The title itself means nothing
Unlike solicitors or dentists, accountants are not subject to a single statutory register. There is no law preventing an unqualified person from advertising as an accountant and preparing your accounts.
This is not a reason to panic: many capable bookkeepers and accountants operate outside the chartered bodies, but it does mean the word on the sign carries no guarantee, and the checking is left to you.
What the letters after the name mean
Each body sets examinations, requires continuing professional development, mandates professional indemnity insurance for practising members, and operates a disciplinary process. Membership can be verified on the body’s own register rather than taken on trust from a logo.
- ICAEW: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA).
- ICAS: Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (CA).
- ACCA: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
- CIMA: Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
- AAT: Association of Accounting Technicians.
- CIOT: Chartered Institute of Taxation, for tax specialists.
Anti-money-laundering supervision is mandatory
Accountancy service providers in the UK must be supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes, either by a professional body or by HMRC. A firm that cannot tell you who supervises it is not meeting a basic legal obligation.
This is a useful, concrete question precisely because there is no single accountancy register to check.
Audit is different
Only a registered auditor can carry out a statutory audit. If your company needs an audit, confirm the firm holds audit registration: general accountancy qualifications do not confer it.
Match the accountant to the work
A sole trader filing a self-assessment return, a growing limited company with payroll and VAT, and a business preparing for sale need different things. Ask how many clients like you the firm handles, and who will actually do the work: the person you meet is not always the person doing the bookkeeping.
Software matters more than it used to. With Making Tax Digital extending digital record-keeping and filing obligations, it is worth confirming which packages the firm supports and whether the licence cost sits with you or with them.
Before you engage
- Which professional body are you a member of, and what is your membership number?
- Who supervises you for anti-money-laundering purposes?
- Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?
- What exactly is included in the fee, and what is billed separately?
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and what response time should I expect?
- What happens to my records if I move to another accountant?
Frequently asked questions
- Do accountants have to be qualified in the UK?
- No. "Accountant" is not a protected title, so anyone may use it. Membership of a body such as ICAEW, ICAS, ACCA, CIMA or AAT is what brings mandatory qualifications, insurance and a disciplinary process.
- How do I verify an accountant’s membership?
- Ask for the body and membership number, then check it on that body’s own register. A logo on a website is not verification.
- Can any accountant audit my company?
- No. Statutory audits can only be carried out by registered auditors. Confirm audit registration specifically if your company requires an audit.
- Who supervises accountants for money laundering?
- Either their professional body or HMRC. Supervision is a legal requirement for accountancy service providers, so any firm should be able to answer this immediately.
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About this guide
Written and maintained by the LocalListed editorial team. It describes UK regulation and consumer protections in general terms and is not legal, financial or professional advice. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and change over time: always check the position with the named regulator before relying on it.