The definitive guide to CIMA CPD: Future-proof your finance career

There’s a common feeling among newly qualified CIMA accountants: “I’m done with exams! Now, what’s next?”

Whether you’ve just qualified or you’ve been a management accountant for years, continuous professional development (CPD) is a critical part of your CIMA membership.

But let’s be honest. CPD can often feel like a burden.

It’s just so easy to forget! As many of us are ashamed to admit, it’s a task that frequently gets left to the last minute.

We’re guessing the questions popping into your head right now are:

What exactly are the CIMA CPD requirements?
How many hours or points do I actually need?
What activities actually count as CPD?
How can I find CPD that teaches me practical, future-ready skills like AI?

You’re right to be asking these questions. Your CPD shouldn’t just be a box-ticking exercise; it should be an investment in your future salary and your path to becoming a finance leader.

Let’s start at the beginning!

What are the CIMA CPD requirements?
What counts as CIMA CPD?
The 6-step CIMA CPD cycle
How to record and submit your CIMA CPD
4 tips for choosing your CPD subjects
The 4 biggest problems with traditional accounting CPD
The solution: CPD designed for CIMA professionals

About the author:
Nick Best has been helping CIMA students pass their exams for more than 20 years and is the founder and CEO of Astranti. Over 150,000 people have benefited from Nick and the Astranti team’s courses and study materials, which focus on simplifying complex topics and demystifying what it really takes to pass the exams.

What are the CIMA CPD Requirements?

Is the CIMA CPD process mandatory?

Yes, absolutely! According to the Royal Charter byelaws and regulations, all CIMA members and CGMA designation holders are required to undertake CPD and keep a record of their development activities.

Failing to maintain your CIMA CPD record isn’t something to take lightly. If you are selected for CIMA CPD monitoring and fail to provide evidence, you will be subject to disciplinary proceedings. This can result in severe sanctions, including fines, suspension, or even removal from the CIMA register.

And let’s be honest after all the blood, sweat, and late nights you poured into passing those CIMA exams, losing your letters over a bit of missing paperwork is definitely not the plot twist you want for your career!

How many hours, points, or words do I need?

If you’re desperately searching, “Is there a word count when completing CPD?” or “How many hours are 12 CPD points?”, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

There isn’t a word count, and CIMA doesn’t prescribe a set number of CIMA CPD hours or units.

Instead, CIMA’s policy is entirely output-based. They simply ask members to do as much as they need to remain professionally competent and advance in their careers.

Can I carry over CIMA CPD hours to the next year?

Because CIMA doesn’t mandate a specific number of CIMA CPD points or hours, there is no official tally to carry over from one year to the next. The requirement is simply that you complete a continuous 12-month CPD cycle every single year, constantly reflecting on and addressing your current development needs.

Who pays for CPD: me or my employer?

It depends! Many employers have a dedicated training budget and will happily sponsor your professional development. However, if you are self-funded, a freelancer, or your company won’t cover the cost, Astranti’s affordable monthly subscription model lowers the barrier to joining. It is a great option for the self-funded individual.

What counts as CIMA CPD?

You might be pleasantly surprised by how many activities actually qualify as valid CIMA CPD examples. Any activity (formal or informal) that helps you develop your knowledge and skills will count.

This includes:

Online learning and training courses (like the online CPD found in the Astranti library!)
Work-based learning and project work
Coaching and mentoring (or being mentored)
Attending conferences and local CIMA events
Reading technical reports and journals
Job shadowing and secondments

Is CPD an actual qualification?

While CPD won’t give you new letters after your name, the certificates are incredibly valuable. They provide verifiable proof to employers that you are actively upskilling. Plus, if you are ever selected for an audit, having a neat stack of certificates makes monitoring and proving your compliance incredibly stress-free!

Can you put CPD on your CV?

Yes, and you absolutely should! Adding a “Continuous Professional Development” section to your CV highlighting recent, relevant courses, like AI in Accounting or Effective Change Management, instantly sets you apart from candidates relying solely on a qualification they achieved years ago.

The real benefits of CIMA CPD

It is easy to view continuous professional development as a necessary evil to keep your membership active. But reframing how you look at CPD transforms it from a burden into a huge opportunity!

Here is why dedicating time to your professional growth is the best move for your career:

It’s an investment in your future salary

Every relevant course you take is a stepping stone. You aren’t just ticking a box; you are actively acquiring the skills needed to bridge the gap between management accountant and Finance Director.

You stay relevant in a shifting industry

The accounting profession is evolving rapidly. By dedicating time to future-proof your skills getting savvy with tech, data analytics, and AI you ensure you are leading the change, not being left behind by it.

It builds real-world confidence

Exams teach you the theory, but targeted CPD teaches you how to actually do the job. Whether you are learning how to manage conflict or lead a digital transformation, these are the practical skills you will use in the boardroom tomorrow.

