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 January 2017
• Pension Schemes: accounting for GMP equalisation
• Pensions Schemes: financial reports
• Amendments to FRS 102 on accounting for multi-employer DB pensions
• Accounting for GMP equalisation under UK GAAP by sponsoring employers

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

• 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
• Ethical standards for auditors 2016 (ICAS)
• Guidance on Conflict of Interest
• Ethics helpline

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

• The power of one
• Ethical decision-making framework
• The ethical journey: the right, the good and the virtuous

• 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.