Getting Started with ADIT



You’re developing your tax career, and you keep hearing about the ADIT qualification. What is ADIT and why is it so prestigious? How do you go about getting started with ADIT?

ADIT is the Advanced Diploma in International Taxation, awarded by the UK’s Chartered Institute of Taxation. Attaining this certification is a great way to grow your international tax expertise. You can increase your professional standing by becoming an International Tax Affiliate of the Chartered Institute of Tax.

Getting Started with ADIT

Register as an ADIT student with CIOT

The first step is to register online with the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) as an ADIT student. All you need is an email address! That’s right, no previous qualifications or experience are required. It costs £235 and your registration lasts for 5 years.

Students must be registered by a certain date before each exam sitting. You’ll find more details on the CIOT website here.

Choose your ADIT modules

Next, choose which modules you want to sit.

ADIT students must pass the compulsory Paper 1 (Principles of International Taxation), along with EITHER two optional modules OR one optional module and an extended essay.

The main exam sitting takes place in June each year, with the most popular options also available to sit in December. You can sit up to three papers at one time. However, that would be an enormous commitment in terms of preparation, and most people choose to sit one paper per session.
You can find information about each paper in the ADIT Prospectus. For a summary of the options, check out our blog post on what ADIT offers you.

Register for your ADIT exam(s)

Providing you are already registered as a student, you can register to sit an exam. This costs £215 per paper, and it is important to register before the deadline for each sitting as there is a penalty for late entries. There is more information here.

Start studying for ADIT

When you register for the exam, it is months away…but that time flies! It’s a good idea to get your study underway at least 3 months prior to the exam sitting. This gives you time to work through the topics, consolidate your knowledge, and still have time to practice, practice, practice with those past papers.

Understand the ADIT syllabus

The ADIT syllabus for your chosen module lists the ‘permitted texts’ which are the books you may use during the exam. These are essential purchases – you need to get familiar with them!

Each syllabus also contains a list of recommended texts. If you intend to undertake self-study, do some research on each of the books listed to decide which ones will be the best use of your time and money.

Get ADIT study support

To maximise your chance of ADIT success, you may decide to join an ADIT study programme. It is helpful to learn alongside your peers, so that you can discuss topics and share understanding and techniques.