ACCA Fees: What the Qualification Actually Costs
ACCA › ACCA Fees
ACCA publishes every fee it charges. The problem is that they are scattered across five categories, quoted in pounds, and easy to underestimate. This page puts them in one place and works out realistic totals.
ACCA's fee page has a country selector, and some charges differ by market. The figures on this page are the ones ACCA publishes on its standard fee schedule.
Before you pay anything, select India on ACCA's own fee page and check your figures against ours. Registration, subscription and exemption fees are consistent across markets. Exam entry fees are the ones most likely to differ.
Everything ACCA charges is billed in pounds sterling. Your rupee cost depends on the exchange rate on the day you pay, plus whatever your card issuer adds for foreign currency. We deliberately do not publish rupee figures — they would be wrong within a week.
The five things ACCA charges you for
Initial registration
One-time, paid when you register.
Annual subscription
Every year, to keep your student status active. This one repeats for as long as you are a student.
Exemption fee
Per paper exempted. Applied Knowledge papers cost less than Applied Skills papers.
Exam entry fee
Per paper sat. Varies by level, and rises sharply for late entry.
Ethics and Professional Skills Module
One-time, compulsory for membership.
Coaching, books and mock exams are separate and are not paid to ACCA. That is your own choice and your own budget.
Exemption fees
| Exemption from | Fee per paper |
|---|---|
| Applied Knowledge exam (BT, MA, FA) | £86 |
| Applied Skills exam (LW, PM, TX, FR, AA, FM) | £114 |
| Strategic Professional exam | Not available |
Exemptions save you far less money than you think.
An Applied Skills exemption costs £114. Sitting that same paper costs £160 at standard entry. So exempting it saves you around £46 — not the full price of a paper.
A CA claiming all nine exemptions pays roughly £942 before sitting a single exam.
The real saving from exemptions is time — and because you finish sooner, fewer years of the £140 annual subscription. Treat exemptions as a time purchase, not a discount.
Exam entry fees
These are the figures ACCA publishes for the December 2026 sitting. Exam fees are set per session, so check the current session before you budget.
| Exam | Standard entry | Late entry |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Knowledge (BT, MA, FA) | Set by your exam centre — see below | |
| Applied Skills (LW, PM, TX, FR, AA, FM) | £160 | £409 |
| Strategic Business Leader (SBL) | £282 | £467 |
| Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) | £208 | £467 |
| Options (AFM, APM, ATX, AAA) | £208 | £467 |
Note that SBL costs noticeably more than SBR and the option papers. It is a longer exam.
Look at that late entry column again.
An Applied Skills paper is £160 at standard entry and £409 late. That is roughly two and a half times the price for missing a deadline by one week. Strategic Professional papers jump to £467.
Booking a single Applied Skills paper late costs you an extra £249 — more than the entire ethics module and your registration fee combined. Put the standard entry deadline in your calendar the day exam entry opens.
Why Applied Knowledge exam fees are not listed
BT, MA and FA are on-demand exams. You can sit them at a licensed computer-based exam centre, or as remote on-demand exams where available.
For centre-based exams, ACCA does not set the fee — the centre does. That means there is no single published number, and the cost varies between centres in India. Remote on-demand exams have their own separate fee schedule published by ACCA.
Practically: contact two or three CBE centres near you and compare. Budget the same order as an Applied Skills paper and you will not be badly wrong, but confirm before you book.
What it actually adds up to
Three realistic profiles. All figures exclude coaching, books, Applied Knowledge exam fees and any late entry charges.
Class 12 student
No exemptions · 13 exams · ~3 years| Registration | £89 |
| Subscription × 3 years | £420 |
| Ethics module | £83 |
| Applied Skills × 6 | £960 |
| SBL + SBR | £490 |
| Two options | £416 |
| Paid to ACCA | £2,458+ |
Plus Applied Knowledge exam fees at centre rates.
B.Com graduate
4 exemptions · 9 exams · ~2 years| Registration | £89 |
| Subscription × 2 years | £280 |
| Exemptions (3 AK + 1 AS) | £372 |
| Ethics module | £83 |
| Applied Skills × 5 | £800 |
| SBL + SBR | £490 |
| Two options | £416 |
| Paid to ACCA | £2,530 |
Exemption count is indicative — yours depends on your university.
Qualified CA
9 exemptions · 4 exams · ~1 year| Registration | £89 |
| Subscription × 1 year | £140 |
| Exemptions (3 AK + 6 AS) | £942 |
| Ethics module | £83 |
| SBL + SBR | £490 |
| Two options | £416 |
| Paid to ACCA | £2,160 |
Nine papers skipped, but only about £300 saved versus sitting them.
The three totals are closer together than most students expect — roughly £2,100 to £2,550 paid to ACCA in every case.
Exemptions do not dramatically reduce what you pay ACCA. They reduce how long you are paying it for, and how many papers you have to study. Both are valuable. Neither is a discount.
