Public Finance Accountant

Many public finance accountants qualify with The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA). You'll need to complete the CIPFA Professional Qualification (PQ).

You can take the CIPFA PQ if you're:

• a graduate with an accountancy related degree
• an accountant qualified with another professional body
• a part-qualified accountant
• a chartered internal auditor
• a graduate with the Association of Accountancy Technicians

You could also do the CIPFA PQ if you're in a senior public finance role but don't yet hold a professional accountancy qualification.

You may be able to claim exemptions from some exams if you already have relevant qualifications.

CIPFA also work with the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) to produce a specialist apprenticeship scheme.

You may be able to join some larger employers directly through a finance management training scheme. You'll usually need at least A levels or equivalent, though some employers may ask for a degree.

You'll need:

• knowledge of economics and accounting
• maths knowledge
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• administration skills
• analytical thinking skills
• the ability to work well with others
• ambition and a desire to succeed
• the ability to use your initiative
• to have a thorough understanding of computer systems and applications

In your day-to-day duties you could:

• prepare financial records and statements
• estimate the cost of new projects
• review budgets and investments
• monitor spending and cashflows
• allocate money to projects and departments
• analyse the effectiveness of services
• manage organisations’ finance systems
• conduct internal audits
• present to boards and budget holders

You could work in an office.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in public finance accountancy from The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy.