Can you be an AAT MIP and register as an ATT student?

teakay25

Hi All,

Does anyone know if you are an AAT Member In Practice, can you study for the ATT qualification or do they restrict you as to what services you can offer to the public until you have done all of the ATT exams?

JodieR

Don't think there's any restrictions. The ATT operate a similar scheme to the AAT whereby you tell them what experience you've had in tax and pay an annual fee and do (a lot of) CPD and then they give you permission to use their logo on your stationery and the letters after your name. I kept up my membership for a few years but didn't renew it last year as it seemed a lot of money and lots of CPD for something which my clients haven't even noticed isn't there anymore!
I'm not trying to devalue the qualification though - it's an excellent course (well it was when I did it) and well worth doing, I just didn't seem to get enough out of the membership to keep it up. I went so some of their conferences and most of the content was pitched way over my head!

jilbo

Hi Teakay25,

I contacted the ATT with the same enquiry last year and received an email stating that "the ATT place no restrictions on it's students or members' professional experience or previous qualifications and they are not required to work for specifically authorised or approved firms and may be self-employed, partners in a business, or work for an organisation that does not operate within the finance sector"

They went on to say "Your AAT membership would furthermore not conflict with an ATT membership, but rather be seen as an asset in your pursuit of the ATT qualification."

Hence, I enrolled with them at the end of last year!!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

deanshepherd

I am member of both AAT and ATT and can highly recommend it.

The ATTs MIP scheme is even more relaxed than AATs. In fact, if I recall correctly, it is still voluntary.

The CPD you do for AAT should be sufficient to cover you for ATT, unless you are one of those people that see the new AAT scheme as a way of getting out of doing CPD. You don't need to 'double up'.

I also think the Tax Adviser magazine is a better read than Accounting Technician plus you get Tolleys Tax Handbook, annotated copy of each finance act and Hardmans rates and tables each year.

I agree with Jodie that AAT put on much better courses though.

Good luck!

JodieR

deanshepherd wrote: »

plus you get Tolleys Tax Handbook

That's the one thing I'm missing now! I think I'm going to buy a copy - do you know if we get discount from Tolleys being a MIP?

teakay25

thank you all for your advice :thumbup: