AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting (Level 4)

Is the AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting suitable for me? 

This course is available for anyone looking to further their career in accounting and considering moving into more senior roles, or looking to take on management responsibility. It is also a great training course for those looking to become a Licensed Accountant and gain MAAT status.

If you’ve followed the AAT course pathway to this point you will now be on your way to completing the full AAT Journey. Having this qualification on your CV will demonstrate your focus on personal development and your commitment to the accounting profession.

If you're not from an accounting background or have not completed AAT Level 2 Certificate & Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting, we would advise you to start there before progressing to this level (unless you have suitable accounting work experience). 

What jobs can I apply for after my AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting training?

Completing your AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting training and passing your exams will provide you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and certificates necessary to legally review financial reports, maintain general ledgers, reconcile account balances and more. This will enable you to progress into more senior roles and undertake more senior responsibilities, helping you work towards a promotion or a new job role.

Additional pathways also include working towards becoming a Chartered Accountant, starting your own accountancy business, or taking on a new senior job.

Typical job roles include:

•    Senior Bookkeeper - £31k
•    Accounts Payable/Expenses Supervisor - £33k
•    Commercial Analyst - £34k
•    Senior Finance Officer - £37k
•    VAT Accountant - £37k
•    Payments & Billing Manager - £39k
•    Payroll Manager - £40k
•    Cost Accountant - £40k
•    Fixed Asset Accountant - £45k
•    Indirect Tax Manager - £56k   

(Source: Payscale)

Licence types and Services

When you have earned your AAT Level 4 qualification, you can set up your own business and apply to provide 18 services (Level 4).

These services include:

AAT Licensed Accountant (Level 4) - All the above plus: Financial accounts and accounts preparation for statutory purposes, Budgeting and forecasting, Management accounting, Personal and Business income tax, Inheritance, Capital gains and Corporation tax, Limited assurance engagement, Independent examination, Company secretarial services, Internal audit, and Forensic accounting.

Designatory Letters

Earning your AAT Level 4 qualification will give you professional MAAT status, letting you use the designatory letters MAAT after your name. These designatory letters show you have gained the skills, experience and knowledge to work that employers are looking for, which can result in an increase in your earning potential. You can also now legally submit final balances for any sized organisation.

MAAT (gained with AAT Level 4) - An AAT full member is a qualified accountant who has successfully demonstrated the experience and skills necessary to be approved for MAAT status. Delegates who have earned their MAAT status can use the designatory letters MAAT after their name and they can apply for a licence to run their own practice as an AAT Licensed Accountant or Bookkeeper. 

What can I expect from a job in Accounting?

At this level, you will be very comfortable working on higher level accounting tasks required of a Finance Officer or Senior Accountant, where responsibilities may include:

•    Reviewing financial reports
•    Reconciling account balances and bank statements
•    Maintaining general ledger and preparing month-end close procedures
•    Managing cash controls
•    Producing error-free accounting reports and presenting results

Salaries vary by industry, sector and role; however, industry averages range between £32,500 and £42,500 a year, with some companies offering above £60,000 a year, at this level.

AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting Syllabus

The AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting (Level 4) comprises four mandatory units; an assessment, and a choice of five optional modules. You’ll need to complete all the mandatory modules and two of the five optional modules, to complete the course. The assessment fees are not included in the cost of the course.

It’s best to complete the mandatory modules first, before deciding which optional modules you'll want to study. Should you want to specialise in tax, you’ll want to consider waiting until you have most of the new year ahead of you, before requesting the textbooks, as tax changes year-on-year and you don't want to have an out-of-date textbook.

We include the study text so that you have everything you need to study, including textbooks and exam revision kits so that you can test yourself at home and be sure you’re fully prepared for the exam.

As this course is delivered via textbook, your course will never expire, meaning you can take the exams when you’re ready.

