The amalgamation: what you need to know

The recent amalgamation of CPA Ireland and Chartered Accountants Ireland creates the largest accountancy body on the island. Bryan Rankin, Head of Student Operations at Chartered Accountants Ireland, outlines what students who joined 1 September need to know about this transition and their next steps

Earlier this year, members of CPA Ireland and Chartered Accountants Ireland voted to amalgamate – bringing the two organisations together into one. Both Institutes are now working towards finalising the amalgamation.

The amalgamation has created the biggest accountancy body on the island of Ireland by some distance. All students are now part of a larger, single membership body that will have greater presence and influence in the Irish economic landscape. 

In terms of education, the support provided by Chartered Accountants Ireland results in the highest pass rate of any accountancy body in Ireland with students progressing faster to membership. 

Upon qualification, all students, including those previously with CPA, can use either the Chartered Accountant or CPA designation, the latter of which continues to enjoy significant international recognition. 

So, what does this mean for CPA students joining the newly merged body? Here’s what you should know.

Enrolment

First thing to know is that you, the student, will need to enrol yourself on your subjects and register for exams via the Chartered Accountants Ireland website and the student enrolment page. 

Neither CPA nor Chartered can enrol the student for an exam. Information on the process to activate your Chartered Accountants Ireland student profile is in an email sent to CPA students recently. 

At the time of publication, we are aware that some CPA students are still awaiting results of the Autumn exams, due 11 October. For these students, your data will only be transferred after results have been published to ensure the most up-to-date position is reflected on your profile within Chartered Accountants Ireland. You will receive the profile activation email after the August exam results are published. 

First- and second-year education 

If you are embarking on your first year of accountancy studies, you will start with Chartered Accountants Ireland, Chartered Accountants Proficiency 1 (CAP1). 

If you have successfully passed or gained exemption from some CPA Ireland subjects, you will proceed with the Chartered Accountants Ireland equivalent subjects at CAP1 and/or CAP2, as appropriate.

One-stop shop

CPA students advancing to Strategic Level studies have the option to continue to see out their studies with CPA. However, it is possible to opt for Chartered’s FAE programme. For more info about this option, please visit the Chartered Accountants Ireland website.

Chartered Accountants Ireland provides education directly; it is not outsourced to a third-party education provider. Therefore, you will engage with the Institute as your education provider as well as your examiner. You will pay one fee, covering education and the exam. Detailed fee information was provided to you directly by CPA Ireland via email.

You’ll access all education content on our online platform, the Learning Hub, and students will soon receive information on how to log in for the first time. Textbooks will be sent to enrolled students at their home address. 

When it comes to payment, if an existing CPA Ireland student has undertaken and paid for a CPA-affiliated education programme previously and needs to resit an exam, then the student will only pay the resit exam fees. While you will be required to take the relevant study programme, you will not be ‘double charged’ for this course. 

The Institute’s academic year starts on 20 September 2024 for CAP1, with exams at the end of May 2025. 

CAP2 learning materials will be available from 7 October 2024.

If you’re a CPA student awaiting results from the Autumn CPA exams, don’t worry. Late registrants will get access to all materials and recordings. Two of the CAP1 assessments in Double Entry Bookkeeping and Law are on-demand and may be attempted up to January 2025, with unlimited attempts. 

Exams with Chartered Accountants Ireland

As with CPA Ireland, your exams will be online. 

Chartered Accountants Ireland uses the same exam platform (Cirrus) as CPA Ireland. 
From this year, Chartered exams at CAP1 will be autoscored, thus providing a faster turnaround time for your results. 

CAP2 exams, however, will not be autoscored for the coming academic year. There will be a lot of information on this and sample papers coming on stream shortly. 

For all information on Chartered Accountants Ireland exams, visit the Institute’s website. 

Recording relevant experience

As with CPA Ireland, as a student of Chartered Accountants Ireland, you will need to demonstrate that you have met the professional development (training) requirements over the course of your training period. CPA Ireland students who transition to Chartered Accountants Ireland must complete a minimum of three years of training. 

If you have already started logging your training with CPA Ireland via the MYCPA portal, please continue to use this into the future. If you haven’t recorded any experience before, your first step will be to start to record your experience on the Chartered Accountants Ireland website (via Student Centre) in an online portal called the CA Diary. Your mentor will also need to be set up on the system. Both systems will run in parallel for the moment. 

Further information

Students transferring from CPA Ireland to Chartered Accountants Ireland may understandably have a range of queries. The dedicated CPA students page on the Chartered website has a list of FAQs and helpful information to get you started. 

Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Education and Training Department is here to support you through this transition, so please contact us at StudentQueries@charteredaccountants.ie. 

Whether you’re just starting your accountancy studies or you’re well on the way to qualification, we hope you enjoy your studies with us for 2024/25.