Qualifying as an insolvency practitioner

Insolvency work carried out under the Insolvency Act 1986 is regulated - for example, acting as a liquidator or an administrator for a company, acting as a trustee in bankruptcy or acting as a supervisor of a voluntary arrangement. Only an insolvency practitioner can undertake these roles.

Only individuals (not firms or companies, etc) may act as insolvency practitioners.

To become a licensed insolvency practitioner, you must first pass the Joint Insolvency Examination Board (JIEB) exams.

About the JIEB exams

The JIEB exams are held once a year, usually in November. From the 2018 sitting onwards there will be two papers:

• Corporate insolvency
• Personal insolvency

To pass the JIEB exam you have to pass both papers, though you don't have to sit them at the same time. More information is available in the notes to candidates available on the JIEB website. 

Registering for the exams

To take the exams you must first register with one of the recognised professional bodies. You don't have to be an ICAEW member to register to take the JIEB exams via ICAEW. If you register with us you'll receive free membership of the Restructuring & Insolvency Community.

If you'd like to register with ICAEW you'll be required to pay a registration fee. There is no fee if you're already a member or student, or have registered for ICAEW CFAB or the ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency.

To register for the JIEB exams please visit www.jieb.co.uk to download and complete the appropriate application forms. If you're not an ICAEW member, you should complete the non-member registration form even though you may be registered for CFAB or the ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency.

Send your completed application form with the appropriate payment to ICAEW by 5 September 2018. Applications received after this date won't be accepted and you won't be able to sit the exams. 

Next steps

Once you've passed your exams, why not think about applying for an insolvency licence from ICAEW?

JIEB Pilot Papers for 2018 exams

• Personal Insolvency Pilot Paper 2018
• Corporate Insolvency Pilot Paper 2018
• Revisions to exam format for papers in 2018

JIEB exam study resources

The following resources - including past exam papers, examiner's report and marking plans - will help you prepare for the JIEB exams.