Syllabus

Mandatory Units

•    Mandatory Unit 1 - Management Accounting: Budgeting.
•    Mandatory Unit 2 - Management Accounting: Decision and Control.
•    Mandatory Unit 3 - Financial Statements of Limited Companies. 
•    Mandatory Unit 4 - Accounting Systems and Controls. 
•    Mandatory Unit 5 - Professional Diploma Synoptic Assessment.

Optional Units

•    Optional Unit 1 - Business tax.
•    Optional Unit 2 - Personal tax.
•    Optional Unit 3 - External auditing.
•    Optional Unit 4 - Cash and Treasury Management.
•    Optional Unit 5 - Credit Management.

AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting Assessment Details

Mandatory Exams

•    Management Accounting: Budgeting (2 hours 30 minutes).
•    Management Accounting: Decision and Control (2 hours 30 minutes).
•    Financial Statements of Limited Companies (2 hours 30 minutes).
•    Accounting Systems and Controls (2 hours 30 minutes). 
•    Professional Diploma Synoptic Assessment (3 hours). 

Optional Exams

•    Business taxation (2 hours).
•    Personal taxation (2 hours 30 minutes).
•    External auditing (2 hours)
•    Cash and Treasury Management (2 hours 30 minutes).
•    Credit Management (2 hours 30 minutes).

Questions include multiple-choice, selecting answers from a drop-down menu and typing numbers into form fields. For some assessments, you will be required to type quite lengthy amounts of text, in particular with the Synoptic assessment. 

You will be tested via a Synoptic assessments, which will test your understanding of connections between the different topics covered across the Level 4 qualification. Synoptic assessments are sat towards the end of your qualification and will be taken at specific times throughout the year. 

The national average pass rate for AAT Level 4 is 68.8%. Our pass rate is 82.2%.

How is this course assessed?

To achieve this qualification, students are required to pass the mandatory computer-based assessments. We will help you pass your assessments by offering progressive tests that run throughout the course, along with the model answers for self-assessment. The assessment fees are not included in the cost of the course.

There are two ways you can take your assessments:

Online: To take your assessment from the comfort of your home, please contact e-Careers Customer Service to book and pay for your assessment.

At a Test Centre: You can still choose to sit your exam at a suitable AAT approved assessment venue. We can help find the closest one to you. (Exam fees vary from centre to centre).

To ensure students have sufficient time to complete all tasks in each part of the assessment, the structure (for RI only) will be:

Part 1 (Task 1 – Task 3): 80 minutes.
Part 2 (Break-page): 15 minutes.
Part 3 (Task 4 – Task 6): 100 minutes.

Synoptic windows revised

Dates for the Synoptic window have now all been confirmed for 2021, including additional dates to assist with any capacity issues as a result of social distancing restrictions. Click for the full details.

When studying for your AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting, your knowledge and skills will be tested via computer-based assessments, which are marked in three ways:

•  Completely computer marked (you will get your results within 24 hours).
•  Partially computer marked and partially human marked (you will get your results within six weeks).
•  Fully human marked (you will get your results within six weeks).

Exam changes due to COVID-19

Pearson VUE-owned test centres will be following the recommendations from the CDC and World Health Organization for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting testing candidates and their staff. Candidates are asked to comply with the health and safety guidelines outlined below to keep fellow candidates safe. (Face masks are now required while testing at Pearson VUE-owned test centres).

What you need to know

You will not be admitted to the test centre and should reschedule your exam if:

You have tested positive for COVID-19 (unless you have been symptom-free and fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine and at least 14 days have passed since your last exposure, or you have received two negative COVID-19 test results in a row, 24 hours apart)

You are currently experiencing or have experienced one or more associated symptoms within the last fourteen (14) days (unless You have been symptom-free and fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine):

• Shortness of breath
• Cough
• Fever
• Chills
• Sore throat
• Loss of smell

You live with or have had close contact with someone who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19 (unless at least 14 days have passed since your last exposure).

Have been or are under home quarantine or centralized observation by government or healthcare authorities (unless at least 14 days have passed since your quarantine or centralised observation has been lifted by the government or healthcare authorities).