Teacher registration in the ACT (TQI): voluntary for early childhood teachers
TQI registration in October 2026: voluntary for early childhood teachers since 1 April 2024, $115 a year, renew by 31 March, WWVP registration required.
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In the ACT, early childhood teachers can register with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) in a voluntary Early Childhood Teacher category. Registration lasts 12 months and is renewed by 31 March. The annual fee is $115; the fee for this category was waived until 31 March 2026. TQI consulted on mandatory registration in August 2026.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing body | ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Official name | Teacher registration with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Registration period | 12 months, renewed by 31 March | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Application fee | $115 (1 January to 30 June), $90 (1 July to 30 September) or $65 (from 1 October), valid to the next 31 March; refunded if unsuccessful | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Annual fee | $115 a year | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Processing time | TQI aims to assess applications within 10 working days | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Renewal | Renew in Term 1, before 31 March, with 20 hours of professional learning a year and current WWVP registration | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Interstate (mutual recognition) | Mutual recognition by application; teaching is exempt from automatic deemed registration until 1 July 2027 | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Apply or renew | How to apply to TQI Renewal of registration | tqi.act.edu.au |
| Status check or register | No public lookup. Employers' workplace delegates use the Online Register of Approved Teachers inside the TQI Portal | tqi.act.edu.au |
| What an employer must do | None for early childhood services today: the offence of letting an unapproved teacher teach does not apply in an early childhood education and care service | tqi.act.edu.au |
Fees and processing times change, most often once a year. The source column links to the official page each value was checked against in October 2026.
How to apply: Teacher registration (ACT)
- Hold current Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration: it is required to register and to renew.
- Apply to TQI in the Early Childhood Teacher category, available since 1 April 2024.
- Pay $115 if you apply between 1 January and 30 June, $90 between 1 July and 30 September, or $65 from 1 October. Each is valid to the following 31 March and is refunded if the application is unsuccessful.
- TQI aims to assess applications within 10 working days.
How to renew: Teacher registration (ACT)
- Renew every year in Term 1, before 31 March, paying the $115 annual fee. The fee for the Early Childhood Teacher category was waived until 31 March 2026, and no extension has been published.
- Record and reflect on 20 hours of professional learning each year.
- Keep your WWVP registration current.
What employers must do
- Early childhood education and care services have no registration duty today: registration is voluntary there.
- In schools, employers must ensure only approved teachers teach (a strict liability offence of 50 penalty units) and notify TQI of notifiable events within five days.
- Workplace delegates can check registration in the Online Register of Approved Teachers inside the TQI Portal.
What is specific to Australian Capital Territory
- TQI consulted from 12 to 25 August 2026 on options for mandatory registration of early childhood teachers. No start date has been announced.
- TQI reports that over 400 early childhood teachers hold voluntary TQI registration.
- There is no public register lookup; the register of approved teachers sits behind the TQI Portal login.
What Koora checks
Reviewed. The ACT has no public teacher register lookup, so Koora does not verify a TQI registration at source. A person reviews the registration evidence the teacher uploads when they share their Career Passport or a provider requests access, or across an organisation's own records where Crew is attached, and Koora tracks the expiry date.
Your team reviews each credential in Koora, or Crew does it for you. The provider keeps the legal responsibility for who they engage.
Frequently asked questions
Do early childhood teachers need to register with TQI in the ACT?
Not yet. Registration in the Early Childhood Teacher category is voluntary. TQI consulted on mandatory registration in August 2026, with no start date announced.
How much is TQI registration?
The annual fee is $115. A new application costs $115, $90 or $65 depending on when in the year you apply. The early childhood fee was waived until 31 March 2026, and no extension has been published.
When do ACT teachers renew registration?
Every year in Term 1, before 31 March, with 20 hours of professional learning and current WWVP registration.
Do ACT teachers need a WWVP registration?
Yes. Holding and maintaining current Working with Vulnerable People registration is a condition of applying for and renewing teacher registration.
Related
- Early childhood teacher registration in Australia, by state
- Teacher registration in every state and territory: the comparison table
- Working with Vulnerable People (ACT) in Australian Capital Territory
- NDIS Worker Screening Check (ACT) in Australian Capital Territory
- National Police Check (ACT) in Australian Capital Territory
- Glossary: Teacher registration
- Which worker check do I need?: pick your sector, role and state
Sources
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration/ECT-registration
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration/renewal-of-registration
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration/how-to-apply/fees
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration/how-to-apply
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration/Maintaining-Registration
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration/how-to-apply/mutual-recognition
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/employers
- https://www.tqi.act.edu.au/regulation/for-employers
This is general information, not compliance advice. Always confirm requirements with the relevant regulator, and remember that providers keep the legal responsibility to sight credentials and decide who can work.
We work hard to keep everything accurate, and our compliance engine keeps up with the rules as they change. Even so, we might get a detail slightly wrong or miss something. No one's perfect. If you think something here needs updating, email us at resources@koora.care. We would genuinely rather know, because we all do better when we help each other get it right.
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