ACA students who register from 1 July 2025 will complete the Next Generation ACA components, while students who register up to 30 June 2025 will complete the components of the existing ACA. Transitional arrangements will apply to exams and the Ethics Learning Programme over the dual running period.
Our guiding principles
- Transitional arrangements may apply to students in the system prior to July 2025 and will be pragmatic and fair.
- Transitional arrangements are designed to avoid disadvantaging students with respect to completion. Progress will not be delayed; students should not be required to take extra exams.
- Students who do not complete the existing exams by the last sitting dates will be required to transfer to the equivalent exam in the Next Generation ACA.
Dual running
The table below sets out the last sitting of the existing ACA exams, and the first sitting of the Next Generation ACA exams.
| First sitting of Next Generation ACA | Last sitting of existing ACA | |
| Certificate Level (ICAEW CFAB) |
September 2025* *Tax fundamentals will be available from December 2025 |
March 2026 |
| Professional Level | March 2026 | September 2026 |
| Corporate Reporting | N/A | July 2027 |
| Strategic Business Management | N/A | November 2027 |
| Case Study | N/A | November 2026 |
| Next Generation Advanced Level | July 2027 | N/A |
| Ethics Learning Programme | N/A | December 2026 |
Exam sittings by start date and qualification
-
ICAEW CFAB students registered up to 30 June 2025
ICAEW CFAB students registered up to 30 June 2025 will be able to sit:
- Existing ICAEW CFAB exams until the last sittings on 31 March 2026
- Next Generation ICAEW CFAB exams from 5 January 2026
-
ACA students registered up to 30 June 2025
ACA students registered up to 30 June 2025 will be able to sit:
- All existing exams until the last sittings
- Next Generation ACA Certificate Level exams from 5 January 2026
- Next Generation ACA Professional Level and Advanced Level exams from the first sittings
-
ICAEW CFAB students registered after 1 July 2025
ICAEW CFAB students registered after 1 July 2025 will be able to sit:
- Existing ICAEW CFAB exams until 31 August 2025 (excluding the existing Principles of Taxation exam, which can be sat until 30 November 2025)
- Next Generation ICAEW CFAB Level exams from 1 September 2025 (excluding Tax Fundamentals, which can be sat from 1 December 2025)
-
ACA students registered after 1 July 2025
ACA students registered after 1 July 2025 will be able to sit:
- Next Generation ACA Certificate Level exams from September 2025 (excluding Tax Fundamentals, which can be sat from 1 December 2025)
- The existing Principles of Taxation exam until the end of 30 November 2025
Existing and Next Generation ACA exam mapping
The exam mapping below outlines the equivalent exams for students who sit a combination of existing and Next Generation ACA exams.
Certificate Level / ICAEW CFAB
| Existing exam | Next Generation ACA exam |
| No equivalent | Sustainability and Ethics |
| Accounting; | Accounting Fundamentals |
| Assurance | Assurance and Risk Fundamentals |
| Law | Business Law |
| Principles of Taxation | Tax Fundamentals |
| Management Information | Business Insight and Performance |
| Business Technology and Finance | No equivalent |
- Existing ACA students must pass the Business Technology and Finance module by 31 March 2026 and complete the Ethics Learning Programme by 31 December 2026 or they will have to pass the Sustainability and Ethics exam.
- Overall, students must pass six exams at Certificate Level.
Professional Level
| Existing exam | Next Generation ACA exam |
| No equivalent | Fundamental Case Study |
| Financial Management | Corporate Financial Strategy |
| Business Strategy and Technology | Business and Digital Strategy |
| Tax Compliance | Tax Compliance and Planning |
| Financial Accounting and Reporting and Audit and Assurance | Assurance, Risk and Reporting and Corporate Reporting, Data and Assurance |
| Business Planning | No equivalent |
- Students must pass either existing Financial Accounting and Reporting and Audit and Assurance or the new Assurance, Risk and Reporting and Corporate Reporting, Data and Assurance exams.
- Students who have passed Tax Compliance but not Business Planning by September 2026 will have to undertake some additional learning.
- Students who have not passed Business Planning by September 2026 will have to pass the Fundamental Case Study.
- Overall, students must pass six exams at Professional Level.
Advanced Level
| Existing exam | Next Generation ACA exam |
|---|---|
| Corporate Reporting | Technical Case Study |
| Strategic Business Management | See table below |
| Case Study | Strategic Case Study |
- Students must pass Strategic Business Management (SBM) by the November 2027 sitting, otherwise they will be required to undertake additional learning.
The table below sets out the different situations a student may be in as they transition in Advanced Level and what they will have to complete in the Next Generation ACA exams.
| Current exam | Current exams outstanding | Technical Case | Strategic Case | SBM (until Nov 2027) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Business Management and Case Study | Corporate Reporting | Yes | ||
| Corporate Reporting and Case Study | Strategic Business Management | Yes | ||
| Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business Management | Case Study | Yes | ||
| Corporate Reporting | Strategic Business Management and Case Study | Yes | Yes | |
| Strategic Business Management | Corporate Reporting and Case Study | Yes | Yes | |
| Case Study | Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business Management | Yes | Yes |
Ethics Learning Programme
Students who register up to 30 June 2025 need to complete the Ethics Learning Programme which will be available until 31 December 2026. Students who do not complete the Ethics Learning Programme by this deadline will be required to pass the Next Generation ACA Sustainability and Ethics exam instead.
Students who register from 1 July 2025 will not need to complete the Ethics Learning Programme. Read more about how sustainability, technology and ethics are integrated throughout the Next Generation ACA.