AHPRA registration renewal is the annual compliance event that determines whether you can legally take a shift, bill Medicare, and use your protected professional title. Whether you are a GP, specialist, pharmacist, nurse, physiotherapist, psychologist, occupational therapist, dentist, or paramedic, missing or mishandling renewal carries serious consequences. This guide consolidates the key dates, obligations, fees, and fallback options for 2025-26 and the 2026-27 period opening now.
This article is general information, not personal legal or professional advice. Always confirm details with your National Board or AHPRA directly.
Renewal Deadlines Vary by Profession
AHPRA does not use a single renewal date for all professions. Your deadline depends entirely on which National Board governs you.
- 31 May: Nurses and midwives (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia). The 2026-27 renewal window opened in April 2026; the standard deadline was 31 May 2026.
- 30 September: Medical practitioners (Medical Board of Australia), covering GPs and specialists.
- 30 November: All remaining professions regulated under the National Law, including dental practitioners, pharmacists, physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and paramedics.
If you practise across more than one registered profession, each registration follows its own board's deadline. Calendar reminders set three months out, one month out, and one week out are the simplest safeguard for multi-registered locums.
What You Declare at Renewal
Renewal is not a passive payment. When you submit through the AHPRA online portal you are making active declarations to your National Board on three registration standards.
Continuing professional development (CPD). You declare that you have met your board's CPD requirements for the preceding registration period. Requirements differ by profession: nurses and midwives must complete a minimum of 20 CPD hours per year (with an additional 10 hours if endorsed as a nurse practitioner or holding a scheduled medicines endorsement). Medical practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists, OTs, dentists, and paramedics each have their own CPD quantum and format requirements set by their respective boards. It is your responsibility to keep records; AHPRA can audit declarations.
Recency of practice. You must have practised for a minimum number of hours within the preceding period, typically a minimum of 450 hours across the past five years for nurses and midwives, with comparable standards applying across other boards. If you have been on an extended career break, review your board's recency standard before renewal opens, as additional return-to-practice conditions may apply.
Professional indemnity insurance (PII). You must hold PII appropriate to your scope. For most locums working through agencies, the agency or host workplace carries cover, but you remain responsible for confirming it is current and adequate for your specific practice. Independent direct-billing locums often need their own policy.
Fees for 2025-26
National Boards and AHPRA announced fees for 2025-26 on 18 September 2025. Indicative annual renewal fees for the current period are:
| Profession | Approx. 2025-26 fee (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Medical practitioners (GPs, specialists) | $1,058 |
| Dental practitioners | $818 |
| Psychologists | ~$454 |
| Pharmacists | $484 (outside NSW); $583 (NSW, includes complaints component) |
| Physiotherapists | ~$211 (outside NSW) |
| Occupational therapists | ~$127 |
| Nurses and midwives | ~$185 |
These are base national fees for general registration. NSW practitioners pay a separate state component to their state council in addition to the national fee. Fees are not subject to GST. AHPRA also introduced a 30 per cent fee rebate for practitioners returning from extended parental leave, disability leave, or carer's leave, applicable from the 2025-26 period.
Note: confirm your exact fee on the relevant board's website before payment, as figures above are sourced from AHPRA announcements and third-party reporting and individual board pages carry the authoritative amounts.
Late Renewal and the Grace Period
Every board provides a one-month late period after your registration expiry date. Renewing within that window attracts a late payment fee on top of the standard renewal fee but keeps your registration continuous. For medical practitioners, that fast-track window runs 1 to 30 November each year.
Once the grace period closes, your name is removed from the national public register and you must immediately cease practice, use of your professional title, and any Medicare billing. Practising without current registration is a criminal offence under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.
Lapsed Registration: What Comes Next
If your registration lapses entirely, renewal is no longer an option. You must lodge a new application for registration, which is treated as an initial application and assessed against current standards. Processing times vary by profession and individual circumstances, and you cannot work during the assessment period. There is no automatic right of re-registration even for experienced practitioners.
For locums whose income depends entirely on shifts, a lapsed registration can mean weeks of lost earnings and potential breach of existing contracts with agencies. Prevention is straightforward: set reminders, start renewal as soon as the portal opens, and do not wait until the final days.
How Sessional Helps
Sessional tracks credential expiry dates alongside your shift income, so your AHPRA renewal deadline sits alongside your CPD log and indemnity insurance expiry on the same dashboard. As your renewal date approaches, Sessional surfaces it as a credentialing alert so it does not get buried in an inbox. For the financial side, annual AHPRA fees are a legitimate tax deduction for locums with an ABN, and Sessional's earnings and tax-reserve dashboard helps you hold the right amount back across the year so the renewal fee does not arrive as a surprise. Start a free account at /pricing or read more at /help.
Sources
- AHPRA - Registration renewal
- AHPRA - National Boards and Ahpra announce fees for 2025/26
- AHPRA - Fees
- AHPRA - What do I do if my registration is about to expire?
- Medical Board of Australia - Registration renewal
- Nursing and Midwifery Board - Registration renewal opens 2026
- AHPRA - Continuing Professional Development
- Physiotherapy Board of Australia - Sets fee for 2025/26
- Pharmacy Board of Australia - Sets fee for 2025/26
- Occupational Therapy Board of Australia - Fees
- ANMJ - National Boards and Ahpra set registration fees for 2025/26