The AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting offers technical training in accounting and is ideal for anyone wishing to pursue a career in accountancy or finance.
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The AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting offers comprehensive technical training, making it ideal for anyone wishing to advance their career in accountancy and finance. This qualification builds upon foundational knowledge, equipping you with specialist skills required for higher-level roles in the accounting and finance industry.
Why Choose the AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting?
About the Qualification
The AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting is a natural progression for students who have completed the Level 2 Certificate in Accounting. It’s also ideal for those who have begun studying a related subject or for professionals working in finance who desire formal recognition of their skills. This qualification not only enhances your technical abilities but also significantly boosts your career prospects in the accounting and finance sector.
Learn More
Ready to take the next step in your accounting career? Visit the AAT website for more information on the AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting.
Start your studies the same day
Instant access to tutor support
Award winning learning resources
Prompt marking turnaround – marked by a tutor (not a computer)
Both hardcopy books and eBooks included
Pay by instalments (interest free)
24 hour online access
On-demand support via email, telephone, zoom
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AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) Online Enrolment Form – Start Your Studies Today!
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The AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) Course is a potential route into employment with a globally recognised qualification accrediting the skills and knowledge required by employers. On completion, students can successfully undertake a role in finance. It can also be a stepping-stone to further education, with students progressing onto the Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting. It may be suited to students studying part-time alongside employment or to those already working in finance.
The AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting qualification will also suit those looking to gain the skills required to move into a career in finance as it provides a clear pathway towards a successful career in accounting and finance.
In developing this qualification, AAT has carried out extensive consultation with and received input from a wide variety of stakeholders, including industry experts, employers and training providers. AAT qualifications benefit from being globally recognised and they are valued by leading employers, from small high street firms to large accountancy businesses. They offer students flexible study options, with over 500 AAT Approved training providers around the world.
The Level 3 Diploma in Accounting covers a range of essential and complex accounting tasks, including maintaining cost accounting records and the preparation of reports and returns. Key themes have also been introduced throughout the suite of accounting qualifications including technology, ethics, sustainability and communication.
This online accountancy training comprises four mandatory units (400 guided learning hours in total):
• Business Awareness
• Financial Accounting: Preparing Financial Statements
• Management Accounting Techniques
• Tax Processes for Businesses.
The purpose of this qualification is to ensure that students are well prepared to progress into a career in business, finance or professional accountancy, or into further education. Students will learn and develop skills needed for financial processes, including accounting principles and concepts, advanced bookkeeping and preparing financial statements. They will also understand the business environment, technology used in finance and accounting, business issues regarding payroll and value added tax (VAT) (which may be known by another name in other countries), issues in business, management accounting techniques, ethical principles and sustainability considerations for accountants.
Students will develop an understanding of business and its structure and purpose, as well as appreciating the wider business environment. Students will develop skills supporting complex financial processes, such as final accounts, reports and returns, use of technology to provide management accounting information, and completion of VAT returns.
Students will be expected to take responsibility for initiating and completing tasks and procedures, as well as exercising autonomy and judgement within limited parameters, such as awareness of different perspectives or approaches within an area of study or work. Students will need to use a variety of data and information about a business to visualise and communicate key information needed for business decision making.
The four units are assessed individually through computer based end-of-unit assessments.
The accountancy skills developed through the AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) qualification will enable a student to seek employment with confidence and/or to progress to the next level of learning. It will lead to a choice of great careers, as well as providing progress onto the Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting and a route to higher education.
This qualification is part of a suite of AAT qualifications available to students that offer both horizontal and vertical progression channels. Completion of this qualification can provide progression onto the Associate Bookkeeping membership, where students will gain professional recognition with the designatory letters AATQB. Students may also progress onto Professional level and become a full member of AAT upon achieving the associated membership criteria. The Level 3 Diploma in Accounting also provides the skills required to support the establishment and operation of a healthy business.
