| ACCA can trace its history back to 1904 when eight | | | | Chartered Association of Certified Accountants |
| people formed the London Association of | | | | * 1995 : ACCA members vote at an extraordinary |
| Accountants. This was done in order to allow more | | | | general meeting to amend the name of the body to |
| open access to the profession than was available | | | | the Association of Chartered Public Accountants and |
| through the existing accounting bodies at the time, | | | | to introduce the designation Chartered Public |
| notably the Institute of Chartered Accountants in | | | | Accountant. The Privy Council subsequently rejected |
| England and Wales and the Institute of Chartered | | | | this proposal as it was concerned about the inclusion |
| Accountants of Scotland. As of 2006, the goal of | | | | of the term public. It did however agree that any |
| ACCA is to become the world's leading global | | | | accountancy body that had a royal charter could be |
| professional body by size. | | | | granted the right to use chartered as part of the |
| A timeline of key dates in the history of ACCA and its | | | | members' designation. |
| predecessor bodies is: | | | | * 1996 : Chartered Association of Certified |
| * 1930 : London Association of Accountants | | | | Accountants renamed Association of Chartered |
| successfully campaigns for the right to audit | | | | Certified Accountants. Members become entitled to |
| companies | | | | use the title Chartered Certified Accountant |
| * 1933 : London Association of Accountants renamed | | | | (Designatory letters ACCA or FCCA). The |
| London Association of Certified Accountants | | | | Association of Authorised Public Accountants |
| * 1939 : Corporation of Accountants (Scottish body, | | | | becomes a subsidiary of ACCA. |
| founded 1891) merges with London Association of | | | | * 1998 : ACCA's syllabus formed the basis of the |
| Certified Accountants to become the Association of | | | | United Nations' global accountancy curriculum titled |
| Certified and Corporate Accountants | | | | Guideline on National Requirements for the Qualification |
| * 1941 : Institution of Certified Public Accountants | | | | of Professional Accountants published in 1999. ACCA |
| (founded 1903, and incorporating the Central | | | | was a participant in the consultative group, which |
| Association of Accountants from 1933) merges with | | | | devised this global Benchmark, and reference to |
| Association of Certified and Corporate Accountants | | | | ACCA's role is included throughout the publication. |
| * 1971 : Association of Certified and Corporate | | | | * 2001 : ACCA received a Queens Award for |
| Accountants renamed Association of Certified | | | | Enterprise in International Trade, recognising the growth |
| Accountants | | | | of ACCA and its role in160 countries worldwide. |
| * 1974 : Royal Charter received from Her Majesty the | | | | * 2002 : ACCA received its second Queens Award |
| Queen. | | | | for Enterprise in the space of 12 months, honouring its |
| * 1974 : ACCA becomes one of the six founding | | | | continuing work on social and environmental issues |
| members of the Consultative Committee of | | | | with the confirmation of the Queens Award for |
| Accountancy Bodies (CCAB). | | | | Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category. |
| * 1977 : ACCA becomes a founding member of the | | | | ACCA's first Queens Award, for Export Achievement, |
| International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). | | | | was presented in 1996. |
| * 1984 : Association of Certified Accountants renamed | | | | |