IRCA recertification

Progress indicator

Recertifying with IRCA demonstrates that your skills and experience are up to date.

Recertification

IRCA certification lasts for five years. In the final year of your certification period, we may ask you to update us on your experience and confirm that you're still active in the auditing profession.

If chosen to submit your recertification details, you will be contacted and have a six-month period to provide the required information. The process is now fully online and we recommend that you record your continuing professional development (CPD), audits and work experience regularly, as when you come to recertify this information will be automatically added to your application.

How to recertify

Recertification requirements

You will need to provide us with evidence that you are a current, competent, practising auditor, by submitting details of your audits, CPD and work experience. You can do this at any time in the members' area of our website.

Your recertification requirements will differ depending on which IRCA grade you currently hold. The table below gives a breakdown of the requirements by grade.

Grade	Audit requirements	CPD requirements	Work experience
Associate Internal Auditor	No audit requirement	A minimum of three completed CPD objectives, including details of the activities you completed and reflection on what you have learnt.	Not required
Internal Auditor	A minimum of eight audits from the previous five-year period, including: At least 25 hours on-site auditing	A minimum of three completed CPD objectives, including details of the activities you completed and reflection on what you have learnt.	Not required
Associate Auditor	No audit requirement	A minimum of three completed CPD objectives, including details of the activities you completed and reflection on what you have learnt.	Not required
Auditor	A minimum of eight audits from the previous five-year period, including: At least three full system audits At least 13 days on-site auditing	A minimum of three completed CPD objectives, including details of the activities you completed and reflection on what you have learnt.	Not required
Lead Auditor	A minimum of eight audits from the previous five-year period, including: At least three full system audits At least one audit leading a team At least 13 days on-site auditing	A minimum of three completed CPD objectives, including details of the activities you completed and reflection on what you have learnt.	Not required
Principal Auditor	Evidence of continued work experience related to relevant management systems and involvement in auditing or related activities	A minimum of three completed CPD objectives, including details of the activities you completed and reflection on what you have learnt.	Required - provided evidence of continued work experience related to the scheme you are recertifying.

Each year many auditors believe they have not fulfilled the CPD or audit requirements but go on to renew successfully after discussing their situation and experience with a member of our certification team. We have found that most auditors underestimate the amount of CPD they complete.

If in doubt, please contact us. We are here to help.

Recertify at the right grade for you

You can recertify at your current certification grade, or if you don't think you can meet the recertification requirement for that grade, you may choose to recertify at a lower grade during the process.

Once you have completed your recertification and received your renewal offer, you will be sent a promotional code giving you the opportunity to advance to a higher grade without having to pay a regrade fee. You will still need to meet the regrade requirements of the grade you wish to move to.

There is no fee for recertifying but you will need to pay the appropriate annual renewal fee once your recertification has been completed. Please visit our fees page for details of the annual fees for your country.

Has your certification lapsed?

If your recertification date has already passed, you may no longer be certificated as an IRCA auditor. You can still recertify in the normal way, provided that your certification expired less than five years ago. Complete the online Return to IRCA form and one our membership team will be in touch. If your IRCA certification expired more than five years ago, you'll need to start a new application.