Don’t Leave It Too Late: Get Ahead on Your CPD with ICPA’s New AccountingCPD Partnership

Meeting your annual continuing professional development (CPD) requirements as an ACCA or ICAEW member doesn’t have to be a last-minute rush. At ICPA, we recognise the importance of staying current, and we’re committed to providing our members with the most affordable continuing professional development CPD for accountants. We’ve partnered with AccountingCPD, a recognised leader in online professional development, to offer ICPA members exclusive access to a suite of online CPD courses.

This partnership delivers exceptional value: ICPA members receive a 50% discount on professional development, with access to over 1,500 online continuing professional development (CPD) resources. The October CPD deadline is fast approaching, but there’s no need to spend August and September scrambling for CPD hours. Whether you need to complete your full CPD allocation or top up specific knowledge areas, this partnership offers accessible, affordable, and flexible CPD hours that fit around your practice demands.

Why Most Accountants Rush Their CPD

We’ve all been there. October looms, and suddenly you realise you’re short on CPD hours. The annual deadline for CPD for accountants often leads to a predictable pattern: a frantic scramble in late summer to accumulate the required hours, searching for courses, settling for whatever’s available, and cramming learning into an already packed schedule.

This pressure to quickly complete your CPD hours often leads to choosing low-quality courses that aren’t relevant or don’t really benefit your practice. Last-minute learning also rarely sticks. When you’re racing the clock, you’re not genuinely enhancing your skills and knowledge. Forward-thinking practitioners, though, are already securing their CPD hours through ICPA’s partnership with AccountingCPD.

The smarter approach is to spread your CPD throughout the year. This gives you time to select courses that align with your practice needs, absorb information properly, and apply new skills immediately. While many accounting professionals leave their professional development to the final months before the October deadline, you can pat yourself on the back for planning ahead.

Affordable and Accessible CPD for Accountants

At ICPA, we want to help you fulfil your CPD obligations. Our new partnership provides members with an exclusive 50% discount on AccountingCPD’s high-quality CPD courses for accountants. This collaboration means the full annual licence, typically £725, is now available to ICPA members for just £349 + VAT. If you prefer a more focused approach, an Accountants Update Programme is available for £199 +VAT. You can also spread the payments across the year for approximately £16.50 per month, making professional development more manageable than ever.

AccountingCPD provides high-quality CPD courses for accountants, offering over 1,500 resources approved by leading accounting bodies. Their flexible learning format includes everything from 15-minute “CPD Bites” for quick updates to comprehensive 22-hour career progression pathways, all available online and on-demand, with audit-proof certificates stored on your personal dashboard.

This partnership provides verifiable CPD for accountants through expert-led modules that meet ACCA and ICAEW requirements. Whether you need inputs-based or outputs-based CPD, the content covers the full spectrum of accounting topics, including IFRS, budgeting, Making Tax Digital, audits, tax planning, financial modelling, reporting, regulatory compliance, and more. Stay current with industry developments while building expertise that delivers real value to your practice and clients by signing up with ICPA today.

Boost Your Skills with a Free AI for Accountants Course

Beyond the annual licence and updates programme cost savings, ICPA members will also benefit from a free AI for accountants course, courtesy of AccountingCPD. That’s four hours of cutting-edge training (and verifiable CPD for accountants) that’s only available to ICPA members. Technology is reshaping our profession, and artificial intelligence (AI) will undoubtedly change how we work. This course includes practical insights into:

• The fundamentals of AI in accounting practice
• The specific applications of AI in accounting
• Automation opportunities to boost your productivity
• How AI impacts audit procedures, client advisory services, and routine compliance work
• Practical steps for exploring and implementing AI tools
• Developing an AI policy for your organisation

The course also explores ethics and emerging trends, ensuring you understand not only what AI can do but also how to use it responsibly and set your practice up for success as technology advances within the profession.

FAQs

1. What does the CPD partnership include for ICPA members?
   ICPA members receive 50% off AccountingCPD’s full annual licence (£349 instead of £725), access to the Accountants Update Programme for £199 (with flexible monthly payments), and a free 4-hour AI for accountants course.
2. Do I need to be a member to access the AccountingCPD discount?
   Yes, this exclusive 50% discount on CPD for accountants and the free AI course are available only to ICPA members, in addition to our existing support services and technical resources.
3. Is this part of ICPA’s regular membership tiers?
   No, this new partnership with AccountingCPD is an optional add-on benefit that provides extraordinary value in addition to our other core services.
4. Who can benefit from the ICPA x AccountingCPD partnership?
   Whether you’re looking for on-demand CPD courses for accountants that are affordable for yourself as a sole practitioner or to streamline staff development for your small firm (ensuring your entire team remains up-to-date), this benefit will provide tangible value, significant savings, and stress-free professional development.
5. When should I start my CPD?
   It’s best to start now to avoid the October deadline rush. This allows you to spread your learning throughout the year, and there’s less pressure (and panic) to complete your hours in one go in the final month.
6. Why is verifiable CPD important?
   For the majority of our members, maintaining professional body memberships with organisations like ACCA and ICAEW necessitates meeting annual verifiable CPD requirements. It’s a critical aspect of demonstrating your ongoing professional competence and your commitment to upholding accounting industry standards.

Get Started with ICPA Today

With ICPA and AccountingCPD, you can eliminate the last-minute CPD panic. Meeting these requirements shouldn’t be a source of year-end anxiety. With a structured approach, you won’t have to worry whether your learning meets professional standards. You can plan and complete your CPD gradually, allowing you to actually engage with the course content. CPD for accountants should add value, not just be a box-ticking exercise.

Join the ICPA community and take advantage of this AccountingCPD offer to get immediate value from your membership investment. Stay on top of your CPD requirements and invest in your professional growth today without the stress of a looming deadline. Contact the ICPA today to find out more.