TPB register statuses: what Registered, renewal lodged and Unregistered mean
The statuses that appear in the Tax Practitioners Board public register file, how many agents hold each one, and what to do if an agent isn't listed as registered.
Checked against official sources on 20 Oct 2026
Statuses in the register file
These are the status labels in the TPB public register file dated 19 Oct 2026 (data.gov.au), with the number of records holding each:
- Registered: 63,032
- Unregistered - Terminated: 3,486
- Registered - Renewal application lodged: 1,453
- Unregistered - Termination - Under ART review: 9
- Unregistered - Publication Decision: 8
- Unregistered: 8
- Unregistered - Period of non-application - Under ART review: 7
- Unregistered - Rejection of renewal: 6
- Unregistered - Rejection of new application for fitness and propriety reasons: 2
- Unregistered - Rejection of new application for fitness and propriety reasons - Under ART review: 1
- Unregistered - Publication Decision - Under ART review: 1
- Unregistered - Rejection of renewal - Under ART review: 1
Registered statuses
Registered and Registered - Renewal application lodged are the two statuses we list in the directory. The second means the agent has lodged an application to renew their registration.
Unregistered statuses
Every other label in the file starts with Unregistered. Labels ending in “Under ART review” note that the decision is under review by the Administrative Review Tribunal, which replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on 14 October 2024. We show unregistered records only in our tax agent check, never as listings.
Why it matters
The ATO says registered tax agents are the only people who can charge a fee to prepare and lodge your tax return, and fees paid to someone who isn’t registered can’t be claimed as a deduction. If the person you’re dealing with isn’t shown as registered, check the official TPB register before you pay them, since it is updated continuously.
Questions
What does 'Registered - Renewal application lodged' mean?
The agent has lodged an application to renew their TPB registration. We list these agents along with those shown as Registered.
What does 'Unregistered - Terminated' mean on the TPB register?
The registration is no longer current. Don't pay this person or firm for tax agent services unless the official TPB register shows them as registered.
How often is the register file updated?
The TPB publishes the register file on data.gov.au. The one we use is dated 19 Oct 2026; the official TPB register online is the final word.