The variable that genuinely moves your total is resits and late entries, not exemptions. One late Strategic Professional entry costs more than the entire ethics module and registration combined.
Costs that are not on ACCA's invoice
Coaching and classes
Entirely optional and entirely your choice. Varies enormously by provider, format and paper.
Books and study material
Some course packages include them; some do not. Check before assuming.
Mock exams and practice
Often sold separately from a main course.
Resits
A failed paper means paying the exam entry fee again. This is the single largest avoidable cost in ACCA.
Re-registration
£89 if your subscription lapses and you are removed from the register — plus any unpaid fees.
Currency conversion
ACCA bills in pounds. Your card issuer will usually add a foreign transaction charge on top of the exchange rate.
Four ways to genuinely reduce what you pay
-
Never enter late
The single biggest saving available. Standard entry versus late entry on one Applied Skills paper is a £249 difference. Diary every deadline the day entry opens.
-
Do not let your subscription lapse
Missing the annual subscription gets you removed from the register, and returning costs £89 plus the arrears. It is pure waste.
-
Pass first time
Unglamorous, but a resit at Strategic Professional level costs more than registration and the ethics module together. Preparing properly for fewer papers beats attempting many and repeating them.
-
Finish sooner
Every extra year is another £140. A student who takes five years instead of three pays £280 more for nothing but elapsed time.
What the 2027 changes mean for cost
The current structure runs to the June 2027 session, with the redesigned qualification from July 2027. The number of exams drops from 13 to 11, and Strategic Professional moves from two option papers to one.
Fewer exams should mean fewer exam entry fees. But the fee schedule for the new structure, and how exemption pricing works under it, are ACCA's to set and had not been fully published when this page was written.
The single ethics module is also being replaced by Essential Employability Modules across the levels, so the £83 charge may not carry across in its current form.
Do not budget a 2027-onwards journey from this page. Use it for costs you will incur now, and re-check ACCA's fee page before committing to anything beyond the June 2027 session.
Where do you go from here?
How many papers can you skip?
Your exemption count is the biggest single variable in this whole calculation.
ACCA Exemptions →Coming from CA?
Nine exemptions is the largest exemption bill in the qualification — worth understanding before you claim.
ACCA Exemptions for CA Students →How long will it take?
Duration drives cost — every extra year is another subscription.
ACCA Duration — coming soonCommon questions
How much does ACCA cost in total?
Excluding coaching, most students pay ACCA somewhere in the region of £2,100 to £2,550 across the whole qualification, depending on exemptions and how long they take. That covers registration, annual subscriptions, exemption fees, exam entry fees and the ethics module. Coaching, books and mocks are separate and vary widely.
What is the ACCA registration fee?
£89 as a one-time initial registration fee. Re-registration, if you are removed from the register for non-payment, is also £89 plus any unpaid fees.
What is the ACCA annual subscription for 2026?
£140 per year for students, payable each year to keep your student status active. Affiliate and member subscriptions are higher.
How much do ACCA exemptions cost?
£86 per Applied Knowledge exam and £114 per Applied Skills exam exempted. A student claiming the maximum nine exemptions would pay around £942. No exemptions are available at Strategic Professional level.
Do exemptions save money?
Less than most students expect. An Applied Skills exemption costs £114 against £160 to sit the paper, so the direct saving is small. The real benefit is time — and because you qualify sooner, you pay fewer years of annual subscription.
How much more does late exam entry cost?
Substantially more. For the December 2026 sitting, an Applied Skills paper is £160 at standard entry and £409 late. Strategic Professional papers rise to £467. Missing a standard entry deadline by one week can cost an extra £249 on a single paper.
Why are Applied Knowledge exam fees not published?
BT, MA and FA are on-demand exams. Where they are taken at a licensed computer-based exam centre, the centre sets the fee rather than ACCA, so the cost varies by centre. Remote on-demand exams have a separate ACCA fee schedule.
Are ACCA fees the same in India as the UK?
ACCA's fee page has a country selector and some charges differ by market. Registration, subscription and exemption fees are generally consistent, while exam entry fees are more likely to vary. Always select India on ACCA's own fee page before paying.
Next steps
- Work out your exemptions first. They change every number on this page. ACCA Exemptions
- Not registered yet? Confirm your entry route. ACCA Eligibility
- New to ACCA? Start with what the qualification involves. What Is ACCA?
All fees shown are those published by ACCA and verified on 25 August 2026. Fees are set by ACCA, change periodically, and vary by market. Confirm your own figures on accaglobal.com with India selected before making any payment.
Your ACCA reading path
| # | 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? | You are here |
| 9 | ACCA Duration | How long will it take? | Coming soon |
| Stage 3 — Planning my route | |||
| 10 | ACCA Papers & Roadmap | What is the full journey? | Coming soon |
| 11 | ACCA Exam Dates | When can I sit my exams? | Coming soon |
| 12 | ACCA 2027 Changes | Should I start now or wait? | Coming soon |
More guides are being added. If something you need isn't here yet, tell us what to write next.