How much CPD an accountant needs depends entirely on which professional body they belong to — there is no single “accountant” requirement. An ACCA member follows a 40-unit annual scheme; an ICAEW member follows a category system of 20, 30 or 40 hours a year; a CIMA member has no prescribed hours at all. Getting this wrong is the most common mistake, because advice written for one body is often applied to another. On top of professional-body CPD, many accountants carry a separate legal duty: anti-money-laundering training under the Money Laundering Regulations.
At a glance: Nexis CPD offers £9 CPD-accredited online courses relevant to accountancy and compliance, with a verifiable e-certificate on passing — and any three courses cost £18.
ACCA: the 40-unit route
Most ACCA members follow the unit route: 40 units of CPD per year, where one unit equals one hour of development. Of those, 21 units must be verifiable and the remaining 19 can be non-verifiable. Verifiable means the learning is relevant, you can explain how you used it, and you can produce evidence you completed it. Members complete an annual CPD declaration.
ICAEW: the category system
ICAEW revised its CPD regulations from 1 November 2023. Members are now placed in one of three categories by the type of work they do, and the verifiable minimum depends on whether you work in practice:
- Category 1 — 40 hours a year. Verifiable minimum: 30 hours in practice, 15 hours outside practice (the highest-risk roles, e.g. audit of public interest entities, or finance directors of PIEs)
- Category 2 — 30 hours a year. Verifiable minimum: 20 hours in practice, 10 hours outside practice
- Category 3 — 20 hours a year. Verifiable minimum: 10 hours in practice, 5 hours outside practice
Category 3 is where members fall if their work is not listed in Categories 1 or 2. ICAEW also expects ethics training to form part of your CPD, and provides a self-assessment tool to confirm your category.
CIMA: no fixed number
CIMA (part of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants) does not prescribe a minimum number of CPD hours. Members follow an outcome-based approach and must still maintain records demonstrating their competence stays current. “No number” is not “nothing” — you must still be able to show you kept up to date.
The takeaway: check your own body’s rules, and do not assume a colleague’s requirement is yours.
The AML duty most accountancy CPD guides forget
Separate from professional-body CPD, accountancy and tax firms are “relevant persons” under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. Regulation 24 requires relevant employees to be “regularly given training” in recognising and dealing with money laundering, and requires the firm to keep a written record of that training.
This is a legal obligation on the firm, enforced by your AML supervisor — not a matter of professional-body CPD points, though the same course can serve both. It reaches beyond partners to anyone who onboards clients or handles transactions. See our guide to AML training requirements for how often and what it must cover.
Which courses suit an accountant?
The cluster that maps onto an accountancy firm’s legal obligations — and doubles as verifiable CPD — is the compliance trio:
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Awareness — the Regulation 24 requirement
- Anti-Bribery Awareness — the Bribery Act 2010 and the “adequate procedures” defence
- Data Protection and GDPR Awareness — unavoidable once you hold client financial data (see what is GDPR)
All three together cost £18 rather than £27, because any three courses trigger the pay-for-2-get-3 offer. Add them to the cart and the discount applies automatically.
One caveat on counting these towards professional-body CPD: whether a given course is “verifiable” for ACCA or ICAEW depends on relevance to your role and your ability to evidence and apply it — that judgement is yours, not ours.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do accountants need?
It depends on the professional body. ACCA members on the unit route need 40 units per year, one unit being one hour, of which 21 must be verifiable. ICAEW members are placed in categories requiring 20, 30 or 40 hours a year, with a verifiable minimum that is higher for members in practice than for those outside it. CIMA does not prescribe a minimum number of hours. There is no single accountant requirement.
What is ACCA's CPD requirement?
Most ACCA members follow the unit route: 40 units of CPD per year, where one unit equals one hour of learning, of which 21 units must be verifiable and 19 can be non-verifiable. Verifiable means the learning is relevant to your role, you can explain how you used it, and you can provide evidence you completed it. Members complete an annual CPD declaration.
What are the ICAEW CPD categories?
Under regulations in force from 1 November 2023, ICAEW places members in one of three categories by the type of work they do. Category 1 requires 40 hours a year, Category 2 requires 30 and Category 3 requires 20. The verifiable minimum is 30, 20 or 10 hours for members in practice, and 15, 10 or 5 hours for members outside practice. ICAEW provides a self-assessment tool to confirm your category.
Do accountants need AML training as well as CPD?
Often, yes, and it is separate. Accountancy and tax firms are relevant persons under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. Regulation 24 requires relevant employees to be regularly given training in recognising and dealing with money laundering, and requires the firm to keep a written record. This is a legal duty enforced by your AML supervisor, distinct from professional-body CPD, though the same course can serve both.
Can an online course count towards accountancy CPD?
It can, where it is relevant to your role and you can evidence and apply it, which is what makes CPD verifiable for ACCA or ICAEW. A dated, verifiable certificate provides the evidence of the learning activity. Whether a particular course counts as verifiable is your own judgement based on relevance to your work, not something a provider can decide for you.
CPD and compliance courses for accountants
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
This article is general information, not legal or professional-body advice. Requirements change and differ by body; the figures here are believed correct at the time of writing but you must confirm the current rules with ACCA, ICAEW, CIMA or your own institute. A CPD awareness course is not a regulated qualification. Whether any course counts as verifiable CPD for your body is your judgement based on relevance and evidence. AML obligations are set by the Money Laundering Regulations and your supervisor.