Technical helpdesk - frequently asked questions and sources of guidance

Practising Certificates

• I’m going to do independent examination work for a charity, do I require a PC?
• What are PC requirements?
• I’m ceasing practice – what do I need to do?
• I wish to start up in practice – what do I need to do?

Professional indemnity insurance

• Do we have a list of insurers that a member can contact for PII?
• What level of PII should the firm have?

For other questions email: regulatoryauthorisations@icas.com

ICAS CPD requirements

• Am I exempt from CPD?
• Do I have to submit my CPD record to ICAS?
• I am retired but doing some work, do I need to do CPD?
• How many hours CPD do I need to do each year?

For other questions email: cpd@icas.com

Audit registration

• How do I apply for audit registration?
• What is the fee for audit registration?
• How do I apply for Responsible Individual (RI) status?
• My firm is changing legal status, do I need to reapply for audit registration?
• Do I hold the audit qualification?  Email us: regulatoryauthorisations@icas.com
• For instructions on how to gain the audit qualification please contact educationsupport@icas.com

For other questions email: regulatoryauthorisations@icas.com

Other regulatory guidance and links:

• Practice essentials
• Regulatory guidance and help sheets

Financial reporting

• Overview of the financial reporting framework - FRC
• UK GAAP – FRC Standards in Issue
• IFRS standards and summaries
• Accounting standards for small and micro-entities for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2016 - common questions
• ICAS financial reporting guide for small and micro-sized entities
• ATOL reporting accountant ICAS guidance
• FRC Staff education notes accompanying new UK GAAP
• Distributable profits guidance
• Professional Judgement Framework for Financial Reporting
• ICAS Framework for the preparation of accounts revised June 2020
• Amendments to FRS 102 on accounting for multi-employer DB pensions
• Accounting for GMP equalisation under UK GAAP by sponsoring employers
• Accounting for UK Government support measures during COVID-19
• Accounting for the Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund

For illustrative auditor's reports:

• ICAS guidance on Scottish charity auditor's reports
• FRC Auditing Standards

Accounts filing

• Companies House Guidance for limited companies, partnerships and other company types
• Company House new filing options explained Dec 2017
• Guide to the new small company accounts filing requirements

Audit

• FRC Audit and Ethical Standards and Practice Notes
• Audit exemption criteria effective from 1 January 2016

• Anti-money laundering news
• Anti-money laundering approved person application form
• ICAS guide to preparing for GDPR
• AML Awareness - Red Flags
• AML Awareness: Three stages of money laundering

Charities

• How charities should account for the CJRS
• Coronavirus information for charities
• ICAS guidance for charity trustees on going concern
• COVID-19: Charities SORP accounts
• SORP Information Sheet 4: Transitioning to DB accounting
• Guidance for ICAS members acting for Scottish charities
• Guidance for non-charitable trading subsidiaries accounting for corporate gift aid
• Five tips for charity accounts success in 2019
• Five more tips for charity accounts success in 2019
• ICAS Guide on charity audit exemption in England and Wales
• Audit Practice Note 11 (revised) on the Audit of Charities in the UK
• OSCR Guidance for Scottish Charities
• The Charity Commission guidance on setting up and running a charity in England and Wales
• Guidance for charity independent examiners England and Wales 2017
• Guidance on auditor’s reports for ICAS firms acting as auditors of Scottish charities
• ICAS guidance & recommendations for audit firms and charities on the audit tender process
• The auditor’s and independent examiner’s responsibility to report to a UK charity regulator
• ICAS guidance for independent examiner’s on going concern
• Charities SORP Update Bulletin 1 and Charities SORP (FRS 102) statement of cash flow requirements
• Amendments to FRS 102 on accounting for multi-employer DB pensions
• Eight tips for Charities SORP accounts success

Corporate governance

• Guidance for Directors of Private Companies
• UK Gov: Being a company director - the duties of a director, and your responsibilities to Companies House
• UK Gov: Running a limited company

Selecting your auditor – guides to audit tendering

• Public interest companies - a guide to tendering the external auditor appointment
• Publicly funded, third sector and not-for-profit bodies interest entities - a guide to tendering the external auditor appointment
• Private companies electing - a guide to tendering the external auditor appointment

Evaluating your auditor guidance

• Evaluating your Auditor - a guide for private companies
• Evaluating your Auditor - a guide for the publicly funded, third sector and not-for-profit bodies

• ICAS Code of Ethics
• FRC Ethical Standard
• Ethics helpline

Ethics publications and videos are available on our Ethics page including:

• Guidance to the ICAS Code of Ethics – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• The Power of One
• Guidance on Conflict of Interest
• Ethical decision-making framework
• The Ethical Journey: The right, the good and the virtuous
• Case studies, including CAs’ real-life ethical dilemmas featured within the ICAS research publication Speak up? Listen Up? Whistleblow?

• Going concern and pension scheme financial statement: Why it matters
• PRAG publishes addendum to the pensions SORP on investment disclosures
• Revised PRAG guidance on going concern
• COVID-19: Guidance on pension scheme financial reports and audit
• Pension schemes: accounting for GMP equalisation
• Pension schemes: financial reports

• Starting up in practice
• CA Practice Knowledge Centre
• Practice - welcome page

Many tax queries in practice concern relations between firms, clients and HMRC. This can include what to do if you discover errors or if there are disagreements about the tax treatment of certain items.

The Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation rules and guidance has practical examples of what to do in a range of such circumstances.