Multiple areas of practice and dual licences: shared NSW CPD topics for 2026–2027

For the 2026–2027 NSW CPD year (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027), your compulsory training is not always a single pathway’s published minimum. NSW Fair Trading requires you to complete all compulsory topics relevant to each licence category you hold and the areas of practice in which you operate.

Two situations commonly raise questions:

1. Multiple areas of practice under a Real Estate licence (for example residential sales and buyers agency).
2. Dual (or multiple) broad licence categories — Real Estate, Stock and Station Agent, or Strata Managing Agent.

In both cases, shared mandatory topics do not need to be repeated if all required learning outcomes are met for each pathway — but you may need more than the minimum hours for one area or category to cover everything.

This article summarises the published rules from the NSW Government CPD page (last updated 9 July 2026 at the time of writing). It is a practical summary, not legal advice. It complements our Class 1 vs Class 2 NSW CPD guide, which focuses on licence class rather than practice-area and dual-licence combinations.

Licence category vs area of practice

Licence category means the broad type: Real Estate, Stock and Station Agent, or Strata Managing Agent. Holding multiple current categories means you must maintain knowledge and skill across all of them — even if you are not actively operating under each one.

Area of practice is the type of work you perform. Stock and Station and Strata each have a single area of practice. Within Real Estate there are multiple areas, including:

• Residential real estate salesperson
• Residential property manager
• Buyers agent
• Commercial real estate agent
• Business broker
• Onsite (short-term) residential property manager

That split is why two agents with the same Real Estate licence can have different CPD maps: one may only sell residential property; another may sell and act as a buyers agent.

Multiple areas of practice under Real Estate

If you hold a Real Estate licence and operate in one area of practice only, you complete mandatory CPD for that area. You are not required to complete mandatory modules for other Real Estate areas authorised by your licence in which you do not work.

If you operate across multiple areas, you must complete mandatory CPD topics for all areas in which you work. Fair Trading states that:

• where mandatory topics are shared across areas of practice, agents are not required to repeat the same topic provided all required learning outcomes are met for each area
• you may need to complete more than the minimum CPD hours for one area of practice to meet all required learning outcomes
• your total CPD hours depend on your combination of licence categories and areas of practice

Worked example: residential sales and buyers agency

Published 2026–2027 minimums (each pathway):

Shared topics on the published lists include Auction laws and practice, Contracts, and Supervision Guidelines and AML CTF in agency practice. Those shared topics generally do not need to be repeated if every required learning outcome is covered for both pathways.

Pathway-specific topics still need covering: Rules of Conduct refresher (residential sales) and Marketing services, scope of practice and licensing obligations (buyers agents).

Do not invent a single combined hour total. Map every required topic once, confirm learning outcomes with your approved provider, and expect that covering both pathways can mean more than 7 hours even though each standalone pathway publishes a 7-hour minimum.

Worked example: residential sales and commercial

Shared topics on these lists include Rules of Conduct refresher and Supervision Guidelines and AML CTF in agency practice. Unique topics (Auction and Contracts on the sales side; Fire safety and GST on the commercial side) still need to be completed. Again, plan from the topic list — not from adding the two published minimums as if every hour were unique, and not from assuming 7 hours will always be enough.

Residential property manager topics for 2026–2027 are still being finalised by Fair Trading. If property management is one of your areas of practice, check the official CPD page before locking your plan.

Dual licence category holders

If you hold more than one broad licence category, Fair Trading’s dual-licence rules apply on top of area-of-practice rules:

• Maintain knowledge and skill across all categories held, whether or not you are actively operating under each one.
• Where mandatory topics are shared between broad categories (Real Estate, Stock and Station, or Strata Management), you are not required to complete the same topic multiple times so long as all required learning outcomes are met for each category and area of practice.
• That may mean completing more training hours than the minimum for one licence category.
• Where there are no shared topics, the minimum hour requirement for each licence category / area of practice remains.

Fair Trading publishes combination tables for Real Estate with Strata and Real Estate with Stock and Station. Those tables typically list the interactive hours and compulsory topic sets for each side of the dual licence (for example residential salesperson topics plus stock and station topics). Use the official combination that matches your licences and area of practice — do not invent a blended hour figure.

For the full dual-licence combinations and any notes about shared topics, see the Dual licence category holders section on the official CPD page.

Class 1 additions still sit on top

Licence class does not replace the practice-area or dual-licence map. If you are Class 1, Fair Trading’s additional requirements still apply:

• a NSW Fair Trading accredited forum relevant to each licence category you hold, in addition to core CPD hours (further event detail still to come)
• AUSTRAC real estate AML training for Class 1 holders in named areas of practice (residential sales, buyers agents, commercial, business brokers, and stock and station), with delivery guidance still to come as AUSTRAC finalises its approach

Plan core compulsory topics first, then watch Fair Trading for forum and AUSTRAC delivery instructions. Our Class 1 AUSTRAC overview explains what is confirmed versus still pending.

If you are the nominated Licensee in Charge, all CPD training must also be detailed in the agency training plan.

A practical planning checklist

1. List every current licence category you hold.
2. List every area of practice in which you actually operate (for Real Estate, only the areas you work in).
3. Pull the current compulsory topic list and published minimum for each pathway from Fair Trading.
4. Mark topics that appear on more than one list — treat them as shared only where learning outcomes for each pathway will be met.
5. Enrol in the remaining unique topics with an approved provider in an interactive format that includes assessment.
6. Add Class 1 forum and AUSTRAC requirements if they apply to you.
7. Keep completion evidence for the required retention period (Class 1 and Class 2 licence holders: 3 years).

CPD Tracker can help you organise planned and completed learning against pathways; your original certificates remain part of your evidence pack. When you are ready to enrol, browse EDUTIVE’s CPD courses by the licence category and practice areas that apply to you. EDUTIVE is listed as an approved provider on the official NSW Government CPD page.

Frequently asked questions

If I hold a Real Estate licence, do I need CPD for every area of practice it authorises?

No. If you operate in one area of practice only, you complete mandatory CPD for that area. You are not required to complete mandatory modules for areas authorised by your licence in which you do not work. If you work across several areas, you must cover the mandatory topics for each area you operate in.

Do shared NSW CPD topics need to be repeated?

Where mandatory topics are shared across areas of practice or broad licence categories, you are not required to repeat the same topic so long as all required learning outcomes are met for each pathway. You may still need more than the minimum hours for one pathway to cover every outcome.

What if I hold more than one broad licence category?

You must maintain knowledge and skill across every current licence category you hold, whether or not you are actively operating under each one. Complete CPD for each category and your area of practice. Where there are no shared topics, the minimum hours for each category or area still apply.

Can I assume my total CPD is just one pathway’s published minimum?

Not always. Fair Trading says your total CPD hours depend on your combination of licence categories and areas of practice. Shared topics reduce duplication, but covering every required learning outcome can mean more than the minimum for a single pathway.

Sources

Primary reference used for this article:

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for property professionals

Confirm your exact obligations against your licence categories, areas of practice, and the latest Fair Trading guidance before enrolling — especially where residential property manager topics, Class 1 forum details, or AUSTRAC delivery instructions are still being finalised.