How do I become an AAT full member?
You’ll need to meet our criteria for qualifications, experience and references in order to become a full AAT member. If you have any questions, please contact us – you might be closer to full membership than you think.
Find the answers with the Full Membership podcasts
To apply online click here
Qualifications required before you apply for AAT full membership
Apply for full AAT membership in just four steps
What happens next?
Personal and employer details
Professional reference
Work experience
Other types of work experience we accept
Useful forms and guides
Qualifications required before you apply for AAT full membership
Before you apply for membership, you’ll need to have been a student member of the AAT for at least 12 months, and have achieved levels 3 and 4 of the AAT Accounting Qualification.
You can have a qualification or professional experience in place of level 3 provided that it was agreed by your AAT tutor as being sufficient for you to commence your studies at level 4.
Apply for full AAT membership in just four steps
- Provide your personal and employer details (once you've completed this step, your details are logged at the AAT head office)
- Provide a professional reference
- Document your work experience
- Pay your application fees
Find out more about AAT membership fees and rates
Once you have completed steps 1 to 4, your application will be assessed. This can take up to two weeks. We’ll contact you if we need clarification on information you have given.
Approval of full AAT membership will be confirmed in writing. We’ll also send you a certificate and welcome pack.
If you have any questions, contact us
We'll need:
- your personal details and contact information
- your employer's details and full address
- your line manager's details and contact information
In addition to evidence of your work experience we require a professional reference to confirm your suitability for full membership and commitment to the AAT.
Your referee will need to sign Part 2 of the Experience and Reference form. They can also verify your work experience.
Your referee should:
- have knowledge of your work within your current or most recent job
- work in a position senior to you
- have worked with you for at least six months
If you work for yourself your referee should be a qualified accountant who knows your work in a professional capacity.
We can only accept a reference from a friend or relative if they are a qualified accountant (an AAT-licensed member in practice or a member of one of the chartered or certified accountancy bodies).
Alternatively, we can accept a reference from your course tutor if they have had direct knowledge of your work in an office environment.
Work experience
Relevant work experience will demonstrate that you have used the knowledge and skills you've developed during your AAT training in a work environment.
We need to see evidence of a minimum of one year's full-time experience (or the equivalent part-time) gained since you registered as an AAT student member.
Part-time work experience is calculated on a pro rata basis and is based on a 35-hour week.
To confirm the range of accounting or financial tasks that you perform on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis, you and your employer should complete Part 1 of the Experience and Reference form (in addition we will accept a detailed job description verified by your employer).
At least 50% of your time should be spent on relevant accounting or financial tasks.
If you spend between 33-49% of your time on accounting or financial tasks you must provide evidence of two years' work experience or the equivalent part-time since you registered as a student member.
If you spend less than 33% of your time on accounting or financial tasks it is unlikely that you currently have sufficient experience for full membership.
Please contact us for advice on the options available to you.
Top
Other types of work experience we accept:
Teaching work
- we accept evidence of teaching accounting or financial subjects at NVQ/SVQ level or above (or equivalent)
- your employer will need to confirm your dates of employment, type and level of course taught and number of hours involved on the Experience and Reference form.
Temporary/voluntary work
- we will accept relevant temporary and voluntary work assignments (minimum of one month per assignment)
- you must provide a verified Experience and Reference form for each position held
Self-employed work
- we will accept self-employed work experience if you have your own business offering accounting, taxation or related consultancy services to the public in the UK
- you need to have your work independently verified by a qualified accountant (an AAT-licensed member in practice or a member of one of the chartered or certified accountancy bodies). They will need to confirm your experience on the Experience and Reference form
- once you are elected to full membership you will need to join our scheme for members in practice.
Find out more about our scheme for members in practice.
If you encounter any problems downloading the documents on this page, please:
1. Right click on the document link.
2. Click 'Save target as...'
3. Navigate to select your desktop, and then click save.
4. You will then be able to open the document by double clicking on the desktop icon.
