ICAEW Council Elections FAQs

Any member whose primary address is in a geographical election constituency as of the Qualifying Date is eligible to stand, vote, and nominate a candidate in that constituency.

The Qualifying Date for these Council elections was Monday 12 October 2026. Your election constituency or constituencies are specified in 'My Details' on your member profile.

Check your eligibility: Ensure you are eligible to stand in any of the constituencies listed in the election notice. You must have a 10-year clean ICAEW disciplinary record. If eligible, read the Council Member Role Profile to understand the role and responsibilities of Council members. Submit your Candidate Statement by the close of Phase 1 of the Nominations Stage.

• Complete and submit the candidate statement available on the Council Election Portal on the online nomination site. (You will need to log in to the ICAEW website first).
• Await eligibility confirmation: Your statement will be reviewed to confirm your eligibility. This is typically completed within two working days. Once approved, your name will appear on the Election Portal as a Provisional Candidate.
• Secure nominations: As a Provisional Candidate, you must obtain five nominations from ICAEW members within your constituency. Nominations are submitted via the Election Portal. Please note: current office holders or members of the Governance and Appointments Committee (GAC) cannot act as nominators.
• Meet the deadline: Your candidate statement must be submitted by
  17 November 2026 at 12:00 noon (GMT) and all five nominations must be submitted by 15 December 2026 (12:00 noon GMT).

• 15 December 2026 (12:00 noon GMT) - The Nominations Stage of the Election will close
• 21-22 December 2026 – Announcement of uncontested election results
• 21 – 22 December 2026 – Candidates in contested seats will be informed of the Ballot arrangements
• 8 February 2027 (12:00 noon GMT) – Issue of voting papers for contested elections
• 2 March 2027 (12:00 noon GMT – Closing date for receipt of voting papers
• By 18 March 2027 – Returning Officer Committee review of ballot results and appeals
• 19 March 2027 – Formal announcement of results
• 1 June 2027 (After AGM) – Term of office start

You can complete your application via the online nomination system from 3 November 2026 at icaew.com/councilelections.

All candidates must submit a candidate statement in the standard template available on the nominations site. You are advised to complete all sections of the template. If you leave a section blank, it will appear as such in your final statement. There is no word limit, but we suggest 300 words per section as a guide. Brevity is advised to keep the statement effective and focused.

Once a candidate's application is submitted, the Governance Office reviews it to ensure it has been completed correctly. If so, the individual will be confirmed as a Provisional Candidate. The candidate will be notified, and nominators will then be able to submit their nominations via the Election Portal.

Once five valid nominations have been received, the Governance Office will carry out a disciplinary check, including an external background check, to confirm the candidate’s eligibility.

Following the close of the nominations process, the Returning Officer Committee will meet to review all candidacies.

The Returning Officer must not accept any nomination which:

• is incomplete or submitted after the nomination deadline; or
• in the opinion of the Returning Officer Committee, presents a potential conflict of interest so significant that, it may prevent the candidate from fulfilling the role of Council member to the standard reasonably expected by ICAEW members. For further guidance on conflicts of interest, please refer to the Declaration of Interest Policy.

Under the Council Election Regulations, paragraph 25. Each Provisional Candidate shall, on or before the last date for nominations, disclose in writing to the Returning Officer (council.elections@icaew.com), whether within or outside ICAEW any:

1. current criminal proceedings before any court in any jurisdiction;
2. regulatory and/or disciplinary proceeding to which they are subject; and
3. any complaint made against them under the Active Member Conduct Procedure.

The Governance Office will first verify that each candidate belongs to the constituency in which they are standing and check that the candidate statement has been correctly completed. Once this check is complete, the candidate’s name will appear on the nomination site visible to members in that constituency, and they will be designated as a Provisional Candidate.

After the nomination stage closes, a disciplinary check will be carried out to confirm there are no adverse findings in the past 10 years that may disqualify the candidate from standing for Council.

Candidacy will be formally confirmed once the Returning Officer Committee has reviewed and approved the application in full. Candidates will be notified by email once they are officially confirmed as an Approved Candidate.

Each candidate must be supported by five nominators. Nominators must be full ICAEW members, and their registered address must fall within the same constituency as the candidate as of the Qualifying Date (12 October 2026).

Nominations must be submitted via the online nomination system by 12:00 noon (GMT) on 15 December 2026. Nominators will need their ICAEW membership number and password to log in and complete the process.

Following the submission of nominations, candidates will be reviewed by the Returning Officer Committee, following which candidates will be formally confirmed as Approved Candidates.

The Governance Office will notify candidates once this stage is complete. 

Your nominators must be registered within the same constituency as you, as of the Qualifying Date (12 October 2026), in order to submit a nomination.

Additionally, once you have submitted your candidacy, the Governance Office will conduct disciplinary checks in accordance with the Council Election Regulations (paragraph 39). These checks can take up to 48 working hours to complete. You will be notified once this process is finished, and your nominators will then be able to view your candidacy on the nomination portal.

You may only nominate one candidate in your geographical constituency.

The completed application should be received by the Governance Office by 12 (Noon) GMT on 17 November 2026.

All rules and guidance can be found in the Council Election Regulations.

No, only ICAEW members are eligible to stand, vote, and/or nominate in Council elections.

If the election goes to ballot, voting will open at 12 (Noon) GMT on 8 February 2027. Members eligible to vote will receive a voting email.

You will be able to vote online from 12 (Noon) GMT on 8 February 2027 to 12 (Noon) GMT on 2 March 2027.

Voting closes at 12 (Noon) GMT on 2 March 2027.

ICAEW will confirm results of the election to candidates by email. Results will also be published on  icaew.com/councilelections on wc 19 March 2027.

Council members are expected to attend all Council meetings. To give an indication of the time commitment, in 2026/2027 Council meetings will take place on:

• 9 December 2026
• 24 March 2027
• 1-2 June 2027 (Includes AGM)
• 12-13 October 2027
• 6 December 2027 (date to be confirmed)

The four candidates who receive the most votes in the London constituency will be elected for a four-year term. The four candidates with the next highest number of votes will be elected for a two-year term, in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Council Election Regulations.

ICAEW Principal Bye Law 62(b) states: No member of the Council shall be eligible for appointment as auditor in a personal capacity. No firm in which a member of the Council is a director, partner, member (if the firm is a limited liability partnership), or employee shall be eligible for appointment as auditor.

If your firm chooses to tender for the ICAEW external audit contract, and is successful, you would be expected to discuss the management of this conflict of interest with your firm and you may be asked to step down from your Council seat in order to ensure there is no conflict of interest.