What ACCA is
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is a global professional body. Its main route, the ACCA Qualification, combines exams, an ethics module and practical work experience.
How the ACCA Qualification is built
- Applied Knowledge (3 exams): Business and Technology, Financial Accounting, Management Accounting.
- Applied Skills (6 exams): Corporate and Business Law, Taxation, Financial Reporting, Performance Management, Financial Management, Audit and Assurance.
- Strategic Professional (4 exams): both Essentials exams (Strategic Business Reporting and Strategic Business Leader), plus two Options from Advanced Financial Management, Advanced Audit and Assurance, Advanced Taxation and Advanced Performance Management.
- Ethics and Professional Skills Module, which ACCA says you should start after the Applied Knowledge exams and before the Strategic Professional exams.
- Practical Experience Requirement: at least 36 months of relevant work experience and 9 performance objectives, signed off by a practical experience supervisor.
ACCA also offers exemptions for the first nine exams (Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills) if you hold certain other qualifications. Your documents have to be assessed first, and ACCA charges a fee for each exemption awarded.
What it costs
The figures below are the UK fees shown on ACCA's fees page when we checked. ACCA prices exams by session and entry date: the earlier you book, the less you pay. ACCA runs sessions in March, June, September and December. The page showed the March 2027 session and the 2027 subscription. Fees for Applied Knowledge exams are not shown here because they depend on how and where you sit them (remote on-demand or at an exam centre); see ACCA's page.
| Item | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial registration | £89 | One-off |
| Annual subscription 2027 | £146 | Due each year to keep student status |
| Applied Skills exam, March 2027 | £173 standard entry £439 late entry | Per exam. Standard entry closes 1 February 2027; late entry closes 8 February 2027. |
| Strategic Business Leader, March 2027 | £295 standard entry £475 late entry | Per exam |
| Strategic Business Reporting, March 2027 | £229 standard entry £475 late entry | Per exam |
| Strategic Professional Options, March 2027 | £229 standard entry £475 late entry | Per exam (AFM, APM, ATX or AAA) |
| Ethics and Professional Skills Module | £83 | |
| Exemption fee, per exam awarded | £98 (Applied Knowledge) £123 (Applied Skills) | Charged for each exemption awarded |
ACCA says that after the standard entry deadline, exam fees are not refundable or transferable, and recommends booking in the standard entry period to pay the lowest fees.
Is ACCA right for you?
- It suits you if you want a route you can study alongside work, sitting exams in set sessions through the year.
- You need at least 36 months of relevant work experience to finish, so you will need an employer or role that fits. See training contracts.
- If you do not meet the entry requirements, ACCA says you can start at Foundation level, which has no minimum requirements. ACCA recommends the Diploma in Financial and Management Accounting (Level 2) if you have no formal qualifications.
- ACCA's apprenticeship fees (such as end-point assessment) are separate; ACCA says registration and exam fees are not covered by apprenticeship funding. See apprenticeships.
General information only, not professional or financial advice. This guide does not recommend any course, employer or product, and does not give tax, accounting or financial advice.
Sources
Every fee, pay or exam figure on this page comes from the pages below. We read each one on 13 November 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the body's own page before you pay or decide.
- ACCA: fees and charges (UK), checked 13 November 2026.
- ACCA: how the ACCA Qualification works, checked 13 November 2026.
- ACCA: frequently asked questions on registering to study, checked 13 November 2026.
- ACCA: book an exam, checked 13 November 2026.