Skills developed through this qualification could lead to employment as:
• an Accounts Assistant
• an Accounts Payable and Expenses Supervisor
• an Assistant AAT Accountant
• an Audit Trainee
• a Credit Controller
• a Finance Assistant
• a Finance Officer
• a Payroll Supervisor
• a Senior Bookkeeper
• a Tax Assistant.
AAT does not set any entry requirements for the AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) Course qualification.
However, for the best chance of success, we recommend that students begin their studies with a good standard of English and maths. Accountants work at the very heart of a business and are expected to be able to communicate information clearly and appropriately to a given audience. Ideally, students should have completed the Level 2 Certificate in Accounting and/or the Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping. Prior attainment of other business or finance studies would also be beneficial.
You will be allocated a personal AAT tutor who will guide you throughout the course.
We have a team of tutors who are here to help and if your personal tutor is not available they will be happy to help and keep the marking turnaround prompt. They are qualified, experienced, patient and effective communicators so you will find that you will build a good student/teacher relationship with them all.
When studying with us you will find the staff friendly and helpful with a great support network for students. You will receive constructive feedback, guidance and support. You will also receive a personal timetable to follow which structures your whole coursework for you which can be flexible to suit your pace of study.
Additionally, you are also provided with a personal course advisor who has great knowledge of the AAT qualified who can offer advice on how to manage your AAT course studies along with work, family and other commitments.
Our tutors are very accessible! The office is open at the following times:
Mondays 9am – 8pm
Tuesdays 9am – 8pm
Wednesdays 9am – 8pm
Thursdays 9am – 8pm
Fridays 9am – 5pm
Saturdays 9am – 12pm
Throughout your AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting online learning journey, you’ll be presented with study resources tailored to the topics covered in each unit, such as chapters from the study manuals, revision videos, quizzes and help sheets. At regular intervals you’ll be presented with an assignment, or practice assessment, to complete and submit to your tutor for marking.
Course progress is automatically saved in ‘the cloud’, meaning you can resume your learning exactly where you left off in each unit by logging into your My Premier Training Account (MyPTA) account from any device connected to the internet. Additionally, if you don’t have time to complete a piece of coursework in one sitting, you can save your progress, and again, resume it from any location or device.
Premier Training is pleased to offer a free training course on Xero software to anyone who enrols with Premier Training. Xero is a cloud-based accounting software that connects people with the right numbers anytime, anywhere, on any device. For accountants and bookkeepers, Xero helps build a trusted relationship with small business clients through online collaboration. With over 1.5 million subscribers worldwide, Xero has transformed the way businesses operate.
This course is an excellent addition to your CV, and it is FREE, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Premier Training students can also access a range of FREE online short courses, such as Customer Service Fundamentals, Health and Wellness, Information Technology, Professional Skills and Sales & Marketing Courses.
Students who have already started anAAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) qualification should try to complete their studies on their current programme where possible.
If this is not possible, transitional arrangements may be available. In some cases, students may be able to transfer results for current units to similar units in the AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) qualification, although this will be strictly time-limited.
It’s important to check for the latest information to see if transitional arrangements apply.
Course Fees
AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (Q2022) Was £859 Now £609
Postage & Packaging (Monday to Friday Delivery) £17
Postage & Packaging (Saturday Delivery) £28
Postage & Packaging Overseas £49
*Please note the overseas P&P of £49 is an estimate and we will confirm the final amount of P&P due when the delivery address has been confirmed. The AAT course fee and P&P can be paid by monthly instalments at no extra charge and the first instalment will get you started immediately (UK students only).
Additional fees to remember
Please note: In order to achieve the AAT qualification, you will need to join the AAT as a student member. The following items are not included in your course fees:
AAT Membership Fee £235
Examination fees*:
AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting Fees vary between approximately £100 and £120 per exam
*Exam fees vary depending on the exam center.
