How to navigate your membership: the ultimate guide to maximising member benefits

Is there such a thing as too much value? We don’t think so. Membership with The Tax Institute is packed with value every year, including 88 free resources, generous discounts on events, education and subscriptions, free webinars, exclusive member-only reports and insights, plus heaps more. 

But just like choosing a movie on Netflix can be a challenge (so many options!) taking advantage of the full value of membership can be tricky when there’s so much to enjoy. To help you navigate your membership and make sure you don’t miss out on the benefits that matter most to you, we’ve written this guide to the resources, events, advocacy and other benefits you enjoy. Consider it your ticket to getting the most bang for your buck with membership.  

What membership means

The Tax Institute have been leaders in producing tax technical content, providing networking opportunities and advocating for improvements to the tax system for over 80 years. We’re Australia’s biggest membership community dedicated to all things tax, with members all around the country who are passionate about tax.

When you’re a member with The Tax Institute, you’re not just ticking a box. You're investing in your career, your networks and your continuing ability to provide professional excellence for your clients. 

But how? Check out the breakdown of different ways membership benefits your career.

Unique resources 

Your Tax Institute membership is the number one source for leading tax analysis you won’t find anywhere else. 

Our Tax Policy and Advocacy team have just about half a century of tax experience between them, and put it to good use in producing and overseeing a whopping total of 88 tax insights, delivered throughout the year. From weekly newsletters and go-to cheat sheets, through to in-depth analysis of changing legislation, these resources keep you ahead of the game and up to date on the areas that matter to your clients.

“Resources provide the technical aspect that I'm looking for in a way that's understandable.”

-Member feedback 2024

To get familiar with the list of tax resources coming your way throughout the year. Click on the accordion below to learn about resources available to members. You can all access all your member-only resources on the resource hub.

Advocacy on your behalf

The world of tax is an ever-changing one, and the process of consultation and feedback from the profession is crucial in ensuring legislative changes are made for the better of the tax system, the economy and all Australians. The Tax Institute plays an active role in this process, including through making as many as 20 policy submissions publised to our website and a further 16 consultations to various government stakeholders in 2023. And for the first four months of 2024, there has been 29 submissions and consultations put forward by The Tax Institute. 

What does this have to do with you? Well, not only are we advocating on your behalf, to ensure the changes being made work for you and your needs, but as a member, you have the opportunity to have your say and raise your ideas, concerns and opinions. Our Tax Policy and Advocacy team regularly call for feedback as they are preparing policy submissions, so that we accurately capture the perspective of our members. You can keep an eye on our Advocacy Tracker on our website and in TaxVine to see what issues we’re advocating on, and which ones we are seeking feedback on.

Display your experience & expertise

There are four tiers of membership with The Tax Institute, three of which are voting memberships – Associate, Fellow and Chartered Tax Adviser. As any one of these member types, you have the right to use a professional designation, which is a stamp of technical excellence, ethical standards and commitment to continuing growth. These are: Associate (ATI), Fellow (FTI) and Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).

The benefits of this include:

• Demonstrating to your clients the level of expertise and experience you hold in the tax profession, due to the differing eligibility requirements for each tier of membership. For example, your clients can rest assured that as a CTA, you have completed the Chartered Tax Adviser program and passed your exam, gaining top tier practical tax advisory skills.
• Demonstrating your commitment to continual professional development. As a voting member, you are required to fulfill a number of CPD hours each year. This lets your clients know that your skills and knowledge are being updated and you’re across the latest updates for the profession.

With your post-nominal, you can mark yourself as an outstanding tax professional and always have your best foot forward. 

Networking & Events

They say it’s not what you know, but who you know. Well, we think both are important.

Part of the value of membership is the opportunity to attend CPD events for networking and building technical knowledge at reduced member prices. It’s up to you to fully take advantage of our calendar of leading CPD events to meet like-minded peers and put yourself at the centre of the tax conversation, but we make it easier and more affordable for our members.

There are plenty of ways to get involved in CPD events to get more value out of your membership, including:

1. Join a local discussion group. We love a local event, where tax practitioners can get together with peers practicing in their local area. Happening around the country, local discussion groups feature robust tax discussions with passionate professional peers. From Tasmania to Brisbane, Perth to Sydney, these groups are growing and being further developed by State Councils all the time.
2. Attend a flagship national event. There are over 25 flagship tax events happening around the country and online every year. From masterclasses, intensives, conferences, retreats, forums and The Tax Summit, there’s events that cover specialist areas, general tax topics and everything in between. As a member, you’ll save $300 on each flagship CPD event you attend, whether online or in-person. So at 27 signature events yearly, a member would save $8,100 on all these events annually.
3. Contribute and volunteer. Been to a few events and now want to stand on the other side of the lectern? Great! Members have the opportunity to present at an event or join an organising committee. Share your expertise, help guide the agenda for events and grow your professional profile with the support of the Institute. Register your interest here.

Interested in attending an event (or two)? Here’s our 2024 national CPD calendar to see what’s on offer.

“I really enjoy the conventions. Lots of CPD, a great range of locations and all face to face.”

- Member feedback 2024