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Accountants: directory of firms

In the UK, "accountant" is not a protected title. Anyone may print it on a card and start trading. The chartered and certified bodies set entry exams, ethics codes and continuing professional development for their members, but the Financial Reporting Council describes its oversight of those bodies as non-statutory. Only two pieces of accountancy work are licensed by law: signing a statutory audit, and taking an insolvency appointment.

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A general practice firm carries the recurring obligations of a business or an individual through the year: annual accounts, the Company Tax Return, Self Assessment, VAT returns, payroll and Companies House filings. Bigger practices add advisory work such as valuations, share schemes and transaction support. Many small firms do the compliance well and refer the specialist work out, which is a reasonable answer rather than a weakness.

Because the title is open, the checks that mean something are membership of a body with a public register, a practising certificate where that body requires one, professional indemnity insurance, and anti-money laundering supervision. Every firm providing accountancy services must be supervised for money laundering by a professional body or by HMRC. Trading without that supervision is a criminal offence, so it is a fair thing to ask about on a first call.

Why "accountant" is not a protected title in the UK

Solicitor, architect and statutory auditor are restricted titles. Accountant is not. There is no register you must join and no licence you must hold before preparing someone's accounts or filing their tax return. That is why the UK has a large population of competent unqualified practitioners working alongside chartered firms, and a smaller population of people who are neither competent nor accountable to anyone.

The Financial Reporting Council oversees six chartered accountancy bodies under its Accountancy Scheme: ACCA, Chartered Accountants Ireland, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAEW and ICAS. The FRC is explicit that this oversight role is non-statutory. The bodies write the rules their members follow, investigate complaints and can remove someone from membership.

So the useful question is not whether a person is qualified in the abstract. It is which body holds them to account, and whether you can find their name on that body's register without taking their word for it.

UK accountancy designations and what each one signals

  • ICAEW and ICAS members are chartered accountants; ICAS states that the CA mark is its registered trade mark and available in the UK only to its members.
  • ACCA members are chartered certified accountants, and ACCA publishes both a directory of members and a search for ACCA-regulated firms.
  • CIMA is the management accounting body, so its members more often sit inside a business than run a public practice.
  • CIPFA members work mainly in public services: local authorities, the NHS and central government bodies.
  • AAT licenses members to practise in their own right and supervises most of them for anti-money laundering, with its own supervision overseen by OPBAS.
  • The Association of International Accountants is a Recognised Qualifying Body for statutory audit, alongside ACCA, Chartered Accountants Ireland, ICAEW and ICAS.

Audit and insolvency: the two jobs that need a licence

A statutory audit can only be signed by a firm registered with a Recognised Supervisory Body. The FRC lists four of them — ACCA, Chartered Accountants Ireland, ICAEW and ICAS — recognised under Schedule 10 of the Companies Act 2006. A firm that is not registered for audit may prepare your accounts perfectly well, but it cannot audit them.

Insolvency work is the other licensed area. The gov.uk Regulated Professions Register records insolvency practitioner as a regulated profession under the Insolvency Act 1986 and the Insolvency Practitioners Regulations 2005, licensed through three recognised professional bodies: ICAEW, the Insolvency Practitioners Association and ICAS. Candidates must pass the Joint Insolvency Examination and hold a bond, which is a form of insurance against fraud or dishonesty by the practitioner.

The Insolvency Service acts as the regulator of those regulators, visiting each recognised professional body at least once in three years. If anyone tells you they can audit your company or take an appointment over an insolvent one, both claims are checkable in minutes.

Anti-money laundering supervision: the check almost nobody makes

HMRC's guidance lists nine business sectors that must register with it for money laundering supervision. Accountancy service providers appear on that list with one qualifier: those not already supervised by a professional body. Chartered and certified firms are supervised by their own institute. Everyone else registers with HMRC and pays for it.

There is no third option and no exemption for being small. HMRC states plainly that trading without registering is a criminal offence. A firm that can name neither a professional body nor an HMRC registration is operating outside the regulations.

This is also why a new accountant asks for your passport and a recent utility bill before doing any work at all. That is customer due diligence, and their supervisor inspects them on it.

What a general practice firm actually does across a year

  • Agrees an engagement letter setting out the work, the fees and what stays your responsibility.
  • Obtains authorisation to act with HMRC for the specific taxes involved, rather than using your own sign in details.
  • Keeps the VAT returns and payroll running to their own deadlines through the year.
  • Prepares the statutory accounts after the year end and files them at Companies House.
  • Prepares the tax computation and return, and tells you what to pay and by when.
  • Files the confirmation statement, which every company must deliver at least once in each twelve month review period even when nothing has changed.

