ATT

The ATT is where it’s at(t) if you’ve got your sights set on becoming a tax technician. If you feel like tax is your calling, then it appears you have stumbled on the right place! Read on to find out more about the ATT…

What’s the ATT?

The ATT is a professional qualification that arms tax specialists with the core taxation knowledge and skills they need to be a professional tax technician or tax accountant.

It’s the qualification of the Association of Tax Technicians – a professional body for those who work in the tax compliance services in the UK.

What will it involve?

In order to obtain the ATT you’re going to have to put in some pretty solid intense study time alongside your full-time work (if you’re studying in this way, which the majority of people do).

You’ll cover modules, or ‘Certificates’, and take exams in Personal Taxation, Business Taxation and Accounting Principles, Business Compliance, Corporate Taxation, Inheritance Tax, Trusts and Estates and Value Added Tax (VAT). There are also E-Assessments to complete in professionalism, ethics and legal issues.

Within these different areas you will cover knowledge and details of tax legislation and learn how to make tax calculations from various data.

Some people choose just to cover the Certificates that are relevant to their job; others will aim to pass everything which will grant full ATT membership.

What will it enable me to do?

A qualification like the ATT will label you as a credible and fully competent tax technician. Employers will often look for ATT qualified accountants and tax specialists to take on their more senior and influential roles. It can be a necessity in some instances if you want to boost your career in tax.

How can I get the ATT?

A structured study route is the way forward to obtaining this particular qualification. It’s possible to study for the ATT with a number of professional qualification providers across the UK.

Most people will study for it whilst they are working in tax, either by attending face-to-face seminar groups or taking on online/distance learning. And many employers will cover the costs of your ATT study if it forms part of a school leaver programme, apprenticeship or graduate scheme. Phew!