ICAEW Certificate in Finance Accounting and Business (CFAB)

Take your accounting career to a new level

The Certificate in Finance Accounting and Business caters to a wide range of study needs. Whether you're considering a career in accountancy or finance, provide support services to professional service and financial services firms, or simply want to improve your knowledge of finance, accounting and business – our unique course will give you everything you need to succeed.

Developed by the ICAEW, and combining face-to-face tuition and revision with support outside the classroom, the CFAB is a perfect way to improve your prospects for a better position within the industry.

How the course is taught

The BPP CFAB Classroom training courses are widely respected and enjoy a very positive reputation. This is due largely to the high quality of our educational materials and the market-leading pass rates that our students achieve.

When you book a Classroom course with BPP you can be confident that you'll receive the very best support throughout your studies. You'll be provided with market-leading study materials, and be taught by our team of highly-qualified, full-time tutors. You'll also benefit from unique course notes and learning – not available through other tuition providers. What's more, you'll have access to MyStudy – our new, online learning platform – designed to enhance your education outside the classroom.

Online classroom

For additional flexibility, CFAB also offers you the option to study via distance learning, which is useful if you have difficulty getting out of the office or simply prefer studying by yourself.

Dates and prices

Select a location to download date and price details.

For CFAB, only the Knowledge section of these PDFs is applicable:

• Birmingham
• Bristol
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• Leeds
• London
• Maidstone
• Manchester
• Newcastle
• Nottingham
• Reading
• Sheffield
• Southampton

• London ACA and CFAB Computer Based Assessment Dates
• ACA Advanced Stage Retake Courses

Online learning

• BPP Online Classroom

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How the course is structured

For CFAB you will take six modules from the ICAEW’s ACA qualification. You can study these modules in any order. The course has been designed to give you maximum flexibility. For example, you may choose to take the modules that are most relevant to your role first, so that you learn the things that apply directly to your everyday work.

The six modules you will cover are as follows:

Accounting

The module will give you a sound understanding of the techniques of double entry accounting. Our courses focus on the most important aspects of the syllabus:

• Maintaining financial records, incorporating the use of double entry accounting techniques  
• Adjustments to accounting records and financial statements; including identifying and correcting omissions and errors 
• Preparing financial statements; including specifying the components of financial statements and preparing and presenting non-complex accounts for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies

Business and Finance

In this module you will learn how businesses operate and how accounting and finance functions support businesses in achieving their objectives. The syllabus includes:

• Business objectives and functions; 
• Business structure; including the different forms a business can take  
• The role of finance and accounting; including the role of financial information 
• The role of the accountancy profession
• Governance and ethics 
• External environment; including the key macro and micro economic issues which will impact a business

Management Information

This module shows you how to prepare essential financial information for the management of a business. You will learn how to:

• Establish the costs associated with the production of products and provision of services and use them to determine prices
• Select appropriate budgeting approaches, methods and preparation of budgets
• Identify key features of effective performance management systems
• Identify and calculate relevant data for use in management decision making

Assurance

This module will help you understand the assurance process and fundamental principles of ethics. It will enable you to be able to contribute to the assessment of internal controls and gathering of evidence on an assurance engagement.

Our courses focus on the most important aspects of the syllabus and include:

• The concept, process and need for assurance
• Internal controls
• Substantive testing
• Professional ethics

Law

This module aims to allow you to appreciate the basic principles of English law and how they may be encountered in business or professional practice.

Our courses cover:

• Contract law: how a contract is formed and discharged
• Professional negligence: the essential elements that need to be shown to the courts in order to succeed in a claim
• Company law
• Criminal law
• Employment law

Principles of Taxation

You will learn about the general objectives of taxation and how to calculate income tax, National Insurance contributions, capital gains tax, corporation tax and VAT in straightforward scenarios.

Our courses focus on:

• Objectives and impact of taxation, the different types of tax and who is liable for them
• Ethics and administration of these taxes
• Income tax and National Insurance contributions (including sole traders, partnerships and employees)
• Capital gains tax and corporation tax on gains (including the difference between individuals and companies)
• Corporation tax
• VAT

Flexible learning

The ICAEW Certificate in Finance Accounting and Business offers you a highly flexible structure – meaning you can choose to study in a number of ways.

The course itself features a number of integrated teaching methods, combining face-to-face tuition and revision with support outside the classroom. This approach is designed to give you maximum educational benefit and enhance your chances of a successful career.

You can also complete your studies in your own time, at a pace that suits you. The whole course can be completed in about one year.

Classroom courses

Our CFAB classroom training courses have a strong reputation in the marketplace. With our high-quality teaching and exceptional study materials, it's no surprise that BPP students obtain market-leading pass rates.

Book a classroom course with BPP and you will receive:

• Market-leading study materials
• Access to our team of highly qualified, full-time tutors
• Course notes and learning materials not available through other tuition providers
• Access to MyStudy – our new online learning platform for additional support outside the classroom

Online classroom

Our online classroom features online versions of our traditional classroom courses, presented as recorded lectures – coupled with a variety of online and offline study materials.

Our online classroom option is perfect if you cannot afford time out of the office, or if you simply prefer to study by yourself, in your own time.

You can view a selection of online resource demos from the CFAB online classroom, including a welcome video, getting started interaction, question debrief and recorded classroom lecture.

Entry requirements

The ICAEW's Certificate in Finance Accounting and Business is open to anyone who has an interest in pursuing a career in accountancy or finance. What's more, depending on your previous qualifications you may be eligible to apply for a Credit for Prior Learning (an exemption) for one or more modules – and may not need to sit all six assesments.

Applying for a Credit for Prior Learning

You can apply for a Credit for Prior Learning for up to five subjects. The Accounting module is compulsory, so no credit is available.

You will need to register as an ICAEW student member before you can apply online for your Credit for Prior Learning.

Registration and exam dates

As all exams will take place via e-assessment, there will be no exam sittings. You can apply for and book e-assessments at a time that is suitable for you and your employer. However, you must register with the Institute to sit the exams.

Applying for an online assessment

You will need to complete a CBA application form. You can then sit your e-assessment when you feel ready to do so and at a time that is convenient to you and your employer.

To find out when your e-assessments are taking place, view our London e-assessment dates, or if you are studying outside London, contact your BPP learning centre

Study locations

Study for the CFAB where and when it suits you.

You can train for the CFAB face-to-face at one of our UK study centres below. Each centre offers state-of-the-art facilities and comfortable, high-quality classroom environments. But remember, if you prefer to study from home or overseas, we also offer distance learning options.

• BPP London
• BPP Birmingham
• BPP Bristol
• BPP Cambridge
• BPP Guernsey
• BPP Jersey
• BPP Leeds
• BPP Maidstone
• BPP Manchester
• BPP Nottingham
• BPP Reading
• BPP Sheffield
• BPP Southampton

Book by phone:

• 0208 746 4150 for London
• 0161 237 9650 for all other UK locations
• 0208 746 4150 if you are calling from outside the UK