AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting

Are you prepared to advance your career in accounting? Become an AAT full member (MAAT) and the AAT bookkeeping member (AATQB) through KBM today. KBM is here to help individuals achieve the AAT level 4 Professional Diploma in Accountancy to help individuals stand out to employers and clients. With the formal titles from AAT, members can apply to run their own practice as an AAT Licensed Bookkeeper.

Studying at KBM

The level 4 qualification will build upon the knowledge and skills gained from the level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting course. This course introduces higher and complex accounting processes with tasks like managing budgets, financial performance evaluation, and drafting financial statements. The AAT level 4 also offers optional units for specialization: External auditing, Personal tax, Business tax, Management of cash and treasury, and Credit management.

KBM will guide you to perform high-level accountancy duties, as you learn a broader range of financial management skills, such as drafting financial reports for limited companies and preparation of complex management reports.

Success factors at KBM

KBM not only help in studies but also instrumental in passing exams and assessments. Some of the unique success factors include that KBM:

is an approved AAT training provider
has approved assessment venue by the AAT
has collaboration with Chartered Certified Accountants & Registered Auditors firm
has a 97% pass rate by the first attempt
has multiple locations/centres across London, including Park Royal, Barking, Canary Wharf, and Elephant & Castle. We also have a delivery centre at Radclyffe House, Birmingham.
will provide you with course books, exam kit and flashcards
will give you full support in gaining MAAT membership
will provide you with a free Sage 50 and Xero Advisor certification
will provide you with free practical training on Sage 50 using actual business documents
will help you in preparation of CV and Interview and Work Placement
will install the free licensed software on your laptop

Distance learning options

KBM offers an option for distance-learning for those who prefer independent study at their own pace and time towards their preferred completion date.

This would be ideal for individuals who require the flexibility to suit their daily schedule.

KBM will provide the study and practice materials in line with the AAT requirements, and our tutors will support through the online student portal during the tenure of the program.

Entry requirements

It is recommended that our students to have a strong foundation in accounting knowledge or have an accountancy background equivalent to the AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting.

We will recommend starting with the AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting if students lack the accounting background or experience. A good standard of literacy in English and math are required.

Registration with the AAT will be required before starting this course. The AAT will provide an AAT student number required for the exams/assessments

Progression opportunities

The AAT level 4 qualification enhances your employability potential, offering a broad range of well-paid accounting and financial roles, some of which include:

Senior Bookkeeper
Senior Financial Officer
Senior Fund Accountant
Senior Insolvency Administrator
Accountancy Consultant
Cost Accountant
Forensics Accountant
Fixed Asset Accountant
Finance Analyst
Professional Accounting Technician
Commercial Analyst
Tax Manager
Indirect Tax Manager
VAT Accountant
Tax Supervisor
Payroll Manager
Billing/Payment Manager
Expenses Supervisor
Assistant Financial Accountant
Assistant Auditor
Assistant Management Accountant

Upon completion of this programme, you will become an AAT full member (MAAT)

and a member of the AATQB. Graduates will be eligible to apply for exemptions on a fast-track route towards the status of a Chartered Accountant.

Chartered Accounting bodies which offers exemptions for AAT students include the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

Average salary range

Depending on your experience, accounting roles may vary averaging £37,000 as you advance and gain experience.

Duration

The AAT Level 4 qualification generally requires between 12 to 18 months to complete. It is however dependent on the choice and daily schedule of our students to set their own pace toward their desired completion date.

AAT accounting level 4 syllabus

The AAT Level 4 qualification is a combination of high-level accounting and finance topics/syllabus. Students will become competent in a broad range of applications, financial management capabilities and complex management accounting reports

Thes AAT level 4 qualification syllabus includes four mandatory units and two specialised units, with a selection of five options:

Mandatory units:

Mandatory unit 1 - Management Accounting; Budgeting
Mandatory unit 2 - Management Accounting; Decision and Control
Mandatory unit 3 - Financial Statements of Limited Companies
Mandatory unit 4 - Accounting Systems & Controls

Specialist/optional units:

Optional unit 1 - Business Tax
Optional unit 2 - Personal Tax
Optional unit 3 - External Auditing
Optional unit 4 - Cash and Treasury Management
Optional unit 5 - Credit Management

Mandatory units explained:

1. Financial Statements of Limited Companies:
Students will work through preparing accounts, reporting frameworks, rules and regulations, interpretation and consolidation of financial statements.

2. Management Accounting; Budgeting:
Students will learn the preparation of financial forecasts/income and expenditure, preparation and supervision of budgeting and reporting to management.

3. Management Accounting; Decision and Control:
Students will learn the analysis and evaluation of costing techniques, use of cost for performance improvement, use of statistical methods to carry out business information analysis and performance techniques (financial and non-financial) to facilitate and assist decision making.

4. Accounting Systems and Controls:
Students will learn the evaluation of accounting systems and internal control which will allow presentation of suggestions for improvement.

Optional units explained:

1. Business Tax:
This unit will focus on taxation of sole traders, limited companies and partnerships. Students will understand relevant rules, principles and regulations, and learn how to prepare tax returns and provide tax advice.

2. Personal Tax:
In this unit, students will learn the principles, regulations and rules of the tax systems and calculate taxable income, working out national insurance contributions and income tax and capital gains tax account. You will also cover the fundamentals of inheritance tax.

3. External Auditing:
This unit will provide students with the knowledge and principles of the audit process. Students will be capable of evaluating the processes and procedures relevant to accounting systems while gathering audit evidence.

4. Cash and Treasury Management:
This unit demonstrates the application of statistical techniques for preparation of financial information including:

Forecasting
Tax receipts and payments
Preparation of cash budgets
Monitoring cash flows
Understanding of regulation and monitoring policies
Raising finance and investing surplus funds

5. Credit Management:
This unit provides an understanding to contract law and legislation, undertaking credit risk assessments and awarding credit, techniques to collect debt, and evaluating credit control procedures.

Course assessments

AAT will assess your knowledge and skills through a combination of unit and a synoptic assessment.

Assessment of units

The unit assessment will test your knowledge and skills gained in the study of that unit. The assessments are:

Available on demand (mostly throughout the year)
At AAT approved assessment venues. (KBM is an approved assessment venue.)
Computerised exam marking, results available within 24 hours
AAT assessors will mark your assessments where required

Synoptic assessment

The synoptic assessment will occur at the end once the other unit assessments have been completed. It will test a variety of your knowledge and skills gained from the other units.

Getting your results

Results of your computerised assessment will be available within 24 hours in your MYAAT account. You can expect the result of assessments marked by AAT assessor to be available at a later date. AAT publishes the exams result on their website (timescales may vary).

Grading

You will need to achieve a minimum 70% competency level in each of the unit assessment and the synoptic assessment to be awarded the AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting.

Resits

You will have an option to resit an assessment to improve your grading. AAT will calculate your final grade based on your highest marks. There are no restrictions on the number of times you may attempt the assessments, and there will be no employer engagement requirements for any fee-paying students.