These FAQ's should not be read alone but in conjunction with the 2013 CPD Regulations.
Please note: This information has been provided by the Chartered Accountants Regulatory Board (CARB). CPD queries can be directed to CARB's Belfast Office.
Queries relating to CPD requirements, and/or the declaration of compliance, should be directed to CARB at cpdqueries@carb.ie
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What is CPD?
- Why do I have to do CPD?
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What is "Input" CPD?
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How many hours of CPD must I do?
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What is "Output" CPD?
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Do I have a choice in whether I am following the Input or Output basis of CPD and can I change my mind next year?
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What are my CPD requirements if I am working less than a year (e.g. I am on a career break, travelling, maternity leave, illness)?
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What are my CPD requirements if I am working part-time?
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What are my CPD requirements if I move from industry to practice during the year?
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What are my CPD requirements if I move from practice to industry during the year?
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I qualified as a Chartered Accountant this year, what are my CPD requirements this year?
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What types of activity count towards CPD?
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What is structured CPD?
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What is unstructured CPD?
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Do I have to attend courses?
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What sort of support is Chartered Accountants Ireland offering in relation to CPD?
- Are only Chartered Accountants Ireland CPD courses eligible for my structured CPD requirements?
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What evidence will I need if I am selected under the periodic review?
- Are only technical courses counted as structured, what about broad business skills?
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Do courses have to be related to Accountancy to be eligible as CPD?
- Are other qualifications recognised for CPD purposes e.g. Diplomas?
- I do not work in Accountancy or a finance related role, but wish to keep up my membership of Chartered Accountants Ireland, what are my CPD requirements?
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I am working outside Ireland (e.g. Australia), do I need to follow Chartered Accountants Ireland CPD requirements?
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What if I am outside Ireland and join another professional accountancy body, do I have to follow both CPD requirements, or can I pick one?
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My firm has its own CPD programme in place, will this meet Chartered Accountants Ireland CPD requirements?
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I am retired but occasionally volunteer or do part-time work of a business or financial nature - am I exempt from CPD requirements?
- How do I keep records of my CPD and what evidence is required?
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How will you know if I haven't done any CPD?
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What will happen to me if I don't do any CPD?
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Besides 20 unstructured hours, I did not do any CPD last year, what should I do?
- How many members will be monitored each year?
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What is CPD?
Continuing Professional Development is about keeping your professional skills up to date and appropriate for your job.
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Why do I have to do CPD?
As a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland it is a requirement to maintain your professional competence under the Rules of Professional Conduct. This is for the purposes of integrity and quality of professional services offered by Chartered Accountants.
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What is "Input" CPD?
This is the traditional basis of CPD where you measure your CPD by the number of hours learning you have done e.g. the basic requirement is 20 hours structured and 50 hours unstructured per year (measured on a 3 year average). In other words - you measure by the number of hours you have "put in/input". For detailed requirements refer to the CPD Regulations and the CPD Guidance.
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How many hours of CPD must I do?
If you are adopting the input based approach you will need to do at least 20 hours structured and 50 hours unstructured CPD. If you work in practice you will need to achieve a minimum of 10 hours of structured CPD in each service area in which you practice. These requirements can be averaged over a three year period but you must undertake at least 20 hours structured or unstructured CPD each year. See CPD Guidance for further information.
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What is "Output" CPD?
The key feature of output CPD is that completing a prescribed number of hours is not the requirement: it is showing that you have thought about your specific training needs and followed through on developing them. For many members this is more relevant than attending courses that may or may not be relevant to your current role. In order to follow an output basis you will be required to do the following:
Step 1: Assess what is expected of you in your current and future roles
Step 2: Decide on and carry out your development goals, including identifying CPD activities
Step 3: Reflect on the effectiveness of your CPD activities in meeting your training and development goals
Step 4: Record all of the above
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Do I have a choice in whether I am following the Input or Output basis of CPD and can I change my mind next year?
You can choose which ever method suits your particular circumstances. At the beginning of the year you should decide which approach best meets your needs. You will of course need to clearly record which method you have chosen. Input CPD can be achieved over a 3 year rolling average, whereas output CPD is an annual requirement, therefore if you change your CPD basis, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are meeting your CPD requirements each year for that basis.
Suggested formats for recording both output and input CPD are included in Appendix 4 of the Guidance.
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What are my CPD requirements if I move from industry to practice during the year?
If you are following the input CPD basis, the number of hours required will increase, and there may be specific requirements if you are planning to work in a reserved area of practice for example audit and investment business. If you are following the output basis you would need to re-evaluate your training needs and ensure that your development is suitable for your new role.
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I qualified as a Chartered Accountant this year, what are my CPD requirements this year?
