Finding Out Whether Partner is Qualified?

Finding Out Whether Partner is Qualified?

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Hi,

I've have been in a partnership with my business partner for the last two years and they are deciding to retire next year, however I am currently in the final stages of completing my ACCA qualification and need her practicing number to be able to get a practicing certificate of my own upon completion.

The problem is I have asked on several occasions for the their number and governing accountancy body with no success, I have tried to phoning the ICAEW and ACCA to find out whether they are registered with no success.

Is there anywhere else I can find out this information?

Many Thanks 

Replies (17)

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By johngroganjga
26th Sep 2013 10:54

The ICAEW list of members is a public document and will be available in all good libraries.  For reasons best known to themselves the ICAEW do not make that information available online.

I don't know about the ACCA, but I would be very surprised if their membership information was not also easily accessible..

But I am baffled that your phone calls to both bodies met with no success.  If there is one reason above all why those bodies exist it is to validate the identity and qualifications of members for the public good.  Did either body really say that they could not as a matter of policy confirm or deny whether a given individual was a member?  If so the world has gone mad. 

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By BirminghamAccountant
26th Sep 2013 11:02

Thanks for the response,

When I contacted both the ACCA and the ICAEW I supplied them with all the relevant information they needed to check if the individual was a registered member, how ever they could not find any information which suggests they are registered.

I am concerned now that she is not a member and need to know is there anywhere else I can find out if they are registered?

 

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By User deleted
26th Sep 2013 11:06

Seems to me ...

... that you have to take the matter up with your partner. Explain (again) why you need the number, tell her that the various bodies have been unable to provide you with the details and ask her to provide them. If she refuses, ask her why - that should help to flush out the facts.

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By johngroganjga
26th Sep 2013 11:15

So your calls to ICAEW and ACCA were successful in establishing that the lady in question is not a member of either body.  What made you think that she was?  Does she hold herself out to the public as being a qualified accountant.  Does your firm have a letterhead or website which imply that she is a member of a professional body?

I would reflect on these points first before approaching her again.

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By macaulay147
26th Sep 2013 11:26

ICAS CIMA

Have you tried ICAS or CIMA?

ICAS can be searched on line.

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Replying to johnjenkins:
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By BirminghamAccountant
26th Sep 2013 11:50

I have phoned ICAS, CIMA, ICAEW & ACCA with no success,

I will have to bring this matter up with my business partner, explaining that I cannot obtain her details and need them to continue,

If she then will not provide It I may need to seek legal advice.

Many Thanks for all the help. 

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By Ken Howard
26th Sep 2013 13:51

Legal advice for what?

BirminghamAccountant wrote:
If she then will not provide It I may need to seek legal advice.

For what?  If she's not a member of a professional body, she's doing nothing wrong unless she's holding herself out to be such a member, by using their designatory letters after her name or by calling the firm "chartered accountants" or similar.  If the firm's name is simply ABC Accountants, then she'd in the clear if she isn't a member of any body.  Surely, if you're a partner in the firm, you should know which, if any, regulatory body it is registered with and supervised by.

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Locutus of Borg
By Locutus
26th Sep 2013 11:51

What professional body does she supposedly belong to?
Does she use any designatory letters on her business cards or letter head? Does she claim or does the firm claim to be Chartered Accountants, Chartered Certified Accountants, Accounting Technicians, etc? Does she claim to be a Registered Auditor? If you know the professional body that she claims to belong to, it will make it much easier to trace her.

Although if she us being very evasive then it sounds like she doesn't belong to one.

I've also got some more bad news for you. You say "I've been in partnership for 2 years" and "I am currently in the final stages of my ACCA qualification". You are currently in breach of ACCA regulations, as even fully qualified ACCA members have to have a Practising Certificate if they own their own practice or are a partner / director in an accounting firm. Be careful what you tell them otherwise you will be hauled before the Disciplinary Panel of ACCA.

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By pawncob
26th Sep 2013 12:44

ACCA aren't interested, but ICAEW are helpful

 

 

Search here:

http://find.icaew.com/ 

 

Check this list.

http://www.icaew.com/en/about-icaew/find-a-chartered-accountant/beware-of-misdescribers 

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By Kirkers
26th Sep 2013 12:49

@pawncob Do you know if there is a similar page for CIMA?

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By johngroganjga
26th Sep 2013 12:49

The ICAEW online search is just for finding member firms, not individual members.  As I said above, the list of members is only available on paper.

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By Kirkers
26th Sep 2013 12:51

@john not sure if that was a response to my question or not, but it would be a firm I'd be searching.

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Replying to Paul Scholes:
By johngroganjga
26th Sep 2013 13:00

ICAEW

tashkirkman wrote:

@john not sure if that was a response to my question or not, but it would be a firm I'd be searching.

No it was a response to the link @pawncob posted without making it clear that it was only for finding firms not individuals.

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Locutus of Borg
By Locutus
26th Sep 2013 12:55

Here is the ACCA directory

https://www.acca-business.org/dom/

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Replying to Kent accountant:
Red Leader
By Red Leader
26th Sep 2013 14:16

reminds me of the story

Fred dropped his keys one night when walking home. He knew that he dropped them outside number 20 but looked for them outside number 30. When a friend asked him why he was looking there instead of where he dropped them, Fred said "because this is where the street lamp is".

Instead of looking through umpteen bodies directories, go back to the letterhead. As another poster has said.

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By SQUIRE
26th Sep 2013 14:25

Know your partnership

Presumably if your business partner is a regulated accountant, they should be issuing your partnership clients with engagement letters?

One could expect the engagement letter to provide details of the partnership’s professional body.

I am also a little concerned that you are in partnership, with no understanding of how you are regulated. You are also a student of ACCA.

No doubt you should be aware of the rules with respect to practising issued by ACCA and limitations as a student and without holding a practising certificate.

 

P.s You need to have at least two years post admitted membership experience in order to gain your practising certificate with ACCA, which you might find difficult to obtain if your business partner is planning to retire shortly.

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