Applying for the Audit Qualification as an ICAI member

Once you have become an ICAEW member and hold the AQ and a practising certificate, you can be nominated for responsible individual (RI) status by a firm of registered auditors to gain audit signing rights.

If you wish to apply for the AQ, you will need to register under the MoU Top-up route to requalify with ICAEW as the Pathways route does not cover any of the necessary requirements for the AQ.

• Pass the Advanced Level exams (required under the MoU Top-up route).
  • Corporate Reporting
  • Strategic Business Management
  • Case Study
• Pass the Certificate Level exams:
  • Principles of Taxation
  • Law
• Complete a 3-year training agreement within an ICAEW Authorised Training Employer (ATE). You may be eligible to apply for one year credit for prior work experience (CPWE) if you have recent experience within an ICAEW ATE.
• Complete at least 2-years' experience within an EEA firm of registered auditors, which is also an ICAEW ATE, either during your training agreement or once you have come into ICAEW membership.
• Achieve a minimum of 240 days of appropriate audit experience within an ICAEW ATE. This experience can be gained both during your training or whilst in ICAEW membership. Of the 240 days' audit work experience:
  • at least 120 days must be in statutory audit work as defined in the Companies Act 2006, and;
  • the rest must be in either statutory audit work or other audit work similar to statutory audit work, where the nature of such work conforms to the definitions agreed by ICAEW and the Financial Reporting Council.

You may cite some work experience from territories outside of the UK which have been approved by the FRC.

If you have already gained ICAEW membership under the Pathways to Membership scheme or the MoU Top-up route, you will still need to complete the above requirements.

Please register for the MoU Top-up route first and once you have received confirmation of your registration please complete and return the following forms to register under a training agreement to complete the additional requirements for the AQ:

• Register an ACA training agreement
• Apply for credit for prior work experience

You will use your MoU Top-up record and student number to sit the Advanced Level exams. You will then need to use your training agreement student record number to sit the Certificate Level Tax and Law exams and to record your experience on the online Training File.

If you have already gained ICAEW membership via the Pathways or MoU Top-up route, then you can also register under a training agreement using the above forms to complete the AQ requirements.

If you hold, or have held, audit signing rights under your ICAI membership in India, you may apply for credit for prior work experience (CPWE) as a special entrant applicant. This is an alternative option to the 12 months' CPWE allowed under our normal CPWE process – you cannot apply for both.

• How to apply for CPWE as a special entrant applicant