How long does a first aid certificate last?

Your Statement of Attainment does not expire, but workplaces treat first aid as current for 3 years and CPR for 12 months. Here is why.

Written byEdway

A workplace first aider bandaging a colleague's bleeding forearm beside an open first aid kit

The short answer

Your Statement of Attainment does not expire. In practice, workplaces usually treat first aid as current for 3 years and CPR as current for 12 months.

This means you normally refresh CPR each year and complete the full first aid course again every 3 years.

Certificate and currency differ

HLTAID011 Provide First Aid gives you a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. It remains a record of what you completed and when; there is no licence card or regulator register to renew.

The 3-year period is about currency—how recently a workplace expects you to have trained. Safe Work Australia’s first aid code recommends renewing first aid qualifications every 3 years.

CPR is refreshed every year

The same code recommends CPR refresher training each year. CPR is unit HLTAID009, which is included when you complete HLTAID011.

After 12 months, your first aid can still be within its 3-year period while your CPR needs refreshing. That is when the shorter CPR course is the relevant booking.

If your training is out of date

Check the dates and unit codes on your Statement of Attainment, then confirm the requirement with your employer. Some workplaces or roles may set a stricter interval.

If only CPR is due, book CPR. If your full first aid training is approaching or past 3 years, complete First Aid again so both first aid and CPR are current.

Both accredited courses are delivered and issued by Training Aid Australia (RTO 91411).

Next step

If your first aid is approaching 3 years, see First Aid. It includes CPR, so both are refreshed together.

If first aid is still current and only CPR is due, see the CPR course.

Sources

Safe Work Australia — Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplaceThe recommendation that CPR refresher training is done annually and first aid qualifications renewed every three years, and that first aiders hold a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment
Safe Work Australia — First aid (managing health and safety)The employer's duty to provide access to trained first aiders at all times, including night shifts and overtime
training.gov.au — HLTAID011, HLTAID010 and HLTAID009Unit codes, official titles and superseded codes