History

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine an accountancy profession without the AAT. But back in 1980, hundreds of thousands of people who worked in accountancy had no professional body to support and represent them.

In the late 1970s, the need for such an organisation became apparent. Indeed, two of the industry's senior bodies, the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) set up the forerunners to the AAT.

These were the Institute of Accounting Staff (IAS) and the Association of Technicians in Finance and Accounting (ATFA) - the latter had been broadened to involve the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (then ICMA, now CIMA). Both offered courses, qualifications and membership.

After a short time, the members of IAS and ATFA were brought together in a unified body, the AAT - a single entity representing the entire accounting technician level, in all sectors of the economy.

The Association of Accounting Technicians was incorporated on 26 September 1980. We started with 5,955 members and 19,405 students.

Over the past 27 years the AAT has gone from strength to strength. We now have over 36,000 full and fellow members and some 65,000 student or affiliate members - and our membership stretches across the globe.

The AAT continues to be sponsored by CIPFA, ICAEW, CIMA and ICAS. These bodies recognise the skill and aptitude of AAT qualified people by offering them attractive opportunities for further career progression.