Overview for QP students - Time requirements
Under section 41(3) of the Professional Accountants By-laws (Cap. 50A), "practical experience" (實際經驗) means experience whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere acceptable to the Council as an employee of a person practising public accountancy or in the financial or management accountancy department of an organization in industry, commerce or the public service or in a similar department.
1. Depending on the academic qualifications of the membership applicant, the period of practical experience required varies from three to five years:
|
Minimum length of relevant practical experience |
Minimum Working Days during the total Practical Experience Period |
Approved degree holders or QP students graduated from the Associate Level of the QP |
3 years |
500 Working Days |
Approved accountancy diploma holders |
4 years |
670 Working Days |
Holder of other academic qualifications |
5 years |
830 Working Days |
2. A maximum of 3 employments is allowed and one employment can be less than 12 months during the Practical Experience Period.
3. The following time requirements should be observed:
- QP students are required to gain at least 130 Working Days of practical experience each year of their training.
- QP students are required to achieve at least 75 Working Days of practical experience in each of the selected technical elements.
- At least 50% of the total Working Days (i.e. 250 days) in the Practical Experience Period should be at proficiency level 3. Please refer more details from the Practical Experience Competence Grid.
- A maximum of 40 hours of attendance at relevant training courses each year can be counted as Working Days.
- A Working Day is considered to be 8 working hours and working hours can be accumulated.
4. The practical experience of a QP student must be attained within 10 years prior to the date the QP student applies for HKICPA membership (10-year Recency Rule).
Download the Support Manual (extracted) (PDF, 291KB) for more information.