CPD requirements by profession
IFoA CPD requirements for actuaries
Last reviewed 4 November 2026
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has deliberately softened its CPD scheme in recent years, and the result is one of the more relaxed regimes among UK professional bodies: a modest hours figure, a simple online declaration, and — notably — no automatic disciplinary consequence for falling short, provided you haven't breached the Actuaries' Code along the way.
The short answer: the IFoA's general requirement is 15 hours of CPD, of which 2 hours should be professional skills training. You declare compliance online at membership renewal. Students, Non-Practising members and members at employers using the IFoA's QAS CPD Scheme are exempt. Crucially, there are no longer automatic disciplinary consequences for failing to meet the CPD Scheme itself — only a breach of the Actuaries' Code carries that risk. Practising Certificate holders have extra requirements on top of this general scheme.
The general requirement
| Element | What the IFoA requires |
|---|---|
| Minimum CPD | 15 hours a year |
| Professional skills training | At least 2 of the 15 hours |
| Declaration | Online, in your member record, at renewal |
| Record keeping | Kept by you, in any form, not submitted annually |
| Checking | Some members selected for a Reflective Practice Discussion |
| Non-compliance | No automatic discipline, unless the Actuaries’ Code is breached |
Fifteen hours is notably lower than several other UK professional bodies' annual figures, and the IFoA's own guidance frames CPD broadly: lectures, seminars, webinars and personal reading can all count, without the IFoA needing to formally recognise the source. Practising Certificate holders face additional requirements on top of this general figure, so if you hold one, check the IFoA's separate Practising Certificate Holders guidance rather than assuming 15 hours is your full obligation.
How the declaration actually works
There is no separate CPD submission process. Instead, the annual membership renewal notice prompts an online declaration in your member record. Fellows, Associates, Affiliates who joined before January 2021, and Certified Actuarial Analysts must confirm their CPD status and, where the requirement applies to them, that they met it for the CPD year. Students and fully retired members are exempt from this and make no annual declaration at all.
Reflective Practice Discussions, not audits
Rather than a document-based audit, the IFoA's checking mechanism is a Reflective Practice Discussion. Some members are selected to discuss their CPD with the IFoA's specialist CPD team, or with a peer, colleague, line manager or an IFoA volunteer. If selected, you must provide your record in advance of the discussion. Because there's no annual submission requirement, this is the main point at which your record is actually examined — which makes keeping a usable, if informal, record throughout the year worthwhile even though nothing is submitted by default.
Why falling short carries less risk than at other bodies
This is the detail that most distinguishes the IFoA from bodies such as the GCC or ARB: its own guidance states plainly that there will no longer be disciplinary consequences for failure to comply with the CPD Scheme, except in cases where the Actuaries' Code has been breached. In practice, this means the CPD Scheme itself functions more as a professional expectation than an enforceable rule with its own sanction — the real exposure sits with the Code, which covers matters such as competence and integrity more broadly, and which a thin CPD record could, in principle, contribute to breaching if it left you genuinely unable to practise competently.
Exemptions: Non-Practising status and QAS employers
- Student members are exempt outright, with no declaration required.
- Non-Practising status is available to members who are not doing technical actuarial work for five weeks or more, with an exception for parental or medical absence. Members on parental or health-related leave are treated as Non-Practising and should notify the IFoA's CPD Team by email.
- Employees of organisations using the IFoA's QAS CPD Scheme are also exempt from the general scheme, since their employer's own quality-assured scheme covers it.
Where CPD accreditation fits — and where it doesn’t
The IFoA's general CPD guidance does not describe a scheme for accrediting external providers or courses, and it specifically notes the IFoA no longer needs to formally recognise other bodies' CPD schemes. An AssuredCPD-accredited course is not approved or endorsed by the IFoA, and we have no affiliation with it.
What independent accreditation offers an actuary is a reliable way to judge a course before committing CPD time to it, particularly useful given how broad the IFoA's own definition of acceptable CPD is. An AssuredCPD-accredited course has written, measurable learning outcomes assessed under our Standards Framework, a credible check of learning, and a justified hours figure — the kind of detail that gives you confidence an activity is worth the time, particularly for the professional skills training element, where the activity needs to genuinely develop skills rather than just technical knowledge. A verifiable certificate reference also gives you something concrete to bring to a Reflective Practice Discussion if selected.
If you provide CPD or professional skills training for actuaries, our guide to writing learning outcomes that pass and how to design a CPD assessment cover building a course that can actually support a reflective discussion, not just attendance.
How the UK bodies compare
CPD requirements are set independently by each body, and they differ far more than most people expect. Across the twenty-one 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 IFoA stands out for a different reason: it is one of the few bodies to have deliberately removed the automatic disciplinary link between CPD and sanction.
