What if my circumstances have changed?

Changes to income

ICAEW membership subscription fees are due on 1 January each year. If your circumstances have changed and reduced your annual income, whether due to redundancy, illness, a career break or retirement, you may be eligible for a reduced membership rate.

• If your annual income remains above £34,109, then you must pay the full rate.
• If your annual income has fallen below £34,109, but remained above £17,504, then you are eligible for the half rate.
• If your annual income has fallen below £17,504, then you are eligible for the low rate. 

Applying for a reduced rate

You can only apply for a reduced subscription rate when you renew your membership. You can apply online or by calling us on +44 (0)1908 248 250.

In the application you must share your annual income, earned or unearned, from all sources, including: 

• interest on investments and savings,
• property rental,
• dividends,
• ISA's, and
• PEPS 

Income from pensions or state benefits is not considered when calculating your annual income.

If you are granted a reduced membership fee, it will run for a calendar year, regardless of any changes in circumstances. 

Please note: A reduced rate cannot be backdated. If your income is reduced part-way through the year, your current subscription rate cannot be changed or refunded. 

Retired and life membership options

If you are considering retiring or have retired since your membership was last renewed, you may be eligible for reduced membership fees.

If you are fully retired and have an income of less than £17,504, then you will be eligible for the lowest annual membership fee which is £60 for 2025. If you have income (as defined above) which takes you over this threshold, you may qualify for one of our alternative rates for retired members.

Members over the age of 60 who have retired from all paid work (but have an annual income of more than £17,504) are eligible for the retired rate of annual membership of £230. To receive this rate members must have also surrendered their Practising Certificate, if one is held.

Alternatively, members can pay a one-off fee for life membership, if they:

• are over the age of 55,
• are fully retired, 
• do not hold a Practising Certificate, and 
• have held ICAEW membership for 25 years or more. 

Fully retired members who have held membership for more than 50 years or who have reached 75 years of age are eligible for life membership without a one-off final payment, so if you retire and are just a few years away from free life membership, it may be more beneficial financially to look at paying a reduced rate rather than the one-off life membership fee.

Please contact a member of our team if you would like to talk through these options.  

Free life membership

Retired members aged 75 and over, and those who have held membership for 50 years, are eligible for free life membership which you can apply for when you renew your membership.

Members aged 90 and over are now automatically granted free life membership. Any Practising Certificate, Practice Assurance, Faculty and Community fees and subscriptions shall also be waived.

Life member returning to work

If you are a life member that has returned to paid work, you are now subject to paying annual membership fees again. 

In these circumstances life membership is temporarily frozen during the years of employment and reinstated once all work is ceased again. 

No part of the one-off fee for life membership will be refunded, however, at the point you do fully retire, you return to holding life membership with no further fee.

If you are returning to work, you should check your annual CPD requirements which change from 1 November 2023. You can use our CPD self-assessment tool to help you understand the minimum number of CPD hours you are required to complete each year. 

We can also support you returning to work with ICAEW events, local networking and online resources. 

Unable to work due to illness

Members who are prevented from taking up gainful employment due to illness diagnosed as incurable or progressive shall be granted free life membership provided that a Practising Certificate, if held, is surrendered. 

The life membership fee and any faculty and community fees and subscriptions shall be waived. Adequate documentary medical justification may be requested.

Please contact the Members Information team to enable them to assess your circumstances and provide support to you and your family.