Heritage
Traditional serif type with a centred header, at home in practice firms and finance teams.
Use this design: HeritageFree accountant CV template
For qualified, part-qualified and trainee accountants, bookkeepers and finance staff, in practice or in industry.
- Free, no watermark
- PDF, plus a Word copy
- UK format
The best designs for accountant CVs
Picked for how accountant CVs are read in the UK. Each one is free, and your CV works in every design, so you can switch at any time.
Richmond
A dates column with fine lines between entries, tidy enough for a long list of roles and exams.
Use this design: RichmondWant more choice? See every design, or browse by style: Simple Modern Professional Creative Graduate and student One page IT and technical
Previews show made-up sample CVs. Yours will show your own details, in the colour and font you choose.
What to put on an accountant CV
Accountancy employers, from practice firms to finance teams in companies, charities and the public sector, read a CV for three things: your qualification status, the work you do (audit, tax, management or financial accounting) and the systems you use. In a profession built on accuracy, a CV with an error in it is hard to come back from.
Two pages, a calm traditional look, and your qualification on the first line under your name.
Whatever the job, the UK CV format applies: your name and contact details, a short profile, experience with the most recent first, then education and skills. No photo, age or date of birth.
Qualification status, under your name
ACCA, ACA (ICAEW), CIMA, AAT or CTA: qualified with the year, or part-qualified with the exams you have passed and when you expect to finish.
A profile
Practice or industry, the sectors you know, the size of the clients or entities you work on and the work you do most.
Experience
Year-end and management accounts, VAT returns, corporation tax, payroll, audit fieldwork, month-end close and reporting, with deadlines met and the size of your portfolio.
Systems
Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, CCH, IRIS or your ERP, and Excel at the level you really work at (lookups, pivot tables, Power Query, macros).
Improvements
A faster month end, a reconciliation you automated, audit points cleared or a move to Making Tax Digital you led.
Skills and keywords for an accountant CV
From our skills guides and CV examples for this job. Use the ones that are true for you, in the words of the job advert, so recruiters and applicant tracking systems find them.
- Financial reporting (FRS 102 / IFRS)
- Management accounts
- Statutory accounts preparation
- Corporation tax
- VAT returns
- Payroll
- External audit
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Cash flow management
- Sage
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Excel (advanced)
- ACCA / ACA / CIMA / AAT
See it filled in
The example CVs are illustrations written with AI. The people in them are fictional.
Accountant CVs: your questions
How do I show I am part-qualified on my CV?
Name the body and how far you are, then what is next: for example "ACCA: 9 of 13 exams passed, finishing in 2027" or "AAT Level 4 in progress". Put it straight under your name and again in your education section.
Which accounting software should I list?
The packages you have used for real work, with what you did in them, for example "Xero: bank reconciliations and quarterly VAT returns for small business clients". Recruiters often search for specific packages.
Should an accountant’s CV be one or two pages?
Two pages suits most qualified accountants. Trainees and graduates can usually fit everything on one.
Keep going
- Free CV checkerA CV Score out of 100 for the job you want, and the fixes to make first, in about 30 seconds.
- Cover letterA cover letter in the same design as your CV, with your signature.
- CV examplesExample CVs by job and level, to borrow structure and wording from.
Read next: How long should a CV be? UK CV format Applicant tracking systems explained
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