CPD requirements by profession

CII CPD requirements for insurance and financial services professionals

Last reviewed 29 October 2026

The Chartered Insurance Institute runs one of the most clearly defined CPD schemes of any UK professional body. It sets a number, it sets a share of that number that must be formal learning, and it sets a minimum length for every activity you record. The figures are simple; the detail that trips people up is in the definitions — what makes an activity “structured”, how time is counted, and what happens if you are picked for audit.

The requirement in one table

The CII is explicit that 35 hours is a minimum: the real requirement is set by your development needs in any 12-month period, and in practice most members do more. It also stresses that the requirement is not generally on top of the development you already do at work — it includes it.

Structured and unstructured CPD

This distinction carries most of the weight, because 21 of your 35 hours must fall on the structured side.

Structured CPD is the undertaking of any formal learning activity designed to meet a specific development need — what you are expected to know, understand or do as a result. The CII’s own example is attending a technical lecture to understand the implications of the Bribery Act. Structured activities include:

• studying for and sitting an examination;
• seminars, online or in person;
• lectures and conferences;
• workshops and courses; and
• appropriate e-learning.

For a minority of activity, structured CPD can also include educational reading, where high-quality material has been written to meet the learning objective.

Unstructured CPD is any activity you consider has met a learning objective but which was not specially undertaken for that purpose — for example, reading a trade publication that happens to carry a technical article on a topic you need to develop.

The CII ties both to a four-stage process: identify your development needs and plan for them; carry out the activities; record the time spent and keep a verifiable audit trail; and write a reflective statement on whether the activity met your need and how it benefited you professionally.

Counting the time: the 30-minute rule

Three rules govern how hours are counted, and all three come up at audit:

1. Thirty minutes minimum. The FCA expects individuals to spend at least 30 minutes on any CPD activity, and the CII applies the same standard to all its qualified members. Shorter activities addressing the same development need can be batched into one entry — but structured and unstructured activities cannot be combined.
2. Actual time, not advertised time. A course that says it takes an hour is a guide. You record the time it actually took you.
3. Learning time only. At a conference, count only the sessions that address your development needs, and exclude coffee breaks and lunch.

These are the same principles a good CPD provider should apply when stating a duration in the first place, which is why an honestly justified hours figure on a course matters to the learner as much as to the assessor.

Records and audit

The CII does not ask every member to file a record each year. Instead, members may be randomly selected for CPD audit. If you are selected, you submit your record electronically through the CII’s online CPD tool or by email; hard-copy or handwritten records sent by post are not accepted. A CPD record kept by your employer or another professional body can be submitted, provided it contains all the information the CII requires.

A usable record shows, for each activity, what it was, when it took place, how long it took, whether it was structured or unstructured, and your reflection on it. Supporting evidence such as certificates does not have to be sent at audit, but should be kept so it can be produced on request.

Exemptions and breaks

• Retired members on the CII’s Retired members scheme who no longer work in insurance or financial advice need not complete CPD. Partially retired members still doing consultancy or expert-witness work must comply in full.
• Members on the Continued Membership Scheme who are not in employment need not complete CPD.
• Career breaks. Requirements may be suspended during a career break such as maternity leave or long-term sickness. If you were not working or were unwell during the period being audited, you can contact the CII’s CPD team, who will take it into account.

The CII scheme and FCA requirements

The CII explains that it chose 35 hours partly because the Financial Conduct Authority set 35 hours as the minimum annual CPD requirement for retail investment advisers from 2013. The two regimes are separate, though: the CII scheme is a condition of using CII qualifications and designations, while FCA requirements apply to the regulated role. The CII also warns that employers and other regulators may impose CPD rules of their own on top of its scheme, so check what applies to your role.

Where CPD accreditation fits — and where it doesn’t

An AssuredCPD-accredited course is not approved or endorsed by the CII, and we have no affiliation with it. What makes an activity structured CPD, in the CII’s words, is that it is formal learning designed to meet a specific development need — and that is exactly what independent accreditation tests. An AssuredCPD-accredited course must have written, measurable learning outcomes, a credible check of learning, and an hours figure assessed as proportionate rather than self-declared. Those give you three things the CII scheme asks of you: a learning objective to reflect against, an honest duration to record, and a certificate with a reference that can be independently verified if you are audited.

