Chartered Accountants Ireland (“the Institute”) is committed to acting in the public interest, and to promoting and ensuring high professional and ethical standards, which enhance the confidence of users of the services of Chartered Accountants. Therefore, Chartered Accountants are required to observe high standards of conduct and play their part in re-enforcing public belief in their professional integrity.

The Code of Ethics (The Code) helps members by providing a framework within which they can make ethical decisions.

The Code applies to all members, students and affiliates of Chartered Accountants Ireland, regardless of industry, role or expertise. The Code also applies to member firms of Chartered Accountants Ireland and they are responsible for ensuring their employees also apply with its requirements.

As a member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC*), Chartered Accountants Ireland have complied with their requirements and adopted the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants developed by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA).

Chartered Accountants Ireland include in the Code additional material that is deemed both relevant and useful to our members. The amended Chartered Accountants Ireland Code of Ethics also include additional ethical considerations arising from other Institute bye-laws and regulations applying to all members. Specific to Chartered Accountants Ireland, the amended Code also includes Part 5 that applies to members who are Insolvency Practitioners. Members involved in Statutory Audits are also required to comply with Ethical Standards for Auditors issued by Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) in respect of Republic of Ireland and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in respect of United Kingdom.

Chartered Accountants are members of a diverse and global profession and it should be noted that there may be additional codes of ethics or ethical standards that apply to their role including, for example (non-exhaustive list); codes of ethics from their respective organisations; codes of ethics in respect of additional professional qualifications members may hold; codes of ethics or conduct from specific regulatory authorities, e.g. banking and financial services, or; codes of ethics applying to the provision of certain regulated services in a jurisdiction, e.g. Ethical Standards for Auditors.

The Professional Standards Department of Chartered Accountants Ireland, along with relevant compliance and disciplinary committees, is responsible for the delivery of the Institute's regulatory and disciplinary obligations which derive both from statute and its own Bye-Laws and Regulations. This includes looking into issues brought to their attention concerning standards of professional conduct, which include the Code of Ethics.

The current Code of Ethics applying to our members

                            *Part 5, insolvency practitioners, effective from 8 June 2020.
Minor update on 1 December 2020 to include, on page 168 of the Code, reference to International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 (Revised), Assurance Engagements Other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information.

Previous versions of Chartered Accountants Ireland Code of Ethics

For reference, previous versions of Chartered Accountants Ireland Code of Ethics are available on the Legacy versions of The Code of Ethics for Members page.

please note that previous versions of the code are only applicable for the periods to which they apply, i.e. from the effective date of the code up to the date the subsequent code became effective.

Further information regarding IFAC and IESBA

• IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. Further information about IFAC is available on the IFAC website.
• The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent standard-setting board that develops and issues, in the public interest, high-quality ethical standards. Further information about IESBA, including the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and the standard setting process, is available on the IESBA website.