Professional Standards

Upholding best practice

IFA members are professionally trained and qualified before being admitted to membership. Their activities are regulated, scrutinised and subject to a rigid Code of Practice, with an ongoing programme of monitoring. The designations our members carry provide the SMEs who employ them, or who seek advice from them, with reassurance of their:

• Professional competence
• Integrity and respect for confidentiality
• Objectivity and independence
• Sound ethical framework

We also require, in line with IFAC requirements, that our members undertake – and provide evidence of – annual continuing professional development activity, such as attending training days, taking online courses or studying tax updates. This ensures they keep their technical skills and knowledge updated and relevant.

At the IFA, we also organise member and student workshops and seminars ourselves, covering not just technical accounting and bookkeeping issues but also associated topics such as ethics in the workplace and business planning.

To talk to a professionally qualified financial accountant near you, find an IFA member.