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CPD Accountants

Please click on the appropriate professional body for details on their CPD process:

CPD Requirements - AAT

A member should carry out his professional work with a proper regard for the technical and professional standards expected of him.

Members need to keep up-to-date with the ever-changing world of taxation if they are to provide the highest standards of service to their clients.

The ATT considers CPD to be the best way of ensuring that members do so.

The minimum requirement for members is 45 hours of CPD per calendar year, of which a minimum of 15 hours must be structured training and 30 hours unstructured. The annual requirement has to be met over one year, the two-year averaging that is applicable to CIOT members is not available to ATT members.

It is appreciated that members need to keep up-to-date on related topics such as law, accounting and financial services but it is recognised that other areas including practice management, staff development, computer and software development are also relevant. In light of this, a maximum of half the total annual CPD requirement may consist of training in non-tax areas.

For more information go to www.aat.co.uk

CPD Requirements - ACCA

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the continuous maintenance, development and enhancement of the professional and personal knowledge and skills which member of ACCA require throughout their working lives.

Members are expected to understand and evaluate skills and knowledge needed and identify gaps and then consider how best to meet this need (Reflect, Recharge, Realise). Participation in ACCA realise is a requirement for all members, including those who are semi-retired or work part-time, Practising Certificate holders and those with insolvency licences. The requirement excludes all those who are fully retired.

Participation will be phased in based on date of entry to membership. Although ACCA is adopting a phased approach, any member can volunteer to complete CPD from January 2005 and ACCA encourages early adoption by members in the later phases.

40 CPD units are required: 21 need to be verifiable e.g. e-learning, work based skills and courses and the remaining can be non-verifiable e.g. general business reading, writing and technical material.

For further information visit www.acca.org.uk/cpdrealise

CPD Requirements - ATT

A member should carry out his professional work with a proper regard for the technical and professional standards expected of him. Members need to keep up-to-date with the ever-changing world of taxation if they are to provide the highest standards of service to their clients. The ATT considers CPD to be the best way of ensuring that members do so.

The minimum requirement for members is 45 hours of CPD per calendar year, of which a minimum of 15 hours must be structured training and 30 hours unstructured. The annual requirement has to be met over one year, the two-year averaging that is applicable to CIOT members is not available to ATT members.

It is appreciated that members need to keep up-to-date on related topics such as law, accounting and financial services but it is recognised that other areas including practice management, staff development, computer and software development are also relevant. In light of this, a maximum of half the total annual CPD requirement may consist of training in non-tax areas.

For more information go to www.aat.co.uk

CPD Requirements - CIMA

CPD is the systematic maintenance, enhancement and continuous improvement of the knowledge, skills and ability, often termed competence, that is required of a Chartered Management Accountant.

CPD became mandatory for all CIMA members in January 2006, it is a principles based scheme which focuses on the outcomes of the development activities undertaken and what has been learnt. CIMA detail a development cycle which members are required to progress through, this cycle involves six steps. Below is a brief synopsis of these steps:

  • Define present and desired roles
  • Assess development needs
  • Design choose development activities to meet learning objectives
  • Act undertake development activities
  • Reflect on how it went, what you have learnt and how you can apply that learning
  • Evaluate evaluate your record assessing actual development against objectives.
  • Development records must be kept for a rolling three year period and there are acceptable formats detailed by CIMA.

For further information visit www.cimaglobal.com

CPD Requirements - CIPFA

'A systematic and planned approach to the maintenance, enhancement and development of knowledge, skills and expertise that continues throughout a professionals career and is to the mutual benefit of the individual, employer, the profession and society as a whole.'

The new scheme is being phased in over three years. Two levels of participation have been developed. Level 1 is the basic scheme designed to meet all current requirements of regulators. Level 2 is the best practice scheme and focuses on planning, recording and reflecting on your development. Flexibility is key to this scheme and it is possible to switch between the two levels as preferred.

Over a three-year period 120 hours of CPD is expected with a minimum of 20 hours verifiable activities in any one-year. For those members that chose to follow Level 2, upon completion of three continuous years of CPD activity will receive a Certificate of Achievement.

For further information please visit www.cipfa.org.uk

CPD Requirements - ICAEW

The overall aim of CPD is to develop and enhance the value of the individual as a professional. This new approach promotes the importance of development and professionalism by focusing on the standards expected of members. An ongoing commitment to professional judgement based on ethics.

The ICAEW scheme is applicable to all members except fully retired members (Those who do not perform any work paid or unpaid) and requires members to:

  • Reflect consider what is required in your role
  • Take action undertake activities that enable you to meet expectations
  • Consider the impact of the activities you have undertaken and whether they meet the needs identified
  • Confirm submit an annual declaration that you have met expectations

For further information visit www.icaew.co.uk

CPD Requirements - ICAS

CA Lifelong Learning Retain the Distinction provides CPD with a relevance and focus for all members by supporting them in their lifelong learning, helping them to remain effective in their chosen careers and gaining them respect and recognition for continually updating their professional expertise

CPD became a requirement for all members, except fully retired, from 1 January 2006 and members will need to confirm their commitment to CPD in their annual return. Those members already undertaking the old hours based system had opportunity to move to opt in to new system from 1 January and the remainder will have a year transitional period. The scheme is based around the ICAS Professional Development Process:

  • Define current and future roles
  • Decide on their training and development needs
  • Develop and undertake a personal development or CPD programme
  • Reflect and record

For further information visit www.icas.org.uk/fastforwardcpde