ACCA Exam Dates and Deadlines: How the Sessions Work
ACCA › ACCA Exam Dates
ACCA does not have one exam calendar — it has two. Four papers you can sit almost any day, and nine that run to fixed sessions with strict deadlines. Getting this wrong costs money.
December 2026 session
ACCA runs two different exam systems
This is the single most useful thing to understand about ACCA scheduling, and it never changes.
Sit almost any working day
Book at an approved computer-based exam centre when you are ready. No session, no entry deadline, no waiting. Results come back almost immediately.
LW availability depends on which variant you sit — the English and Global routes are the on-demand ones.
Four fixed weeks a year
March, June, September and December. You must enter before a deadline, sit in the published exam week, and wait around six weeks for results.
Miss an entry deadline and your next chance is three months later.
Clear all four on-demand papers before you ever use a session slot. A well-planned student arrives at their first session-based sitting with four papers already banked — and no deadline pressure while doing it. See the recommended paper order →
How a session actually works
Every session follows the same five-stage shape. Once you know it, you can plan any sitting without looking anything up.
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~4 months before
Entry opens
Booking becomes available in myACCA. Nothing forces you to enter immediately, but the fee is at its lowest from this point.
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~5 weeks before
Standard entry closes
The commercially important deadline. Enter by now and you pay the standard fee. This is also usually the deadline to amend an entry or request additional exam support.
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~4 weeks before
Late entry closes
A final week at a much higher fee. Not offered for every session — some sittings have no late entry at all, so never rely on it as a fallback.
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~3 weeks before
Docket released
Your exam attendance docket appears in myACCA with your centre, desk and timetable. Check it as soon as it lands.
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~6 weeks after
Results
Published in myACCA and by email. Opt in at least seven days ahead if you also want them by SMS.
Sessions to June 2027
June 2027 is the final sitting of the current Applied Skills and Strategic Professional exams. These are the sittings that remain.
| Session | Exam week | Standard entry | Variants |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 7–11 Sep 2026 | Closed | Limited |
| December 2026 | 7–11 Dec 2026 | 2 Nov 2026 | Full |
| March 2027 | Not yet published | Not yet published | Limited |
| June 2027 | Not yet published | Not yet published | Full · final current sitting |
ACCA typically publishes the following year's dates around November. We do not print dates ACCA has not confirmed — if a site shows exact March 2027 deadlines today, treat them with caution.
Five timing traps
Deadlines are UK time, not Indian time
Every ACCA deadline closes at 23:59 UK time. In India that lands earlier the same evening. Worse, the UK changes clocks in late October — so a November deadline falls an hour earlier in Indian time than a July one did. Do not carry your summer arithmetic into a winter deadline.
March and September are limited-variant sessions
Only some Applied Skills and Strategic Professional variants run in March and September. June and December are the full sessions. If you sit a local tax or law variant, confirm it is actually offered before planning around that sitting.
Late entry is not guaranteed
Some sessions offer no late entry at all. Treating it as a safety net is how students lose an entire sitting. Enter by standard deadline, every time.
1 January is effectively an exam deadline
Your annual subscription is due by 1 January. Miss it and you can be removed from the student register — at which point a valid March exam entry is worthless. ACCA invoices in November; pay it then.
Late entry is not a small surcharge
It is a flat, much higher per-paper fee — not a percentage. On a single Applied Skills paper the gap runs to hundreds of pounds. See the fee comparison →
Remote session exams are no longer available in India
From the March 2026 sitting, ACCA withdrew remotely invigilated session exams in countries where exam centres are provided — India among them. All session-based exams must now be taken at a physical exam centre.
Sales of remote on-demand exam tokens also stopped in late 2025, though tokens already purchased remain usable until they expire.
Practical consequence: factor travel to a centre into your planning, and confirm centre availability in your city before you enter. Guidance written before 2026 may still describe a remote option that no longer exists here.
Results and what follows
Results release
Around six weeks after the exam week, published in myACCA and sent by email. Opt in at least seven days beforehand for SMS.
Administrative review
If you believe your result was processed incorrectly you can request a review, for a fee, within a short window after results day. Available for session exams only.
Something went wrong on the day
Centre complaints and mitigating-circumstances applications close far earlier than results day. Raise them immediately, not after you see your mark.
Planning the next sitting
Results usually arrive after the next session's entry has already opened. Decide in advance what you will enter if you pass, and if you do not.
