The ILFM offers exemptions to students who have studied relevant qualifications prior to starting the ILFM's qualifications. This means that you may not have to take all of the exams at the ILFM Diploma or Fellowship Level. We want you to start your studies at the right level.*
You can check your Exemptions below, and contact us for further information:
The exemption fee is £96 (per exemption). You will be issued with an Exemption Certificate.
Qualifications considered for exemption (From 16th January 2016, policy cannot be back dated):
1) Diploma in Bookkeeping for Legal Finance Professionals (D1)
- ACCA F3/Financial Accounting and above (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
- CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)
- AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) Level 2 and above.
- ICAS (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland)
- Some relevant university degrees in Accounting or Finance
- ICAEW
NB. There are no exemptions for Diploma in Legal Finance Compliance & Accounts Rules (D2)
2) ILFM Fellowship – Certificate in Accounting for Legal Finance Professionals (CALFP) and Certificate in Financial Management (CFM)
- ACCA F7/Financial Reporting and above
- CIMA
- ICAEW
- AAT Level 4
- ICAS
- Some relevant university degrees in Accounting or Finance
NB. There are no exemptions for Fellowship Level Certificate in Legal Practice Management (CLPM) or Certificate in Tax for Legal Finance Professionals (CTLFP)
* Contact the ILFM Office for full details, terms and conditions.
Exemptions we have gained with other qualification providers that recognise your ILFM Qualifications and may exempt you from certain levels or exams.

*Please note: There are restrictions on how many exemptions are allowed within the AAT accounting qualifications and exemptions are only available for up to 50% of the units that make up an AAT qualification.
Students must pay an exemption fee for each unit that they receive an exemption from.
Diploma Level
If the student has completed the following ILFM qualification they will be exempt from the following unit below TBA:
Qualification achieved | Exemptions from: Advanced Diploma in Accounting |
Diploma in Bookkeeping for Legal Finance Professionals (D1) | Advanced Bookkeeping |
Qualification achieved | Exemptions from: Advanced Diploma in Accounting |
Certificate in Accounting for Legal Finance Professionals (CA) and Certificate in Financial Management (CFM) (Fellowship level) | Advanced Bookkeeping |
Qualification achieved | Exemptions from: Professional Diploma in Accounting |
Certificate in Accounting for Legal Finance Professionals (CA) and Certificate in Financial Management (CFM) (Fellowship level) | Financial Statements of Limited Companies |
External Auditing |
Further information about the AAT qualifications and the syllabus can be found on the AAT’s website. https://www.aat.org.uk/find-a-course

Description: Must have completed the Diploma plus all three additional exams to become an Fellowship Member: Accounting (CA), Financial Management (CFM) and Legal Practice Management (CLPM)
Subjects
| Subject name | Subject level | Module(s) required for Exemption |
|---|---|---|
| BA1 Fundamentals of Business Economics | Certificate BA | Core |
| BA2 Fundamentals of Management Accounting | Certificate BA | Core |
| BA3 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting | Certificate BA | Core |
| BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law | Certificate BA | Core |
Details of the exemptions awarded to the ILFM can be found at: https://www.cimaglobal.com/Starting-CIMA/Starting-CIMA/Exemptions/Exemption-Search/Institute-of-Legal-Finance--Management-ILFM-12315/?qualification=1-N9V08X
Richard Hill, a past ILFM Chair continued onto CIMA after completing the ILFM Diploma and Fellowship levels.

ILFM members who gained the Diploma, Associate Accounting and Financial Management qualifications between January 2014 through to December 2018 will be eligible for the following exemptions:
| ACCA Qualifications | ILFM Qualifications eligible for exemption |
| F2 / Management Accounting | requires the ILFM Accounting (CA) and Financial Management (CFM) to be completed between January 2014 to December 2018 |
| F3 / Financial Accounting | requires the ILFM Diploma, Accounting (CA) and Financial Management (CFM) to be completed between the period of January 2014 to December 2018 |
As part of the accreditation process the ILFM syllabus has been mapped to the ACCA syllabus to ensure there is approximately 80% comparable syllabus coverage and comparable examination methods.
Further information about the ACCA qualifications and the syllabus can be found at ACCA’s website www.accaglobal.com
Other Accounting bodies
The ILFM are currently working with other accounting bodies to obtain accreditation for exemptions from other qualifications.
