Membership registration
Last update in Oct 2018
Q1. When are my member annual fees due?
Member annual fees are due on 15 December in the year preceding the year of renewal in accordance with the
Professional Accountants Ordinance ("PAO"). Renewal notice will be emailed to all members in mid-November,
except for members who have paid the $180 hardcopy surcharge as they will receive hardcopy renewal notice by post . Renewal notice along with payment advice are downloadable in "My Correspondence" under "MyCPA" in the Members' area of the website.
Q2. Who is entitled to a reduced annual fee?
Reduced annual fees are available to long term members when they have reached the following age on 1 January of the year respectively. No application is required in this respect:
Category
Reduced membership rate Apportionment to Capital Fund
60 to 64 years of age with 20 years or more membership
HKD 1,613 HKD 75
65 or above with 20 years or more membership
Waived
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Q3. What payment methods are accepted?
Annual fee(s) can be paid via the following methods:
(a)
Bank Autopay
Please obtain a direct debit authorization ("DDA") form from the Institute's Finance Department and submit your completed DDA form to your designated bank. It takes about 1 month to process your request by the bank. For members who have already set up the autopay instruction before 1 November, the annual fee(s) will be debited from the designated bank account on the payment due date specified in the payment advice.
(b)
Credit Card
i) Pay online by VISA/ MasterCard - log in to the Annual Renewal section in our website and act as instructed, or
ii) Complete and return the credit card authorization form (pay by BOC HKICPA VISA card, BOC HKICPA UnionPay Card or other VISA/MasterCard)
iii) Pay in person at the Institute's member services counter.
(c)
Crossed cheque or bankdraft
Please send your payment advice together with a crossed cheque/ bank draft in Hong Kong Dollars ("HKD") made payable to "Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants" or "HKICPA". Please ensure that your registration number and full name are written at the back of the crossed cheque or bank draft. Do not send post-dated cheque. Members should bear any bank charge arising from payment outside Hong Kong and this charge should be added to the total payment.
(d)
PPS
Pay online by PPS - log in to the Annual Renewal section in our website and act as instructed.
(e)
Cash
Pay in person at the Institute's member services counter at 27th floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Q4. I have relocated to overseas/ am currently out of the work force. Can my member annual fee be reduced?
Under the current policy, (other than those long term members as mentioned in the answer to Q2 above) all members, irrespective of their location of residence and employment status, are required to pay full member annual fee to renew their membership registration.
Q5. I will move to overseas shortly. Can I pay my member annual fee before receiving the annual renewal notice for next year?
As you can pay online at any location/time or set up autopay arrangement with your designated banker before you leave, you are advised to wait and pay after you receive the payment advice from the Institute in November.
Q6. How can I check my payment status?
You may log in to the Annual Renewal section in our website and check the payment status:
Pay now : The annual fee is outstanding. Under Process : Your payment instruction has been received. Please allow 7 working days to process your payment. For member who has set up autopay, the status "Under Process" will be kept until your payment is successfully received by HKICPA. Settled : Your payment has been received by HKICPA.
Q7. I have paid twice for my member annual fee. How can I get a refund?
Please send documentary evidence for these two payment transactions to the Institute for processing.
Q8. I have difficulty paying my member annual fee. Can the Institute help?
The Institute has established a trust fund for the relief of poverty by providing assistance to members experiencing severe financial hardship in the form of payment of the Institute's member annual fees, a grant or a loan. Please download relevant application form from our website for completion and return to the Institute, with documentary evidence, as required, on or before 15 December, i.e. 15 days before the expiry of your membership registration on 31 December of the year .
Members are reminded that late submission will not be considered. In rare circumstances will late applications be accepted and only when accompanied by a letter that details compelling reasons for the delay together with supporting documents where relevant.
Mandatory CPD requirements
Q9. What are the CPD requirements for annual renewal?
All members, except those exempt from complying with the Institute's CPD requirements, are required to complete a minimum of 120 CPD hours in a rolling three-year period, out of which 60 hours should be verifiable. A minimum of 20 CPD hours, verifiable or otherwise, has to be completed each year. A CPD year starts on 1 December and ends on 30 November the following year. If a member joins the Institute in the middle of the year, the CPD requirements apply to him/ her on a pro-rata basis to 30 November of that year. Please refer to the
CPD FAQ #3 for further details.
Q10. What should I do to report my compliance of CPD requirements?
All members, except those exempt from complying with the Institute's CPD requirements, are required to submit a CPD declaration through filing of the Annual Return for membership renewal ("Annual Return") at the time of applying for their membership renewal.