Financial Accounting: Preparing Financial Statements (FAPS) Unit
This unit provides students with the skills required to produce statements of profit or loss and statements of financial position for sole traders and partnerships using a trial balance. In employment, students may be required to prepare a portion of, or all, the final accounts and this unit will give them the theoretical knowledge needed to complete that task. It will also allow them to understand how final accounts have been produced, either manually or automatically through use of accounting software.
Students will gain the double-entry bookkeeping skills required to record financial transactions into an organisation’s accounts using a manual bookkeeping system. They will take this forward to carry out adjustments, ensuring that the accounts conform to the accruals basis of accounting. Students will understand depreciation, where the loss of value of a non-current asset during a period is reflected in the profit figure for that period. They will also learn to account for allowances for doubtful receivables where account is taken of the likelihood that not all credit customers will pay in full. These adjustments are regularly carried out by employers to ensure accounts give a more accurate view of both the profitability and the financial stability of the organisation.
By developing an awareness of how the final accounts are used, and by whom, students will appreciate how to produce useful accounting records, sometimes from incomplete information. They will learn about the format of both the statement of profit or loss and the statement of financial position. Students will also learn how to use their double-entry bookkeeping skills to analyse and correct errors that have been made in the ledgers. Students will also be required to check the accuracy of the balances on key accounts within the accounting system by carrying out reconciliations with independent documents, such as bank statements. Accounting ratios to assess the profitability of sole traders will also be introduced, allowing students to interpret financial statements more effectively.
The application of ethical principles is threaded throughout this unit. All work must be carried out with integrity, objectivity and a high degree of professional competence.
Learning outcomes
1. Understand the accounting principles underlying final accounts preparation
2. Understand the principles of advanced double-entry bookkeeping
3. Implement procedures for the acquisition and disposal of non-current assets
4. Prepare and record depreciation calculations
5. Record period end adjustments
6. Produce and extend the trial balance
7. Produce financial statements for sole traders and partnerships
8. Interpret financial statements using profitability ratios
9. Prepare accounting records from incomplete information
Management Accounting Techniques (MATS) Unit
This unit provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the role of management accounting in an organisation, and how organisations use such information to aid decision making.
Students will learn the principles that underpin management accounting methodology and techniques, how costs are handled in organisations, and why organisations treat costs in different ways. Students will be able to recognise different approaches to management accounting and provide informed and reasoned judgements to guide management. They will also learn how to apply these principles and appreciate why effective management accounting is crucial to any organisation.
Students will learn the techniques required for dealing with direct costs and revenues, and with the treatment of short-term overhead costs. They will also learn the techniques required for decision making, using estimates of costs, revenues and cashflow. Students will learn to carry out procedures as they would in a real-world organisation’s finance function including: undertaking budgetary overhead apportionments and producing recovery rates, carrying out basic variance and cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis, calculating changes in forecast unit costs and profits, calculating working capital measures, producing simple budgets, monitoring cash flow and reporting accounting information.
Students will be required to use spreadsheets when making calculations, manipulating and analysing data, reporting, and forecasting. Skills such as the use of formulas, functions, data analysis tools, sorting and filtering will be vital within accountancy to enable students to perform complex calculations quickly and accurately. After analysis, the data needs to be comprehensively checked and then presented using a range of methods, for example as a structured spreadsheet with pivot tables and charts.
The application of ethical principles is threaded throughout this unit. All work must be carried out with integrity, objectivity and a high degree of professional competence.
Learning outcomes
1. Understand the purpose and use of management accounting within organisations
2. Use techniques required for dealing with costs
3. Attribute costs according to organisational requirements
4. Investigate deviations from budgets
5. Use spreadsheet techniques to provide management accounting information
6. Use management accounting techniques to support short-term decision making
7. Understand principles of cash management
Tax Processes for Businesses (TPFB) Unit
This unit explores tax processes that influence the daily operations of businesses and is designed to develop students’ skills in understanding, preparing, and submitting Value Added Tax (VAT) returns to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The unit provides students with the knowledge and skills that are needed to keep businesses, employers and clients compliant with laws and practices that apply to VAT and payroll. Students will learn about legislation and the importance of maintaining their technical knowledge through monitoring updates.