Sole practitioner, high street firm or online service

  • A sole practitioner gives you one person who knows the whole file, and one person who can be ill in January.
  • A multi-partner firm has cover, a second opinion in the corridor and usually an audit registration if you ever need one.
  • Online fixed-fee providers work well for simple, repeatable filing and less well when something unusual happens mid-year.
  • Whichever you choose, the supervision and register checks are identical; the delivery model does not change the regulatory position.

Where accountant relationships usually break down

  • Records arrive in the last fortnight before a deadline, so the work becomes transcription rather than advice.
  • Nobody agreed in writing who files the confirmation statement or the payroll year end, and neither side does it.
  • Fees were quoted for a tidy set of books and the books were not tidy.
  • The client assumes a filed return has been checked by HMRC, when in reality HMRC may open an enquiry much later.
  • Advice is given verbally and never written down, which leaves nothing to rely on if it turns out to be wrong.

Accountants: frequently asked questions

Is "accountant" a protected title in the UK?

No. Anyone can use it. Statutory audit and insolvency appointments are licensed, and the FRC's oversight of the chartered bodies is non-statutory, so the practical safeguard is membership of a body with a public register plus money laundering supervision.

How do I check someone really is an ICAEW or ACCA member?

Use the body's own directory rather than a logo on a website. ICAEW runs a Find a Chartered Accountant search and a membership verification route; ACCA publishes a directory of members and a separate search for ACCA-regulated firms. AAT and ATT publish registers too, including whether the member is supervised by them for anti-money laundering.

Does my small limited company need an audit?

Most do not. For financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025 a company can usually claim audit exemption if it meets at least two of: turnover no more than £15 million, assets no more than £7.5 million, and 50 or fewer employees on average. Some companies are excluded whatever their size, including banks, insurers and companies traded on a regulated market, and shareholders holding at least 10% of shares can demand an audit in writing.

My accountant filed late. Who pays the penalty?

You do, as far as HMRC is concerned. Gov.uk is direct about it: you remain legally responsible for your own tax even when an agent submits on your behalf, and you are expected to check the figures before they go. Whether you can recover the penalty from the firm is a separate matter between you and them, and depends on the engagement letter and their professional indemnity cover.

Should I give my accountant my HMRC sign in details?

No. Agents get their own authorisation instead, either through form 64-8 or an online authorisation, and HMRC's standard for agents says agents must never ask a client to share sign in details. Being asked for yours is a reason to stop.

Sources

  1. FRC — Supervision of the accountancy profession
  2. FRC — Recognition of RSBs and RQBs for statutory audit
  3. GOV.UK — Regulated Professions Register: insolvency practitioner
  4. GOV.UK — How insolvency practitioners are authorised in Great Britain
  5. HMRC — Money laundering regulations: who needs to register
  6. GOV.UK — Audit exemptions for private limited companies
  7. GOV.UK — Confirmation statement guidance (Companies House)
  8. HMRC — The standard for agents
  9. GOV.UK — Authorising an agent to deal with your tax affairs
  10. ICAEW — Find a Chartered Accountant
  11. ACCA — Find an accountant
  12. ICAS — Find a CA
  13. AAT — Find an accountant or bookkeeper

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the fees accountants charge

Fees depend on the work involved and how the professional bills. We only publish fee ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the fee:

  • Scope and complexity of the work
  • How the professional bills: hourly, flat fee or retainer
  • Experience and seniority of the person doing the work
  • Deadlines and how urgent the work is
  • Third-party costs such as filing, registration or government fees

How to compare accountants before you hire

  • Check that they are licensed or registered for this work where you live, on the regulator’s public register.
  • Look for experience with matters like yours, and ask who will actually handle your file.
  • Ask how they charge before any work starts, and get the terms in writing.
  • Compare two or three professionals before you decide.
  • Be wary of anyone who guarantees a particular outcome.

Questions to ask accountants before you hire

  • Are you licensed or registered for this work, and with which body?
  • Have you handled matters like mine before?
  • Who will do the work, and who will I deal with day to day?
  • How do you charge: hourly, a flat fee or a retainer?
  • What is included in your fee, and what costs extra?
  • Will you confirm the scope and fees in a written engagement letter?
  • Do you carry professional liability insurance?

Licences and registration

This kind of work is often limited to licensed or registered professionals, and the rules depend on where you are. Ask which body they’re registered with, and check their status on that body’s public register before you hire.

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