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Running your practice

Articles, features and library resources to support you with running your practice, including developing a specialism, pricing advice, supporting your staff, and managing risk.

In this section

Communities

Information, insights, guidance and networking opportunities on a range of industry sectors, professional specialisms and at various stages throughout your career.

Practitioner Business Advisers Community

The Practitioner Business Advisers (PBA) community provides access to tools and resources for Practice Members to give sound advice to their business clients and become the virtual FD. Free to join for ICAEW members.

Probate services

ICAEW is an approved regulator and licensing authority for probate services. This enables us to accredit firms to offer probate services to their clients. Here we explain the benefits of accreditation and the application process, provide support for accredited firms and also information for consumers including a register of ICAEW accredited for probate firms.

Designated Professional Body (Investment Business) licence

Find out how you can enhance the services you already offer your clients with a Designated Professional Body (Investment Business) licence. This section explains what regulated investment business is, who is regulated, and how your firm can apply for a DPB (Investment Business) licence.

Working in the regulated area of audit

Firms working in the regulated area of audit are required to comply with the Audit Regulations and guidance. On this page, you'll find links to advice and guidance to help your firm remain compliant.

Client screening

Obtain client screening reports checking against global risk and compliance data, including government sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons, a wide range of watch lists and negative news profiles.

Arrangements for incapacity or death

Guidance for sole practitioners on finding solutions to the problems that might arise in the event of their incapacity or death.

Managing risk: Record keeping and documentation

Documents and records

Guidance for members in practice on which documents the member owns; how long documents should be kept; if the client owns the documents, whether the member always has to hand them over; and the member's obligations to allow others access to documents.

Consumer credit

The DPB (Consumer Credit) Handbook sets out the regulations for firms to provide consumer credit services.

Exit routes and succession planning

 

Practice succession

Successful practice succession can be a real challenge. You may need to fund the retirement of older partners while keeping the practice an attractive proposition for new ones.

Is your entity a member firm?

Guide to determine if your entity is a member firm and whether ICAEW is your firm’s money laundering supervisor.

Annual return to ICAEW

Get the most up-to-date information on the online annual return, links and FAQs.

The ICAEW Practice Assurance scheme

Our Practice Assurance (PA) scheme provides ICAEW member firms and practising certificate holders with a framework of principles-based quality assurance standards to operate to. It outlines procedures to follow with your clients, and how to maintain the highest quality of work and ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, eg, those relating to anti-money laundering and protection of client data.

API 101 Questions

Following on from our API 101 webinar in January, we’ve produced a roundup of some of the key pointers and questions that came out of the webinar.

ChatGPT and accountancy: know its limits

Generative AI such as ChatGPT offers plenty of opportunities for accountants to automate certain tasks, but it’s important to understand its issues and limitations before putting the technology to use.