TPB to count mental health support as continuing professional education

The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) is encouraging its members to seek mental health support through Beyond Blue if they’re struggling, and allowing anyone who takes part in the organisation’s small business program to claim time towards their continuing education requirements.

Long hours, social isolation, cash flow issues and competing priorities imposed on tax professionals by the pandemic have taken a toll, the TPB has heard from members. Per their reports, around a third of small business owners are experiencing high levels of distress. 

To help members to seek support, the TPB has announced it will allow a qualifying mental health coaching program to count towards continuing professional education (CPE) requirements.

The program, NewAccess for Small Business Owners (NASBO), is a telehealth service delivered by Beyond Blue and facilitated by coaches with small business backgrounds. It’s a free, six-session service available across Australia.

Under new relaxed rules for CPE requirements, the TPB will now count Beyond Blue’s NASBO program towards CPE hours. The amount of time a tax practitioner can claim from NASBO is capped at 10 per cent of a their overall CPE requirement. Meaning if the program is 20 hours, a tax agent may claim nine hours, a BAS agent may claim 4.5 hours, and a tax financial adviser may claim six hours. 

Other temporary concessions the TPB has implemented include extending the exemption to complete annual declarations until 31 December 2021, and removing the 25 per cent cap for relevant technical and professional reading activity within the CPE requirements.

The TPB will also host a webinar to address mental health issues among its community on 20 October. 

In addition to contacting Beyond Blue, the TPB urged members to seek support through 24/7 support services like Lifeline and Head to Health, the government’s digital mental health gateway.