ACS Skill Assessment Australia 2026: IT Guide, Timeline & Cost

If you're an IT professional applying for a skilled visa to Australia (189, 190, 491, 482), you'll almost certainly need an ACS (Australian Computer Society) skill assessment. Here's exactly how it works in 2026.

What ACS Assesses

ACS assesses your qualifications + work experience against the ANZSCO occupation you nominate (e.g. 261313 Software Engineer, 263111 Computer Network and Systems Engineer). It doesn't test your skills — it audits your paper trail.

Eligibility Pathways

Pathway	For Who
Post Australian Study	Recent grads from an Australian ICT degree
Temporary Graduate	485 visa holders with closely related degree + 1 year experience
General Skilled (major in ICT)	ICT-major degree + 2–4 years experience
General Skilled (minor in ICT)	ICT-minor degree + 5–6 years experience
Non-ICT qualification	Non-ICT degree + 5–6 years experience
RPL (no degree)	6+ years experience with detailed project reports

Cost in 2026

• Standard skills assessment: AUD $560
• Post Australian Study: AUD $560
• RPL: AUD $610
• Review: AUD $440
• Appeal: AUD $440

Processing Time

• Standard: 8–12 weeks
• Post Australian Study: 4–6 weeks
• RPL: 12–16 weeks

Documents You'll Need

1. Passport bio page
2. Degree certificate + complete academic transcript
3. Employment references on company letterhead with exact start/end dates, job title, hours per week (must be 20+), detailed duties matching your ANZSCO, and signatory's contact details
4. Payslips, tax records, employment contract as backup
5. Detailed CV
6. Two RPL project reports (if using RPL pathway)

How ACS Deducts Years

ACS deducts a chunk of your experience based on how closely your qualification matches:

Qualification	Years Deducted
ICT major, closely related	2 years
ICT major, not closely related	4 years
ICT minor, closely related	5 years
Non-ICT, closely related	6 years
No qualification (RPL)	6 years

Example: 8 years' experience with a Bachelor in CS (closely related to Software Engineer) → 8 − 2 = 6 years of skilled employment counted, which gives you 15 points on the PR points test.

The RPL Pathway

If you don't have a recognised ICT qualification, you can still apply via Recognition of Prior Learning. You'll need:

• 6+ years of relevant ICT work experience
• 2 detailed project reports (Key Areas of Knowledge form)
• Each report ≈ 2,500 words covering specific ACS technical knowledge areas

RPL is rigorous — many applicants hire migration agents or specialist RPL writers (cost: $800–$2,500).

Common Reasons ACS Rejects Applications

1. Reference letters missing hours/week or specific duties
2. Job duties too generic — must match ANZSCO description word-for-word
3. Self-employment without ABN + tax records
4. Trying to claim experience under age 20 or before degree completion (won't count if degree is required)
5. RPL reports that paraphrase Wikipedia

After ACS — What's Next?

Once you get your positive ACS outcome (valid for 3 years), submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect. Use our PR Points Calculator to confirm your total score before applying.

Tips From People Who've Passed

• Get statutory declarations from colleagues if HR won't provide a detailed reference
• Submit a comprehensive duty list — bullet points beat paragraphs
• For RPL, describe specific projects with dates, tech stacks, your specific role
• Don't apply for the wrong ANZSCO — Software Engineer (261313) is more flexible than ICT Business Analyst (261111) for current invites

Last updated 18 May 2026 with current ACS fees and processing data.