The calendar changes in 2027
June 2027 is the final session for the current Applied Skills and Strategic Professional exams. After that the redesigned qualification takes over — new Knowledge-level exams from July 2027 as on-demand CBEs, and the first Expertise and Strategic Professional exams from September 2027.
The planning consequence is real. There are a limited number of sittings left on the current structure. If you plan to clear your last paper in June 2027 and do not pass, there is no resit under the present syllabus.
Aim to be finished, or comfortably mid-level, by the March 2027 session so you keep one spare sitting in reserve. Full transition detail →
Where do you go from here?
What does entry cost?
Standard versus late entry, per level — the difference is larger than most students expect.
ACCA Fees →Which papers, in what order?
Plan which sittings you need before worrying about deadlines.
ACCA Papers & Roadmap →How many sittings will you need?
Papers per session, and the rules capping your pace.
ACCA Duration →Common questions
How many ACCA exam sessions are there each year?
Four — March, June, September and December — for Applied Skills and Strategic Professional papers. In addition, BT, MA, FA and eligible LW variants are on-demand computer-based exams you can book almost any working day, with no session required.
When is the ACCA December 2026 entry deadline?
Standard entry closes on 2 November 2026 and late entry on 9 November 2026, both at 23:59 UK time. The exams run from 7 to 11 December 2026 and results are released on 18 January 2027.
What happens if I miss the ACCA standard entry deadline?
If late entry is offered for that session you can still enter, but at a substantially higher per-paper fee. Some sessions have no late entry at all, in which case your next opportunity is the following sitting three months later.
Are ACCA deadlines in Indian time?
No. All ACCA deadlines close at 23:59 UK time, which falls earlier the same evening in India. The UK also changes clocks in late October, so November deadlines land an hour earlier in Indian time than summer ones.
Can I sit ACCA exams remotely in India?
Not for session-based exams. From the March 2026 sitting ACCA withdrew remotely invigilated session exams in countries where exam centres are provided, including India, so all session exams must be taken at a physical centre.
Are all ACCA papers available in every session?
No. March and September are limited-variant sessions offering only some Applied Skills and Strategic Professional variants. June and December are full sessions. Confirm your specific paper and variant is offered before planning around a March or September sitting.
When are ACCA results released?
Roughly six weeks after the exam week, in myACCA and by email. December 2026 results are due on 18 January 2027. You can opt in for SMS results at least seven days before release.
When are the March and June 2027 ACCA dates published?
ACCA typically publishes the following year's session dates around November. As of this update the March and June 2027 deadlines have not been confirmed, so we have not printed them. June 2027 is the final sitting of the current Applied Skills and Strategic Professional exams.
Next steps
- Work out which papers you are entering. ACCA Papers & Roadmap
- Check what standard versus late entry costs. ACCA Fees
- Planning toward the 2027 transition? ACCA 2027 Changes
Exam dates, entry deadlines, session variants and results dates are set by ACCA and can change. Deadlines are strict and stated in UK time. Always confirm your own dates in myACCA and on accaglobal.com before entering.
Last updated: 26 August 2026
Your ACCA reading path
These guides are written to be read in order. Each one answers the question that comes before the next. You are on Step 11 of 12.
| # | Guide | The question it answers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 — Is ACCA right for me? | |||
| 1 | What Is ACCA? | What is this course, actually? | Read |
| 2 | ACCA vs CA | Which one suits my goals? | Coming soon |
| 3 | ACCA After Class 12 | Can I start straight after school? | Coming soon |
| 4 | ACCA After B.Com | Can I do this with my degree? | Coming soon |
| Stage 2 — Can I do it, and what will it take? | |||
| 5 | ACCA Eligibility | Am I allowed to register? | Read |
| 6 | ACCA Exemptions | How many papers can I skip? | Read |
| 7 | ACCA Exemptions for CA Students | What do my CA papers earn me? | Read |
| 8 | ACCA Fees | What will this cost me? | Read |
| 9 | ACCA Duration | How long will it take? | Read |
| Stage 3 — Planning my route | |||
| 10 | ACCA Papers & Roadmap | What is the full journey? | Read |
| 11 | ACCA Exam Dates | When can I sit my exams? | You are here |
| 12 | ACCA 2027 Changes | Should I start now or wait? | Read |
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