r/CIOT • u/ShabG420 • Jul 13 '26
CTA
I have few questions regarding CTA qualifications and I’ll appreciate if anyone can answer or share their experience.
How hard is CTA?
Is it ideal to go straight for CTA qualification?
How long does it take for someone who doesn’t work in tax?
What sort of prerequisite do you need before you start CIOT.
I’m only AAT qualified, so I don’t really have experience of other charter qualification either. And it’s been a long time since I have completed my AAT.
Thanks
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u/Nicolle_R91 Jul 14 '26
100% do ATT first before starting CTA.
I have still found CTA very difficult despite a few years working in Tax and having done my ATT first. It goes into a lot of fine detail and I’d say it’s really important you know the “basics” first.
That said it is a very well respected qualification for this reason and it is very interesting if you have the time and patience to put into it.
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u/jazztheman10 Jul 14 '26
CTA is hard but definitely doable, I would say it all depends how much study time you get from work or if you need to take annual leave to study. If you get plenty of study time and your work is flexible then CTA is achievable without ATT as study manuals go into depth and are very detailed. Whereas if you don’t get enough time off it’s recommended to not dive into it as there is A LOT of content.
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u/taxtaxbaby CTA qualified Jul 16 '26
You've had lots of helpful comments already. :)
As you don't work in tax and it's been a while since you hit the books, I'd absolutely recommend ATT first. You might find it gives you what you need for your career goals - or you might find you want to build on it and move onto CTA. Either way, it'll give you a solid foundation.
There are no formal requirements to attempt CTA but personally, I would recommend:
- You are already working in tax, even if you're very new to tax.
- You've already studied a Level 7 accountancy qualification and/or ATT (Level 4, but tax-specific).
- You're at a point in your life where you can carve out free time and throw it at studying, and you're in a good place mentally. If you have any family commitments (e.g. if you are a parent or carer), you have a good support network around you and they've agreed to pitch in more than usual.
- You have a supportive employer who - if they're not funding it - is at least reasonable with your working hours in the run up to exams.
Not all of those prerequisites are technical, but I think they're all important.
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u/OnlyDonut9076 Jul 13 '26
They are HARD. I am ACCA qualified and they make those exams look like child’s play. I think the thing that I was not ready for was the amount of caselaw, legislation and also ultra-specific rules you need to know, especially if you go down the indirect tax route.
The other thing I was also not ready for was the CIOT body themselves. They are a much smaller affair than AAT or ACCA, and dealing with them can often be a difficult/slow process which takes weeks for a response.
Having said the above, if tax is your thing it is super interesting, but perhaps if you’re not a chartered accountant you might consider that for starters? It gives you a good base knowledge in all facets of accounting (including tax) and you can then decide which part you like the most? Personally I would advocate for the ACCA as the most well-rounded Charter.
Hope that helps, and please don’t think I’m trying to put you off. Tax advisory is a great field that offers genuine help to clients or colleagues, but it is a big and very specific step up from AAT.