How to become a chartered and certified accountant
Official title: Chartered and certified accountants
Also called: Accountant, Bank accountant, Cost accountant, Fund accountant, Chief accountant, Group accountant, Works accountant, Branch accountant, Borough accountant, Company accountant, Project accountant, District accountant
Chartered and certified accountants provide accounting and auditing services, advise clients on financial matters, collect and analyse financial information and perform other accounting duties required by management for the planning and control of an establishment’s income and expenditure.
Main tasks
- Plans and oversees implementation of accountancy system and policies
- Prepares financial documents and reports for management, shareholders, statutory or other bodies
- Audits accounts and book-keeping records
- Prepares tax returns, advises on tax problems and contests disputed claim before tax official
- Conducts financial investigations concerning insolvency, fraud, possible mergers, etc.
- Evaluates financial information for management purposes
- Liaises with management and other professionals to compile budgets and other costs
- Prepares periodic accounts, budgetary reviews and financial forecasts
How to become one
Entrants usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification. Apprenticeships are also available. To qualify as an accountant, entrants must undertake a period of training within an approved organisation and successfully complete professional examinations. Exemptions to some professional examinations are available to those with appropriate academic qualifications.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Accountancy or taxation professional (level 7). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0001.
- Apprenticeship (England): Internal audit practitioner (level 4). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0587.
- Apprenticeship (England): Internal audit professional (level 7). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0610.
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £50,062 a year The middle half earn £38,696 to £68,056.
- About 221,900 people work in this job now, and about 249,000 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a chartered and certified accountant?
Entrants usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification. Apprenticeships are also available. To qualify as an accountant, entrants must undertake a period of training within an approved organisation and successfully complete professional examinations. Exemptions to some professional examinations are available to those with appropriate academic qualifications.
How much does a chartered and certified accountant earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £50,062 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £38,696 to £68,056.
Is a chartered and certified accountant a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 221,900 to about 249,000 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a chartered and certified accountant?
Usually. 79% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.