IFA CPD Requirements 2026: 40 Hours, 20 Verifiable

The Institute of Financial Accountants, known as IFA, says its members must complete 40 hours of CPD in any year, of which 20 hours must be verifiable, and confirm that they have done so through an annual CPD declaration made at membership renewal. IFA reviews a random sample of members each year and expects records to be kept for six years. This guide sets out what the IFA website and its 2022 CPD regulations say, what counts as verifiable and what we could not confirm. For comparison with other UK bodies, see our comparison of UK and Irish accountancy body CPD and our CPD for accountants guide.

At a glance

What IFA requires

IFA's CPD page says members must complete 40 hours of CPD in any year, and that 20 of those hours must be verifiable. The 2022 CPD regulations, which took effect on 1 July 2022, say the same, referring to 40 hours in each calendar year. The two sources agree, and we found no multi-year total in either, so the test is applied year by year.

What counts as verifiable

The regulations describe verifiable CPD as activity that relates to your role, is supported by evidence and links to a learning outcome. Evidence can be a certificate, an attendance record or a course completion record. The other 20 hours are not described as unstructured, but they follow the same logic: the learning should still be relevant, and you should still record it.

The annual declaration

Members confirm compliance through a CPD declaration every year, made online as part of membership renewal. The regulations say the declaration is made in the format and by the means IFA prescribes. A 2019 version of the regulations gave 1 January as the declaration date, but that document is superseded, and the current page and regulations give no date, so check your IFA account for the date that applies to you.

Sampling and review

Each year IFA selects a random sample of members and reviews their CPD records. Members who do not complete the annual declaration are automatically selected for review, and the page says they may be subject to disciplinary action. The regulations give members 15 working days to respond to a monitoring request, so keep your evidence in one place.

Keeping records

IFA tells members to keep a CPD record, in electronic or paper form, for a minimum of six years after the end of the year, together with evidence of attendance or completion. That is longer than many bodies require, so do not delete certificates when the year closes.

Who is covered

The IFA page applies to all members. The regulations include affiliates, with different treatment for affiliates who already follow the CPD rules of another body that belongs to the International Federation of Accountants. They also allow pro-rata hours for part-time work, partial years and leave, and exemptions that must be requested each year. Honorary members are not exempt.

What we could not confirm

The IFA pages carry no date, so we cannot say when the page was last reviewed. We did not find a stated declaration date, a multi-year total, a carry-forward rule or a minimum number of ethics hours. Practising certificates are not mentioned on the CPD page. If any of these matter to you, ask IFA.

Planning your year

Forty hours is just over three hours a month. Put the 20 verifiable hours first, because they are the part you must be able to evidence, and book them early. Log each activity as you finish it, with the date, the provider, the title, the hours and the learning outcome, so a request for evidence takes minutes rather than days.

Frequently asked questions

How many CPD hours does an IFA member need?

40 hours in any year, of which at least 20 must be verifiable.

How long do I keep my CPD records?

IFA says at least six years after the end of the year.

What happens if I do not make the CPD declaration?

You are automatically selected for review and may be subject to disciplinary action, according to the IFA CPD page.

Is there a minimum number of ethics hours?

No. Professional values, ethics and attitudes is a learning-outcome area, but we found no ethics quota.

Can I carry hours forward?

We did not find a carry-forward rule on the IFA pages, so ask IFA before relying on it.

Finding courses that count

Learnsignal publishes accounting, tax, audit, ethics and finance courses in its CPD and CPE library. Before you pay for any course, check the awarding body's own rules on what it accepts, and keep the certificate and the course details. Confirm the current rules with IFA before you plan your year.

Source: IFA CPD page (ifa.org.uk) and IFA CPD Regulations effective 1 July 2022, checked October 2026.