CISI CPD Requirements: 35 Hours for Chartered Members, 10 for Others
CISI Chartered members need 35 CPD hours a year, 21 structured. Other members need 10. See ethics, records and sanctions.
CISI members must complete continuing professional development (CPD) every year, and Chartered members, CFP, SPS and APP holders need 35 hours a year, at least 21 of them structured. All other CISI members, in Category B, need 10 hours a year, at least 6 of them structured. This guide sets out the CISI CPD policy (version November 2025) and the Membership Regulations, including the ethics hours, what counts as structured CPD, how records are kept and what happens if you do not comply. For other bodies see our guides to ACCA CPD requirements, ICAEW CPD requirements and CIMA CPD requirements.
CISI CPD requirements at a glance
| Member group | Annual requirement |
|---|---|
| Category A (Chartered members, CFP, SPS and APP holders) | 35 hours a year: at least 21 structured, and 14 structured or unstructured; 3.5 of the 35 hours on ethics |
| Certificate of Professionalism holders | 5 hours of regulation, risk, integrity and ethics, which come out of the 21 structured hours |
| Category B (all other members) | 10 hours a year: at least 6 structured, with 1 ethics hour |
| Structured CPD | Planned, verifiable and at least 5 minutes long (policy section 6) |
| Exemptions | Retired members and members over 70, except Chartered, APP, CFP, SPS and Certificate of Professionalism holders |
Two categories of member
CISI splits its membership into two groups. Category A covers Chartered members and holders of the CFP, SPS and APP designations. For them, the policy says 35 hours of CPD on an annual basis. Category B covers all other members. The difference is large: 35 hours is more than three times the Category B total. Check which category applies to you on your membership record before you plan your year.
Structured and unstructured hours
For Category A, at least 21 of the 35 hours must be structured, and the other 14 can be structured or unstructured. The CISI policy defines structured CPD as planned, verifiable activity of at least five minutes. Older CISI policy and FAQ PDFs referred to a 30-minute minimum, and they carry no version date, so we have followed the November 2025 policy, which supersedes them. Examples of structured learning are courses, webinars and conferences that produce evidence you can keep. Unstructured CPD covers learning that does not leave a verifiable record, such as reading and on-the-job learning, but you should still log it.
Ethics hours
Category A members must spend 3.5 of their 35 hours on ethics. Category B members must complete one ethics hour. Holders of the Certificate of Professionalism need five hours on regulation, risk, integrity and ethics, and the Membership Regulations say these five hours come out of the 21 structured hours rather than being added to them.
Recording your CPD
Category A CPD must be recorded on the CISI CPD System and cannot be self-declared. Category B members must declare their CPD annually and provide evidence if audited. Up to 10 percent of members are audited each year, and logs can be audited normally within three to four months after the CPD year-end date. The older FAQ says you can back-date your CPD year by up to 11 months. We could not find a fixed CPD year-end or declaration deadline in the current policy or regulations, which refer only to a set timescale, so check your CISI account for your own dates.
Exemptions and sanctions
Retired members and members over 70 are exempt, except Chartered, APP, CFP, SPS and Certificate of Professionalism holders. Non-compliant members are suspended, and Chartered status can be suspended for up to a year. If you have a career break or other circumstances, contact CISI before the year-end rather than after an audit notice.
Planning your year
A Category A member can meet the structure with about 3 hours a month. One approach is 21 structured hours made up of quarterly half-day sessions, a few webinars and a regulatory update, including your 3.5 ethics hours, then 14 hours of reading and on-the-job learning logged as you go. Keep evidence for every structured item, because Category A entries are not self-declared. If you also hold UK accounting qualifications, compare the CISI rules with what counts as CPD for accountants and structured and unstructured CPD to avoid double-recording.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours does CISI require?
35 hours a year for Category A (at least 21 structured) and 10 hours for Category B (at least 6 structured).
How many ethics hours are required?
3.5 hours for Category A and 1 hour for Category B.
What counts as structured CPD?
Planned, verifiable activity of at least five minutes, according to the November 2025 policy.
What happens if I do not comply?
Non-compliant members are suspended, and Chartered status can be suspended for up to a year.
Finding CPD with Learnsignal
Learnsignal publishes finance, risk, ethics and accounting learning in its CPD and CPE library. Check that an activity meets CISI's definition of structured CPD and keep the evidence.
Source: CISI CPD policy (version November 2025) and Membership Regulations (amended 21 November 2025), cisi.org, checked October 2026.
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