on 14 March 2026 means your first CPD year runs from 14 March 2027 to 13 March 2028, then 14 March to 13 March every year after that. Put the closing date in your calendar now, with a reminder a couple of months out, and note it wherever you track your licence paperwork. If anything about your dates looks unclear, confirm your position with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading before you rely on it.
Or let the calculator do the counting
If you would rather not do the maths by hand, Archer Institute has a free QLD CPD year calculator. Enter your licence or registration issue date and it shows your current CPD year, or when your first one starts, and the days remaining. It is a planning guide, so always confirm the official requirements with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading.
The first-year exemption
There is one situation where the rule is different. If your current licence or registration was first issued less than 12 months ago, the OFT says you only need to start CPD 12 months after it was first issued, and CPD completed before your first CPD year starts does not count. This is set by the state authority, so check your exact position with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading before you rely on it.
What to do once you know your date
Knowing your CPD year is half the battle. The other half is acting on it early. Since 6 June 2026 you declare your CPD status when you renew. Separately, the Office of Fair Trading says it cannot process a renewal until your CPD is complete, so leaving it late is a real risk. For the detail on the declaration, read our guide to the QLD CPD declaration rule.
For a full breakdown of what Queensland CPD involves, see our QLD CPD requirements explained, and if you work across more than one state, our state-by-state CPD guide covers how the rules differ around the country.
When you are ready to get it done, Queensland CPD with Archer is online, self-paced, and most agents finish a unit in a few hours. Browse QLD CPD training or call our Australian-based team and we will help you plan your two sessions.
