The Verifera™ Encyclopaedia — Careers edition
Statutory audit registration
Verified reference for UK professional registers, credentials and career pathways. Every entry shows its sources and last-verified date — the “Verified by Verifera” mark appears only when all facts are in-window.
Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
The FRC is the UK competent authority for statutory audit. It delegates day-to-day supervision of registered auditors to the Recognised Supervisory Bodies and retains direct oversight of public-interest-entity audits. The long-planned replacement of the FRC by a stronger ARGA was abandoned in early 2026 — the FRC remains the regulator.
✔ Verified by VeriferaGuideHow to check an accountant is qualified — the verification fan-out
Because "accountant" proves nothing, a correct check fans out across the body member registers (ICAEW / ACCA / ICAS / CAI / CIMA / AAT / CIPFA) plus the RSB audit registers — and distinguishes member from practising-certificate holder from registered auditor.
✔ Verified by VeriferaCredentialPractising certificate vs audit registration — the distinction that matters
A chartered member can hold a practising certificate — entitling them to offer public-practice services such as accounts, tax and advisory, with PI insurance and a complaints route — WITHOUT holding the separate, higher audit registration needed to sign audit opinions. "Accountant" is unprotected; "registered auditor" is legally restricted.
✔ Verified by VeriferaCredentialRegistered Auditor and Responsible Individual — the audit register surface
For audit work the verification surface is the RSB audit register: the firm appears as a Registered Auditor and named individuals are approved as Responsible Individuals. This is the hard legal gate — only the eligible may sign an audit opinion.
✔ Verified by VeriferaCredentialStatutory audit — the one hard legal gate
The single accountancy task the law restricts is statutory audit of company accounts. Under the Companies Act 2006 (Part 42, Schedules 10 and 11), only an eligible person or firm may sign a statutory audit opinion — belonging to a Recognised Supervisory Body, holding an appropriate audit qualification from a Recognised Qualifying Body, and (for firms) being registered as a statutory auditor. The FRC is the UK competent authority for audit.
✔ Verified by VeriferaGuideThe four RSBs and five RQBs — who can register and qualify statutory auditors
The FRC recognises four Recognised Supervisory Bodies that can register and supervise statutory auditors — ICAEW, ACCA, ICAS and Chartered Accountants Ireland — and five Recognised Qualifying Bodies that can award the statutory audit qualification: those four plus the AIA.
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