Chartered, Certified or AAT: what the letters mean

UK accountants advertise an alphabet soup of letters - ACA, FCCA, MAAT, CIMA, ATT, CTA. They signal which body qualified the accountant and to what level. Here is what each one means, and the one thing that matters more than any of them.

The main qualifications

• ACA / FCA (ICAEW) - Chartered Accountant. The "F" (Fellow) just means longer standing. Rigorous exams plus supervised experience.
• ACCA / FCCA - Chartered Certified Accountant. Comparable in standing to ACA; a slightly different route and body.
• MAAT / FMAAT (AAT) - Accounting Technician. A level below chartered, strong for sole traders and small companies, usually better value.
• ACMA / FCMA (CIMA) - Chartered Management Accountant. Focused on management accounting and business finance rather than tax returns.
• ATT and CTA (CIOT) - Tax specialists. ATT is the technician level; CTA (Chartered Tax Adviser) is the senior tax qualification.

Chartered vs Certified - is there a real difference?

For almost everyone, no. ACA (chartered) and ACCA (chartered certified) are both full professional qualifications with hard exams and an experience requirement. A firm holding either is qualified, insured and bound by a code of conduct. Choose on fit, service and price, not on which of the two letters they carry.

The thing that matters more than the letters

Here is the part most people miss: the letters are not legally required. "Accountant" is not a protected title in the UK, so someone can advertise as one with no qualification at all. Whatis legally required is anti-money-laundering supervision - every accountancy business must be supervised, by HMRC or a professional body. So the qualifications tell you how well trained an accountant is; AML supervision tells you they are operating legally and accountably. Check both.

See which firms are supervised and on the record →

Frequently asked questions