| Body | Who it covers | CPD requirement | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| NMC | Nurses, midwives, nursing associates | 35 hrs per 3 yrs (20 participatory) | 3-year revalidation |
| GDC | Dentists and dental care professionals | 100 / 75 / 50 hrs per 5 yrs, all verifiable | 5-year cycle from registration |
| ICAEW | Chartered accountants | 20 / 30 / 40 hrs by category, part verifiable | Annual CPD year |
| ACCA | Chartered certified accountants | 40 units/yr (21 verifiable, 19 not) | Annual CPD year |
| IFoA | Actuaries | 15 hrs/yr (2 professional skills); extra for Practising Certificate holders | Annual CPD year, declared at renewal |
| CII | Insurance, financial planning and mortgage professionals | 35 hrs (21 structured), 30-min minimum per activity | Any 12-month period |
| IOSH | Health and safety practitioners | 30 hrs per year (Chartered) | Year from renewal date |
| CIOB | Construction professionals | 25 hrs per year, 12 across four themes | Subscription year |
| RICS | Surveyors | 20 hrs per year (10 structured) | Calendar year |
| ARB | Architects on the UK Register | No hours; 8 activities suggested, each with reflection | Calendar year, declared at renewal |
| RIBA | Chartered Members | 35 hrs per year (20 on ten core topics) | Calendar year, record by 31 Dec |
| GPhC | Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians | 4 records, 1 peer discussion, 1 reflective account | Annual, by renewal |
| CILEX | Legal executives | 9 outcomes/yr (5+ planned) + professionalism | Annual, by 30 Sep |
| CIPD | HR and L&D professionals | No mandatory hours; ~30 recommended, 3 records | Calendar year |
| HCPC | Allied health and care professionals | No hours; standards-based, 2.5% audited | Each renewal |
| BACP | Counsellors and psychotherapists (registered members) | ~30 hrs/yr norm, outcomes-focused, random audit | Rolling, checked at renewal |
| BSB | Barristers (England and Wales) | 45 hrs over first 3 yrs (NPP); no hours after (EPP) | 3-year NPP, then ongoing EPP |
| GCC | Chiropractors | 30 hrs/yr (15 with others), directed topic | Annual, to 31 Aug |
| Social Work England | Social workers in England | 2+ pieces/yr (1 with peer reflection) | Annual, by 30 Nov |
| RCVS | Veterinary surgeons and nurses | 35 hrs (vets) / 15 hrs (nurses) + reflection | Calendar year |
| SRA | Solicitors | No hours; annual declaration of competence | Annual declaration |
Three practical points fall out of that table. First, a figure from one body tells you nothing about another — the IFoA's 15 hours and the GCC's 30 hours measure superficially similar things but sit within very different enforcement regimes. Second, several bodies specify not just how much CPD but what kind: the IFoA's professional skills training minimum, the GCC's learning-with-others split, named topics for ARB and RIBA. Third, a lighter enforcement regime, as the IFoA now has, does not mean a lighter professional expectation — the Actuaries' Code still applies in full regardless of your CPD record.
Five mistakes that cost actuaries their CPD record
- Missing the professional skills training minimum. Fifteen hours of technical CPD with no professional skills content falls short of the specific 2-hour requirement.
- Assuming a Practising Certificate changes nothing. It adds requirements on top of the general 15 hours; check the separate guidance rather than assuming the general figure covers you.
- Treating the lighter sanction as no requirement at all. No automatic discipline for the CPD Scheme itself is not the same as no professional obligation; the Actuaries' Code still governs your competence.
- Not keeping a record because nothing is submitted by default. Members selected for a Reflective Practice Discussion must provide their record in advance, and reconstructing a year's CPD from memory is harder than keeping a running note.
- Forgetting to notify the CPD Team on parental or health leave. Non-Practising status during this kind of absence isn't automatic; the IFoA asks to be told.
Common questions
How many CPD hours do actuaries need?
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries' general requirement is 15 hours of CPD, of which 2 hours should be professional skills training. Practising Certificate holders have extra requirements on top of the general scheme, so check the IFoA's Practising Certificate Holders guidance if that applies to you.
What happens if an actuary doesn't complete their CPD?
Under the current scheme, there are no longer automatic disciplinary consequences for failing to comply with the CPD Scheme itself, except where the Actuaries' Code has been breached. Members must still comply with the Code regardless of their CPD record.
How do actuaries declare their CPD?
Through an online declaration in their member record, prompted by the membership renewal notice. Fellows, Associates, Affiliates who joined before January 2021, and Certified Actuarial Analysts must confirm their CPD status and, where the requirement applies to them, that they met it for the CPD year.
Who is exempt from IFoA CPD requirements?
Student members, members with Non-Practising status, and members whose employer has adopted the IFoA's QAS CPD Scheme. Students and fully retired members make no annual declaration at all.
What is a Reflective Practice Discussion?
A conversation some members are selected to have with the IFoA's specialist CPD team, or with a peer, colleague, line manager or IFoA volunteer, in which they discuss their CPD record. Members selected must provide their record in advance.
Does the IFoA require a CPD record to be submitted every year?
No. Members keep a record, in any form, in case they are selected for a Reflective Practice Discussion, but it is not submitted annually as a matter of course.
What counts as Non-Practising status for IFoA CPD purposes?
Available to members not doing technical actuarial work for five weeks or more, except for parental or medical absence. Members on parental or health-related leave are treated as Non-Practising and should notify the IFoA's CPD Team.
Does the IFoA accredit CPD providers or courses?
The IFoA's general CPD guidance does not describe an accreditation scheme for providers. It notes the IFoA no longer needs to recognise other bodies' CPD schemes, and that CPD can be wide-ranging, including lectures, seminars, webinars and personal reading.
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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 4 November 2026; those bodies change their rules from time to time, so always confirm against the official source linked above before relying on it.