Confirms the level of professional competence of the applicant necessary to perform the functions of a chief accountant in accordance with the requirements of the 6th level of the professional standard “Accountant” and the requirements for professional accountants of the IPB of Russia.
If you have been in the profession for a long time and dream of moving up the career ladder, then obtaining a certificate of a professional accountant is an excellent opportunity to show your superiors your abilities and high qualifications.
Especially for chief accountants who head the accounting service and are responsible for internal control, tax accounting, preparation of tax reporting, financial analysis, budgeting and cash flow management, the IPB of Russia has introduced certificates of chief accountants-experts. The list of labor functions of such specialists is wider and their implementation requires additional competencies. Exam programs for these certificates are designed with an emphasis on in-depth study of individual thematic issues.
How to become a Chief Accountant?
Wanting to change his place of work in the same specialty, an accountant chooses either the area in which he worked (if he follows the path of least resistance), or expands his practical skills, performing wider functionality... And for this, without having a good practical base, you need Thorough knowledge of accounting theory.
Moreover, from July 1, 2021, in accordance with the law of May 2, 2015 No. 122-FZ, the application of professional standards has become mandatory . The level of qualification of an accountant is determined by the availability of special education and work experience. There are 2 qualification levels for accountants: 5th and 6th. Accountant – 5th level, 6th level – Chief accountant.
According to the classification, an accountant maintains accounting records: registers primary documents, makes a final synthesis of the facts of economic life. The chief accountant prepares and submits financial and tax reporting, engages in tax planning, conducts financial analysis, budgeting and manages cash flows.
To qualify, an accountant must meet certain requirements. For an accountant of the 5th qualification level:
- Have secondary vocational education;
- Additional professional education under special programs;
- Work experience in the specialty must be at least 3 years.
For the Chief Accountant (6th level of qualification) the following requirements:
- Higher or secondary specialized education;
- Additional professional programs (advanced training, professional retraining);
- Experience in the field of accounting, preparation of accounting (financial) statements, or auditing activities must be at least five years. And if you have a higher education - at least three of the last five calendar years.
Let's calculate the costs
Obtaining a Chief Accountant certificate is not only labor-intensive, but also quite an expensive process, because there are not only one-time fees, but also annual ones. Let's summarize the information and calculate exactly how much it costs to become a chief accountant:
- The training itself at the Chief Accountant courses (paid to the training center, of course, the figure may vary depending on the center) - 22,000 rubles
- Registration of the Chief Accountant at the Institute of Professional Accountants and issuance of a certificate and membership card - 8,000 rubles
- Annual membership fee to the IPB (from the second year) - 2,000 rubles
Why is it better to take the certification this year?
As they say, “prepare the sleigh in the summer and the cart in the winter.” This folk wisdom is very relevant when applied to our topic. At the moment, you are unlikely to encounter queues for obtaining a certificate, especially since the cost of completing the training, in theory, can be offset by the funds of the company in which you work. Moreover, having a test certificate in hand, your professional status should change for the better. If you have noticed, the largest companies in the country (for example, Gazprom, SberBank, X5 Retail Group) have quite serious requirements for candidates for open vacancies (including accounting profiles). One of them, among other things, is that the applicant has certificates of compliance with professional standards (especially international ones). Confirmation of qualifications according to a professional standard is a purely Russian testing format, but over time, you can be sure of this, without it it will be quite difficult to find a job. “Freebies,” pardon the vocabulary, are gradually disappearing from the labor market. Employers, for the same money that they paid several years ago, began to demand from workers not only more output, but also more skills. If you don’t want to remain unclaimed in a year or two, it makes sense to urgently take care of your qualifications. Fortunately, as was said above, in 2021, or rather in the middle, is the best time to do this. Moreover, having a certificate of compliance with the professional standard in hand, it is possible to get a higher-paying job and it does not have to be some kind of “federal giant”. The value of a certificate today comes down to the fact that few people have it now. For now it’s “exclusive”, if you like, but later it will be an obligation. Feel the difference.
