All you need to know about RACP CPD audits
Date published:
31 Mar 2026
Many industries mandate audits as a component of their quality assurance process. The healthcare industry is no different.
CPD homes are required by regulatory bodies to audit 5% of their participants each year to ensure compliance with the Medical Board of Australia’s and Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) registration standard.
Why are physicians’ CPD audited?
The CPD audit is designed to confirm the accuracy and verify relevance of activities claimed in participants’ CPD records and ensure compliance with requirements. This reflects the sector’s commitment to professional excellence and supporting your continuous professional development.
How the CPD audit runs at the RACP
Our aim is to ensure the CPD audit is as smooth as possible for you and to support you every step of the way.
RACP CPD participants selected for a CPD audit are chosen through a random selection process and have no correlation to age, gender, College roles undertaken, geographical or clinical/non-clinical practice, or CPD activities.
The RACP CPD audit process runs during April and May each year and audits the previous CPD year.
What to expect
Notification
If you're selected to undertake this year's CPD audit, you'll be notified by the RACP via email on 1 April.
Case officer contact
Within approximately 3 weeks, a dedicated RACP CPD Case Officer will contact you via email and support you through the audit process.
Upload evidence
You'll be asked to upload evidence documentation to your RACP MyCPD account.
Review
Once uploaded, your evidence will be reviewed by your CPD Case Officer. They'll contact you if clarification is needed.
Deadline
The final submission deadline for 2026 is Friday, 29 May 2026.
Outcome
After successful completion of your RACP CPD audit, you'll receive a Letter of Successful Audit along with a Certificate of Completion, which will be available via your RACP MyCPD portal and sent via email. Fellows completing alternate programs will only be provided with a Letter of Successful Audit, which will be available via your RACP MyCPD portal and sent to you via email.
Participants who can't provide sufficient evidence by Friday, 29 May 2026 will be recorded as non-compliant. RACP is required to report the results of the CPD audit to Ahpra, in line with regulatory requirements.
What you can do to prepare if you're selected for the CPD audit
If you're selected for the CPD audit, you'll be asked to provide evidence of CPD activities undertaken. Here are some things you can do in preparation.
Ensure you can verify 50 hours of CPD activities (through evidence documentation), including mandatory activities and category-specific requirements.
Evidence documents should include your name, activity date, organisation, and activity title. Evidence containing personal identifiable data (e.g. patient information, personal calendar and diary entries) won't be accepted.
Have a certificate of participation at the ready if you've been enrolled in an alternative CPD program for the relevant year.
If you're unable to locate evidence, discuss it with your RACP CPD Case Officer who will be able to advise of alternative options.
"In my first year as a consultant, I unfortunately was randomly selected for audit. I was surprised at how quick it was, it felt like a fair process, and it wasn't drawn out. I uploaded some additional evidence where I'd recorded an activity but hadn't uploaded the attendance certificate - that was all really easy. I was fearful it was going to be this long, drawn out of backwards and forwards. But it was really quick. And the platform (RACP MyCPD) did help with that.
Dr Anthony Deacon
Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist
RACP is here to support during a CPD audit
We appreciate being selected for a CPD audit can initially feel daunting amongst all the items on your to-do list and balancing work and life. Our CPD team is here to support you every step of the way. As above, if you're selected for audit, you'll be assigned with a RACP CPD Case Officer.
We encourage you to discuss any questions or concern when your RACP CPD Case Officer contacts you, however you're welcome to contact our CPD Team at any time.
More information on RACP CPD audit can be found in the RACP CPD Handbook.