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AAT Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Accounting
Course Codes
AAT037 / AAT039
Become a qualified accountant with this accredited AAT Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Accounting qualification!
This course:
- Achieve this AAT Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Accounting bundle qualification from one of the most respected and widely-known awarding bodies worldwide.
- AAT qualifications are recognised both internationally and by all UK chartered and certified accounting bodies.
- Accountants with an AAT qualification are highly sought after by companies of all sizes.
- Ideal for those who aspire to a career in accounting.
- Successful students can apply for full AAT membership and achieve professional MAAT status.
- Study from home at your own pace.
- If you add on your exams, we will book and pay for them for you!
Course overview
This AAT Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Accounting course has been designed for those with little to no experience or knowledge of accounting, who wish to achieve a career in the field.
The course will help you get to grips with bookkeeping basics such as transactions and controls, as well as how organisations record costs and how to use accounts software that will record and process transactions. During this course, you’ll also learn more about preparing final accounts, advanced bookkeeping tasks such as preparing and extending the trial balance, and how to accurately complete VAT tax returns. Your level 4 studies will explore topics such as business and personal tax, cash and treasury management, management accounting, and financial statements.
AAT is the world’s leading professional membership body for accounting technicians, working with members around the world. Their accounting courses are highly sought-after and as an AAT qualification, this accredited accounting qualification will help you to progress your career.
You will need to complete your AAT exams to complete and achieve your qualification. You can choose to add your AAT exams on to your enrolment. If you do not add your exams to your enrolment, you will be responsible for booking and paying for your exams.
And if you’re thinking of going to university, the level 3 section of this course will allow you to gain up to 56 UCAS points to help you secure a place!
Course Duration
Up to three years.
Course Outcome
On successful completion of your AAT exams, you will receive your AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting Level 2, AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting Level 3, and AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting qualifications.
Entry Requirements
You must be at least 16 years old to enrol on this course.
Assessment
Fourteen unit exams and three synoptic exams.
Course content
AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting Level 3
- Understanding accepted principles of accounting and double-entry bookkeeping
- Understanding accounting methods of recording non-current assets
- Accounting for purchase of non-current assets
- Accounting for depreciation and adjustments
- Accounting for disposal of non-current assets
- Preparing and extending the trial balance
- Understanding the process involved in preparing final accounts
- Preparing accounting records from incomplete information
- Producing final accounts for sole traders
- Understanding partnerships’ legislative and accounting requirements
- Preparing a statement of profit or loss appropriation account
- Preparing a financial position statement relating to a partnership
- Understanding an organisation’s costing systems
- Recording and analysing cost information
- Apportioning costs to organisational requirements
- Analysing budget deviations and reporting these to management
- Using information gathered from costing systems to assist decision making
- Understanding VAT regulations
- Completing VAT returns accurately and on time
- Understanding VAT penalties and adjust for previous errors
- Communicating VAT information
- Understanding principles of ethical working
- Understanding ethical behaviour when working with internal and external customers
- Understanding when and how to take appropriate action following suspected ethical codes breaches
- Understanding the ethical responsibility of finance professionals in promoting sustainability
- Using a spreadsheet to enter, edit and organise numerical and other data
- Selecting and using appropriate formulas and data analysis tools and techniques
- Presenting, formatting and publishing spreadsheet information
AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting Level 2
- Understand financial transactions within a bookkeeping system
- Processing customer transactions
- Processing supplier transactions
- Processing receipts and payments
- Processing transactions through the ledgers to the trial balance
- Understanding payment methods
- Understanding controls in a bookkeeping system
- Using control accounts
- Using the journal
- Reconciling a bank statement with the cash book
- Understand an organisation’s cost recording system
- Using a cost recording system to record or extract data
- Understanding an organisation’s finance function
- Using numeracy, literacy and communication skills
- Working independently or in a team to prioritise tasks and manage colleagues’ responsibilities
- Understanding ethical values, principles and importance of confidentiality
- Understanding and explaining benefits to organisations of sustainable values
- Recording and processing customer and supplier transactions
- Recording and reconciling bank and cash transactions
- Processing and using journals to enter accounting transactions
- Production of reports for customer and suppliers
- Production of a trial balance and general ledger reports
AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting
- Prepare forecasts of income and expenditure
- Prepare budgets
- Demonstrate how budgeting can improve organisational performance
- Report budgetary information to management in a clear and appropriate format
- Prepare forecasts of income and expenditure
- Prepare budgets
- Demonstrate how budgeting can improve organisational performance
- Report budgetary information to management in a clear and appropriate format
- The reporting frameworks and ethical principles that underpin financial reporting
- Key features of a published set of financial statements
- Statutory financial statements for a limited company
- Consolidated financial statements
