Applying for Corporate Chartered status

To become a Chartered title-holder, three principal criteria must be met:

A minimum of 50% of Executive Directors or Partners need to be Chartered title-holders in their own right.

The CII will recognise Chartered titles from other awarding bodies as comparable to the CII’s individual Chartered Financial Planner title providing:

the title held is directly relevant to the individual’s principal area of work. For example the ICAEW Chartered Accountant title being held by the Finance Director; and the awarding Chartered body concerned has a Code of Conduct (or Conduct of Ethics and Conduct) comparable to that of CII. A listing of the Chartered  titles which the CII will automatically recognise as equivalent can be found here – other organisations will be considered on application; and at least one Executive Director/Partner must personally hold the CII Chartered Financial Planner title.

One of the firm’s Executive Directors or Partners (who, as an individual, holds the Chartered Financial Planner title), must take on the role of Responsible Member. This person will have responsibility for submitting the firm’s application for acceptance and annual renewal.

A minimum of 90% of customer-facing staff (defined as anyone having ‘customer contact’) must be Members of the Personal Finance Society/CII.

These requirements have been put in place to help ensure that standards of professionalism are present throughout the entire firm. Membership of the CII brings with it a requirement to adhere to its Code of Ethics and Conduct. Qualified members of the CII are also obliged to comply with continuing professional development requirements, which ensures their knowledge and skill-set remains up to date.

To apply firms need to complete the Application Form available to download in the downloads section at the bottom of the page.

All requested information must be provided, including:

• copy of previous year’s final audited accounts
• listing of Executive Directors or Partners including an outline of their principal responsibilities and Chartered qualifications held
• listing of ‘customer-facing-staff’ and corresponding CII membership status

It is important to note that the Chartered title scheme is underpinned by disciplinary procedures to ensure that agreed standards are met. The CII has the right to withdraw Chartered status from any firm found to be in breach of its regulations.

Note: Terms and conditions relating to the Chartered Financial Planners title can be found on the Application Form.