1. A member or a person entering into membership of the Association must comply with the law within his or her country of residence and contractual being. This applies to any actions made in the course of work completed either for an employer or a client, or any third party who looks to his or her professional standing.

2. A member must not do anything which compromises or impairs, or is likely to compromise or impair, his or her integrity, or in the case of a client relationship, his or her professional independence.

3. A member must always show a proper standard in all professional work completed in accordance with generally accepted practices and accounting standards.

4. A member must not bring himself or herself or the Association into disrepute or the Accounting or Book-keeping professions into disrepute.

5. A member must comply and uphold, so long as they remain a member, all matters of regulation shown in the Articles of Association, Byelaws and other material published by the Association and be bound by any action taken by Council relating to his or her membership.

6. Any member who personally offers services, seen by their client as book-keeping, payroll and accounting work is required to hold a Certificate of Compliance subject to any de-minimus level agreed by the Council of the Association.

7. In the event that affairs are to be handled by a new book-keeper, there must be no delay in passing over relevant information to enable a former client to receive proper advice.

CODE OF ETHICS AND BEST PRACTICE

1. All members must exercise due care in carrying out their work.

2. All members should plan their work.

3. All members should have an adequate system of administration for the work they undertake.

4. The terms of reference for any work should be agreed before the work commences, and members should adhere to those terms.

5. The level of remuneration for any work undertaken should be agreed between the parties before the work is undertaken. The Association is not involved in setting the level of fees.

6. In the event of a dispute between a member and a third party the Association may appoint may arbitrator. The costs of arbitration to be met by the parties involved.

7. Any member who holds funds or property belonging to a third party must keep such funds or property clearly distinct from their own property and handle it with the same care as they would do if it was their own.

8. No member should accept work where there is a conflict of interest unless all parties are aware of that conflict and have agreed that the work can be undertaken.

9. Provision should be made as appropriate for continuity of service in the event of the member being incapacitated by illness, or in the event of death of the member.

10. Where a member becomes aware that a third party with whom he has a contractual relationship is acting in breach of the law, they must ensure that they comply with Regulation 1.

11. Any member advertising services should comply with the standards laid down by the Advertising Standards Authority, or any similar regulations applicable in their country, or in the country where the advertisement is placed.

12. In order to comply with Regulation 3 members should ensure that they remain competent by undertaking the necessary regular training each year (CPD/E).

13. Members should consider their need for PII which is recommended for those holding a Certificate of Compliance with the IAB