- Interpret financial statements using ratio analysis
- The role and responsibilities of the accounting function within an organisation
- Internal control systems
- Evaluate an organisation’s accounting system and underpinning procedures
- Recommendations made to improve an organisation’s accounting system
- Complete tax returns for sole traders and partnerships and prepare supporting tax computations
- Complete tax returns for limited companies and prepare supporting tax computations
- Provide advice on the UK’s tax regime and its impact on sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
- Advise business clients on tax reliefs, and their responsibilities and their agent’s responsibilities in reporting taxation to HMRC
- Prepare tax computations for the sale of capital assets
- Analyse the theories, principles and rules that underpin taxation systems
- Calculate a UK taxpayer’s total income
- Calculate income tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions payable by a UK taxpayer
- Account for capital gains tax
- Discuss the basics of inheritance tax
- Understanding the principles of auditing
- Importance of professional ethics
- The audited entity's system of internal control
- Audit procedures for obtaining audit evidence
- The planning process
- Audit procedures
- Use statistical techniques and financial information to prepare forecasts of cash receipts and payments
- Prepare cash budgets and monitor cash flows within the organisation
- The principles of cash management within the context of regulation and government monetary policies
- Ways of raising finance in accordance with organisational requirements
- Ways of investing surplus funds within organisational policies
- Analyse relevant legislation and contract law that has an impact on the credit control environment
- Critically analyse information from a variety of sources to assess credit risk and grant credit in compliance with organisational policies and procedures
- Evaluate a range of techniques to collect debts
- Critically evaluate credit control in line with organisational policies and procedures
- Present advice and recommendations to management on the credit control system
Extra info
Assessment
The qualification is assessed through fourteen unit exams and three synoptic assessments, which you will complete at the end of your course. This computer-based exam must be sat under controlled conditions at an external examination centre. The unit assessments will be available on-demand throughout the year, while the synoptic assessments are available on set dates throughout the year. Your tutor will be able to help you decide when you are ready to take your exams.
You will also have tutor-marked assessments to complete throughout your studies that will help you track your progress and you can complete these in as much or as little time as you need.
Booking your assessments
You can choose to add your exams on to your enrolment. If you choose this option, we will book and pay for your exams for you. Our partner exam centres for students choosing to book their exams through us are based in Birmingham or Irthlingborough near Northampton. When choosing to add your exams to your enrolment, it is important to note that we are only able to book your exams at the specified centres in either Birmingham or Irthlingborough, and therefore, you must be prepared to travel to one of those centre to complete your exam.
Study method
Once you have enrolled, you will receive all course materials by post. You will study this course through distance learning, which will enable you to learn when and where you want. You can study from home or at work, it is completely up to you.
You will also receive unlimited tutor support via email for three years.
Once you have registered with AAT for your student membership, you will have access to their library of online resources and additional support materials, including sample assessments to help you prepare for your exams.
We will send an email with a link to download the free Sage software.
Course duration
To allow you to study at your own pace, you will have up to three years to complete your course which is more than enough time.
Course outcome
Once you have successfully completed your exams and assessments, you will receive your AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting Level 2, AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting Level 3, and AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting qualifications from The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).
Awarding body
The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has been established for over 30 years and is the world’s leading professional membership body for over 130,000 accounting professionals. AAT’s vocational qualifications are recognised internationally and by all chartered and certified accountancy bodies in the UK.
Q&As
You must be 16 years old to enrol on this course, as well as have basic maths and IT skills. You will also need an internet connection to allow you to download the free software.
- FREE Sage Accounts software (downloadable via a link we’ll send by email).
- Comprehensive study guide.
- Dedicated personal tutor support by email.
- Dedicated student support.
- Assignment marking and feedback.
- Exclusive Open Study College study pack.
- FREE CV critique service.
- FREE employability guide to help you impress future employers.
- FREE XO Student Discounts membership.
The Sage software will only work on computers which run Windows 7 or higher, therefore Sage will not run on Windows XP. Sage software will not run on any Apple Macintosh computer. Please email us for full specification and compatibility details. The free software is provided as a download so you will need to ensure that you have an internet connection.
To sit your exams, you must join AAT as a student member, which will then give you access to their resources. If you add your exams to your enrolment, these are included within the cost. However, if you choose to book your exams separately, you must book and pay for these yourself.
More information on fees can be found on the AAT website.
It's not a problem. We offer a course replacement service, so if you get into trouble and your course pack is lost or damaged, our Student Support Team can provide you with a new set of materials for a one-time additional fee.
That's not a problem. We want to make sure you're 100% confident about enrolling on the course and starting your study. So, just give our team of education specialists a call on 03300 563 100 and they'll do their best to help.