CPD Conference 2026

CPD Compliance Pressure

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) revamped its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) regulations effective from November 2023. Members must now complete a minimum number of hours annually—ranging from 20 to 40 depending on practice or business category—with a portion verifiable through evidence of completion and relevance to their role. Every member must include at least one hour of ethics training.

The shift moved away from a purely output-based or reflective model towards stricter record-keeping and verifiable activities. ICAEW's Quality Assurance Department began monitoring firms under these rules in late 2024, with the first full-year insights published in December 2025 highlighting variable adherence across regulated areas.

This matters in early 2026 because the current CPD year ends on 31 October 2026. Members who lagged in verifiable hours—particularly those in higher categories like audit leaders of public interest entities—face heightened risk. ICAEW can impose sanctions ranging from additional training mandates to referral for disciplinary proceedings if records fail to demonstrate compliance.

A non-obvious tension lies in the balance between technical updates and ethics: while rapid changes in areas like sustainability reporting and the 2025 Code of Ethics update demand fresh learning, verifiable ethics hours remain compulsory, creating competition for time. Smaller practitioners or those in non-practice roles often find verifiable options scarcer and more expensive outside institute-provided events.

The stakes are concrete for individuals and firms: incomplete CPD can trigger regulatory reviews, affect practising certificate renewals, or expose firms to quality assurance findings that damage client trust or insurance terms. With economic pressures persisting, the cost of non-compliance—both financial and professional—looms larger than the modest effort to accrue verifiable hours.