Accountants

In order to act as an accountant in Ireland an individual or firm may wish to be authorised by a prescribed accountancy body, as defined in the Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Act 2003.

Whilst membership of one of these bodies is not compulsory for individuals or firms wishing to engage in general accounting services, membership of a prescribed accountancy body indicates that the individual or firm is subject to the supervision of that body, and is bound by the Standards and Regulations of that Body with regard to their conduct.

The prescribed accountancy bodies are in turn supervised by the national competent authority (the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority).

Prescribed Accountancy Bodies in Ireland

Prescribed accountancy bodies and the links to their websites are set out below:  

Amalgamation of Chartered Accountants Ireland and CPA Ireland

Chartered Accountants Ireland and CPA Ireland have started to operate as one institute under the Chartered Accountants Ireland brand.  The process of incorporating CPA Ireland members, student, staff and services into those of Chartered Accountants Ireland commenced in September 2024.

Application and Fees

Membership to the above accountancy bodies differ from each other. For the most up to date membership requirements and fees, please see the links above.

Restricted areas of Accountancy

As mentioned above, individuals/firms wishing to offer general accounting activities are not required to be a member of one of the prescribed accountancy bodies and these services are open to all. However, there are legal restrictions as to who can provide certain accounting-related services. Such as:

The audit of financial statements
Investment business services
And Personal insolvency services

Related Areas

Central Bank of Ireland

The Insolvency Service of Ireland

Information correct at time of publishing, please contact the competent authority for further information.