If you provide training to insurance or financial services professionals, the CII’s rules translate directly into course design: state the learning objectives at the start, exclude breaks from the stated duration, and avoid modules shorter than 30 minutes unless they are designed to be taken together. Our guide to how CPD hours are worked out covers the provider side, and writing learning outcomes that pass covers the objectives.

How the UK bodies compare

CPD requirements are set independently by each body, and they differ far more than most people expect. Across the seventeen below, several set no hours target at all; several count records, pieces or outcomes rather than time; several fix a share of the total as structured, verifiable or participatory; and two tie around half or more of the requirement to named subject areas. The CII sits firmly in the hours camp, with an unusually precise rule on how each hour is counted.

Three practical points fall out of that table. First, a figure from one body tells you nothing about another — the CII’s 35 hours in 12 months and the NMC’s 35 hours over three years are very different quantities. Second, the bodies that split the total use different words for similar ideas: the CII’s “structured”, ACCA’s and the GDC’s “verifiable”, and the NMC’s “participatory” each mean something specific to that body. Third, if you hold more than one membership, plan to the stricter rule.

Five mistakes that cost CII members their CPD year

1. Counting the advertised duration. Record the time you actually spent, and leave out the breaks.
2. Logging activities under 30 minutes. They do not count on their own. Batch related short activities into one entry instead.
3. Mixing structured and unstructured in one entry. The CII does not allow it, and it muddies your structured total.
4. Calling everything structured. An article you happened to read is unstructured. Structured means learning designed to meet a specific need.
5. Skipping the reflection. The record is meant to show whether the activity met your development need. Hours with no reflection are hard to defend at audit.

Common questions

How many CPD hours does the CII require?

Qualified members of the CII, the Personal Finance Society and the Society of Mortgage Brokers must complete a minimum of 35 hours of CPD in a 12-month period, of which at least 21 hours must be structured. The CII describes 35 hours as a minimum; your own development needs may mean more.

What counts as structured CPD for the CII?

Any formal learning activity designed to meet a specific development need: studying for and sitting an exam, seminars (online or in person), lectures, conferences, workshops, courses and appropriate e-learning. For a minority of activity it can include high-quality educational reading written to meet a learning objective.

What is unstructured CPD?

Any activity you consider has met a learning objective but was not specially undertaken for that purpose, such as reading a trade publication that happens to include a technical article on a topic you need to develop. Up to 14 of the 35 hours can be unstructured; all 35 can be structured if you prefer.

Is there a minimum length for a CPD activity?

Yes. Each recorded activity must last at least 30 minutes, a standard the CII adopted from the FCA. Several shorter activities meeting the same development need can be combined into one entry, but structured and unstructured activities cannot be combined together.

Do I record the advertised time or the time I actually spent?

The time you actually spent. The CII says a stated duration is only a guide, and you should count only learning time, excluding coffee breaks and lunch.

Do I have to submit my CPD record to the CII every year?

No. You keep an accurate record and submit it only if you are randomly selected for audit, through the CII's online CPD tool or by email. Hard-copy or handwritten records sent by post are not accepted. Certificates do not need to be sent at audit but should be kept in case they are requested.

Are there exemptions from CII CPD?

Some. Retired members on the Retired members scheme who no longer work in insurance or financial advice, and members on the Continued Membership Scheme who are not employed, need not complete CPD. Requirements may be suspended for a career break such as maternity leave or long-term sickness. Part-time members have the same requirement as full-time members.

Does the CII require CPD courses to be accredited?

The CII's definition of structured CPD turns on whether an activity is formal learning designed to meet a specific development need, not on who accredits it. Independent accreditation helps you evidence that: stated learning objectives, a justified duration and a checkable certificate.

Apply for accreditation   Verify a certificate

AssuredCPD is an independent CPD accreditation body. We are not a government or regulatory body and do not award regulated qualifications. AssuredCPD accreditation is not endorsement, approval or recognition by any professional body named on this page, and we have no affiliation with them. Requirements are summarised from each body’s own published guidance and were checked on 29 October 2026; those bodies change their rules from time to time, so always confirm against the official source linked above before relying on it.