Personal growth shouldn’t be a chore

When you follow your curiosity and learn about topics that genuinely interest you, it sticks. It feels less like work and more like genuine personal and professional growth.

The 6-step CIMA CPD cycle

To ensure you aren’t just learning at random, CIMA provides a structured 12-month CPD cycle. This framework ensures you are systematically maintaining your skills and preventing technical obsolescence in a fast-moving industry.

To stay compliant, you should follow these six steps annually:

#1 Define

what you need to do in your current or desired role.

#2 Assess

your current abilities and identify gaps in your knowledge.

#3 Design

a personal development plan to deal with those gaps.

#4 Act

by undertaking the chosen development activities (like a course or project).

#5 Reflect

upon and document the outcome of the activity.

#6 Evaluate

your progress against your initial objectives.

How to record and submit your CIMA CPD

CGMA designation holders must reflect on their development and record their activities. But how do you actually go about submitting your CIMA CPD record?

The official submission form

If you are recording your regular annual CPD, you must use CIMA’s official submission form.

Top tip: When using the CIMA professional development record form for your own personal logging, ensure you indicate that you have not been selected for CPD monitoring unless you have been specifically notified.

The accredited employer scheme

If your employer is part of the CIMA Development Accreditation Scheme, you have a slight shortcut. You can simply use your internal appraisals and development plans, signed off by a manager, to record your CPD without needing to use the CIMA website.

When is a member selected for CIMA CPD monitoring?

Members are randomly selected for CPD monitoring annually. If you are chosen, the CPD monitoring team will contact you directly with a specific deadline to submit your records.

4 Tips for choosing your CPD subjects

With the sheer amount of options out there, you may be wondering: “How do I know what CIMA CPD subjects to choose?” It’s a great question.

Think of your continuous professional development as an incredible opportunity to accelerate your career and stand out in a competitive job market. Don’t just focus on today’s job – use your CPD to prepare for your next one.

Here are four tips to help you decide exactly what to learn:

Plan for now and next

Try allocating some of your time to staying brilliant at what you do now, and also some to building the skills for the leadership role you’re aiming for next.

Future-proof your skills

The accounting profession is evolving, so your skills must too. Dedicate your learning to what’s next by getting savvy with tech, data analytics, and ESG reporting.

Follow your curiosity

CPD doesn’t have to be a chore! The trick is to follow what genuinely interests you and link it to your job. When you enjoy what you’re learning, it feels less like work and more like real personal growth.

Mix up your methods

Think beyond the classroom, as learning happens everywhere. Mix it up with different methods like videos, reading, or even taking the lead on a challenging project at work.

The 4 biggest problems with traditional accounting CPD

In our experience of helping over 20,000 finance professionals complete their CPD, there are four major problems people face:

Lack of relevant content

There is far too much generic content out there, and nothing focused on specific skills, new technology, or changes in the industry for management accountants and CIMA professionals.

Significant time restraints

We’re busy people. It’s not always possible to attend long training events that take the whole weekend, especially if you work for a small firm or are self-employed.

High-cost CPD resources

Quality, specialised CPD can be expensive, which acts as a huge barrier for those on a tight budget.

Information overload

There are so many CPD providers out there, making the process of finding a high-quality provider tailored to your needs overwhelming and just plain difficult.

The solution: Online CPD designed for CIMA professionals

We made it our mission to solve each of these problems when making our own online CPD courses for CIMA professionals. If you want to move beyond generic theory and gain the practical skills needed for strategic leadership, Astranti CPD is designed specifically for you.

Our library features over 70 courses that vary in length, accommodating any time constraints you might have. More importantly, they have been created with a focus on making complex topics easy to understand and consume.

Verifiable certificates for every course

You will receive a verifiable CPD certificate for each and every course you complete with us. These certificates provide the exact proof you need for your CIMA records, taking the stress out of the annual CIMA CPD monitoring process and making logging your progress incredibly simple.

Relevant topics for the modern financial leader

Relevance means solving a specific, current problem for the CIMA accountant. We focus on the things that matter now. Our library targets the exact skills ambitious management accountants need:

Digital transformation: Master modern tools with courses such as AI as your personal business partner, or learn about leading in a digital world.

Corporate strategy: Take charge with high-level courses like bulletproofing your business strategy and formulating financial strategy.

Advanced finance business partnering: Dive into practical, everyday skills like working with marketing and creating effective budgets.

View our full CPD course suite

Free CIMA CPD: Start Your journey today

Unlike competitors who limit free content to tiny teasers, we provide high-value, relevant courses worth over 12 hours of CPD at no cost. You can access popular courses like AI in Accounting and essential annual updates completely for free. This is a fantastic, risk-free way to start logging your CPD today.