CPD explained

By doing Continuing Professional Development (CPD), ACCA members can keep up to date with the latest skills and knowledge needed in today’s dynamic business world.

What is CPD and why do we do it?

To ensure all our ACCA members are high-performing and consistently achieving, we’ve developed a flexible CPD requirement that’s easy to fit around the busy schedules of finance professionals. 

With over 208,000 members from all around the world, we recognise that our membership is extremely diverse and that different members will have different circumstances and commitments, so we offer four different CPD routes:

  1. Unit route: for our members working full time and are planning and organising their own CPD
  2. Unit route - part-time or semi-retired: for our members who are working part-time or are semi-retired
  3. Approved Employer route: for our members who work for an organisation which is an ACCA Approved Employer - professional development. If you would like to know more, please visit our Become an Approved Employer section
  4. IFAC body route: for our members that also belong to another IFAC-member body and chooses to follow that body's CPD requirement.

No matter which route they’re following, all members are required to complete an annual CPD declaration by 1 January each year and need to keep evidence of their CPD.

Any learning activity can be claimed as CPD as long as members can prove it was relevant and can be applied in their day-to-day role.