From the date you join Chartered Accountants Ireland as an associate (i.e. not from when you pass your exams) you are required to comply with CPD requirements. If you have studied for your exams in the year in question you are unlikely to need to undertake any additional CPD. However, if you had previously completed your studying then you will need to comply with the CPD Regulations in full in the year in which you become a member. The actual requirements applicable to you will depend on which CPD approach you adopt.
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What types of activity count towards CPD?
Any learning or development activity that is relevant to your role. Examples include attending courses, online learning, reading, attending meetings of a professional body or regulator, discussions with a mentor/more experienced colleague. For more examples refer to the CPD Guidance.
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What is structured CPD?
Examples of structured CPD are as follows:
Courses, Conferences, Seminars and Structured Discussion Meetings - where these are controlled by a competent individual. This can include network group meetings where such a presentation is made by a competent individual who may be a member of the network.
Pre and Post Course reading - studying material provided in advance or with a structured discussion, seminar or course is an example of this. These sort of activities will generally constitute no more than 2 to 3 hours of structured CPD.
Interactive Multi-media Learning - the completion of interactive computer and multi-media based learning programmes.
Quality Review and other monitoring visits undertaken by CARB or any other regulatory body - in particular the opening and closing meetings of such a visit subject to a maximum 3 hours per visit.
In house training - by a training organisation or the Institute's practice consulting team or another competent individual.
Research and Lecture Preparation - this may include lecture preparation, presentation, research for a publication or article in the members own name or research (including relevant reading) for a new piece of work to be undertaken.
Additional Qualification - this may be through private study, distance learning or attendance at formal courses.
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What is unstructured CPD?
Examples of unstructured CPD are as follows:
Individual Home Study - any alternative form of learning where there is no interaction with other individuals and no assessment is provided.
Network and Focus Groups - time spent participation in Network of Focus group meetings may constitute part of CPD undertaken. Credit will only be given for discussion of technical matters. It is unlikely that the type of learning will account for more then 50% of total unstructured CPD. However if an expert is talking on a particular relevant topic then this presentation will constitute structured CPD.
Reading - It is accepted that general reading of the financial press (e.g. daily newspapers) is important but it should not constitute a major part of the CPD undertaken. Credit will only be given for technical articles and credit for this type of reading is unlikely to account for more than 25% of the total unstructured CPD.
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Do I have to attend courses?
No, CPD can be achieved in many different ways; attendance at courses is only one of them. Any learning or development activity that is relevant to your role may count as CPD. Examples include attending courses, online learning, reading, attending meetings of a professional body or regulator, discussions with a mentor/more experienced colleague.
For more examples see questions 13 & 14 above.
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What evidence will I need if I am selected under the periodic review?
The Committee will periodically determine the evidence it wishes to see to support your CPD confirmation.
The first and most important piece of evidence is your CPD record. This must be sufficiently detailed to allow the inspector to assess whether the CPD achievements recorded meet the requirements of the Regulations.
If you are adopting the input based approach you will need to record clearly the activity undertaken and the courses etc attended together with a brief description of the topics covered. The Committee may decide that it wishes to see further supporting evidence; examples are included in Appendix 3 of the Guidance.
If you are adopting the Output based approach you will need to ensure your record includes details of the steps referred to in question 5 above. A suggested format for your record is included in Appendix 4 of the Guidance. The Committee may decide that it wishes to see further supporting evidence; examples are included in Appendix 3 of the Guidance.
The Institute has developed My CPD Manager which will provide members with a comprehensive recoding tool.
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Are only technical courses counted as structured, what about broad business skills?
The purpose of any form of CPD activity is to enable you to develop and maintain the skills necessary to allow you to competently perform within your professional environment. This of course is not reserved to technical matters or skills normally associated with accountancy but can include broader business skills and more sector focused specialisms.
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How do I keep records of my CPD and what evidence is required?
You are responsible for maintaining your CPD record. This record of CPD may be in any format.
For example you may work in an organisation which maintains a specific CPD register or you may work in an accredited employer partnership or you may use Chartered Accountants Ireland 'My CPD Manager' which has been developed by the Institute to support members in complying with the CPD Regulations.
Whatever method you choose you must remember to keep your records for 5 years and you must be able to provide the reports required by the Quality Assurance Committee to enable it to monitor your compliance with the Regulations. You will need to ensure that if your firm maintains the CPD records that these are retained for 5 years and can be made available for inspection.
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How will you know if I haven't done any CPD?
Each year you will be required to provided a statement confirming your compliance with the CPD Regulations. In addition the Quality Assurance Committee will carry out a periodic review of members CPD records. Further information on monitoring of compliance is included in the CPD Guidance.
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What will happen to me if I don't do any CPD?
All members are required to comply with the CPD Regulations. Members who willfully refuse to comply with the Regulations will be subject to regulatory action by the Quality Assurance and/or the disciplinary committees. In extreme circumstances this could result in loss of membership. If there is any reason why you cannot comply with the CPD regulations in any particular year you should contact CARB immediately.
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