The CPD records you keep in "MyCPA >> Development >> CPD activity summary" on the Institute's website DO NOT EQUATE
Q11. I am very busy and need more time to satisfy the CPD requirements. What can I do?
Please provide details of the CPD activities you have taken during the reporting period, i.e. the past three years up to 30 November of the current year, to Admission Department on or before 15 December, i.e. the renewal deadline . We will advise you the remedial action required.
Q12. Who can apply for exemption from the CPD requirements? What are the application procedures?
CPD exemption will only be granted to a member who, at the time of application, is not carrying out any accountancy or accountancy related work, whether paid or unpaid, and does not plan to do so for a significant period of time.Appendix of Statement 1.500 (Revised October 2019) , Guidance on Exemptions, for more details about exemption, including information about what is accountancy or accountancy related work.an application for exemption from CPD compliance in writing and support it with documentary evidence at any time during the year but are requested to submit it by 15 December of the year
Q13. I have been exempted from the CPD requirement since last year. What should I do with this year's Annual Return (CPD declaration)?
If you have been granted a CPD exemption and continue to meet the current exemption criteria mentioned in Q12 , you do not need to re-apply if your circumstances remain unchanged. Please skip the CPD declaration section, and complete and return the remaining section(s) in your annual return to the Institute for processing.
Q14. What is the consequence for not complying with the CPD requirements?
With the enactment of the Professional Accountants (Amendment) Ordinance in September 2004, compliance with CPD is one of the criteria for renewal of registration as a CPA under section 28(2)(c) and issuance of a Practising Certificate under section 30(8) of the PAO. In the absence of exemption, the Council shall refuse a member's application to renew his/her registration as a CPA if the member fails to comply with the CPD requirements as set down by the Council.
For more details on the CPD requirements, please click here.
Online Annual Renewal section
Q15. How can I renew online?
You can easily pay your annual fee(s) and submit your annual return by logging in to the Annual Renewal section in our website.
Q16. I tried to renew online but was accidentally logged out from the system. How can I know that the renewal transaction has been completed?
Please call our renewal hotline (852) 2893-7600 during office hours or email
renewal@hkicpa.org.hk for assistance.
Q17. How to avoid HKICPA emails being delivered to junk mails?
Please follow the instructions on the
IT Support page in our website. If you have any enquiry on this, please contact the Institute's IT support team during office hours on: (852) 2287-7800 or by sending an email to:
itenquiry@hkicpa.org.hk .
Q18. I was newly admitted in April this year. When and how will I be notified to renew my membership registration?
Under the PAO , irrespective of the date of your first registration as a member with the Institute, your membership will expire on 31 December. Renewal notice will be emailed to you and all members in mid-November. Members who have paid the $180 hardcopy surcharge will receive hardcopy renewal notice by post.
Q19. Why are members required to make declaration on convictions in the annual return form? Is it a mandatory requirement for membership renewal? What would be the consequence?
Declaration on convictions is not a mandatory requirement for membership renewal. As members have the obligation to report any conviction of criminal offence or professional misconduct to the Institute, this declaration is added to the annual return form to facilitate members in reporting their convictions, if any.
Q20. I had been convicted of minor traffic offence in last year. Do I need to state it in the Declaration on convictions in Hong Kong or elsewhere in the annual return?
You should report the minor traffic offence if you have been convicted. Normally, the Institute will not take any action against members convicted of minor traffic offences.
Q21. How can I get a receipt for the annual fee(s) paid?
Payment receipt will be sent to you via email once payment has been received by HKICPA. In addition, you may log in and download the payment receipt in the Annual Renewal section and/or "MyCPA >> Payment" in the Members' area of the Institute's website.
Q22. What will happen if I do not renew my membership before the specified deadline?
If you fail to complete the renewal procedures before the renewal deadline on 15 December, a final notice will be sent by email and post to you by the end of December. A final deadline will be given for you to renew your membership registration.
If no payment/ annual return are received from you by this extended renewal deadline, your name will be removed from the Institute's register of certified public accountants without further notice.
Q23. I have paid my member annual fee, but subsequently been removed by the Institute for non-compliance of the CPD requirement. Can I get a refund of the annual fee paid?
If you have paid the member annual fee but your name was removed due to your failure in filing the CPD Declaration via the Annual Return for membership renewal, the annual fee paid will be refunded in accordance with your payment method. For bank autopay, PPS and payments through our member services counter, refund will be made by cheque and mailed to your last known correspondence address.
Q24. I do not want to renew my membership and/or practising certificate after it expires on 31 December this year. What should I do?
Please send your duly signed written notice along with your certificate(s) and membership card, if applicable, to the Institute’s Admission Department for processing.