For VAT, students will understand the registration and deregistration rules, including signing up for Making Tax Digital (MTD), and the rules relating to specialist VAT schemes. Students will be able to recognise different types of supplies and calculate VAT correctly, understanding the importance of the rules relating to the recovery of input VAT and the sanctions and penalties for inaccuracies, omissions and failure to make submissions and payments within the correct timescales. Students will be able to verify the accuracy of calculations, invoices and tax points, and will learn about the correction of errors. When learning about the content of the VAT return, students will understand how to apply special rules when goods and services are imported and exported out of the UK and the European Union (EU), and how to extract the appropriate data to complete VAT returns.
In relation to payroll, students will understand the processes for businesses involved in calculating pay and deductions and the content of documents and reports produced on software, along with the timescales for submission and payment.
The application of ethical principles is threaded throughout this unit. All work must be carried out with integrity, objectivity and a high degree of professional competence. There must be due care with regards to confidentiality about any personal data being processed and, from a business protection aspect, with the correct approach to professional behaviour. Students will understand how to communicate VAT and payroll matters to relevant individuals and organisations.
Learning outcomes
1. Understand legislation requirements relating to VAT
2. Calculate VAT
3. Review and verify VAT returns
4. Understand principles of payroll
5. Report information within the organisation
Business Awareness (BUAW) Unit
This unit provides students with an understanding of the business, its environment and the influence that this has on an organisation’s structure, the role of its accounting function and its performance. Students will examine the purposes and types of businesses that exist, and the rights and responsibilities of key stakeholders. Students will learn what the micro- and macro-economic environments are and the impact and influence that changes in these environments can have on performance and decisions. This will include an understanding of the basic business law relating to the preparation of financial statements for different types of entities. Students will learn about the concepts of risk, types of risk and risk management for a business.
Students will understand the importance of professional ethics and ethical management, and how the finance function interacts with other key business functions to enhance operational efficiency. Students will learn the core aspects of the ethical code for accountants and will apply these principles to analyse and judge ethical situations which could arise in the workplace. They will also understand how acting ethically stems from core personal and organisational values, as well as understanding the legal and regulatory framework for anti-money laundering.
The role of the accountant is changing. This change is particularly driven by emerging technologies, so students will learn about types of technological changes that affect the accounting profession and the impact of these on performance, data analysis and accounting processes. An important skill for accountants is being able to analyse, understand and interpret information gathered and communicated in different formats. Students will understand the use of and impact of big data, the key features of blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud accounting. Students will gain the skills required to visualise and interpret data to support understanding and decision making for businesses.
Learning outcomes
1. Understand business types, structures and governance, and the legal framework in which they operate
2. Understand the impact of the external and internal environment on businesses, their performance and decisions
3. Understand how businesses and accountants comply with principles of professional ethics
4. Understand the impact of new technologies in accounting and the risks associated with data security
5. Communicate information to stakeholders
In this AAT level 3 course you can browse our new course materials for the AAT Q2022 syllabus.
This e-learning software will allow you to study and revise for your final assessment efficiently in a structured format. Your personal timetable sets the pace of your Level 3 accounting course informing you which assignment and assessment needs to be completed by its assigned date. To prepare you for the final assessment each unit contains three assignments and a mock assessment. Between each assignment are study resources such as chapters from study books, videos, quizzes and helpsheets which allow you to gain the relevant knowledge to complete the online assignments.
My experience with Premier Training has been nothing but positive. I signed up for AAT Level 2 Bookkeeping with no prior experience and was learning within a few minutes. Thanks to the amazing learning resources and support I have quickly picked up new skills and confidence, and progressed on to AAT Level 3 Accounting in…
I have been a student of Premier Training since February 2024 – since then I have passed my AAT Level 1 qualification and the first part of my Level 2 Bookkeeping course. I highly recommend using Premier Training as a provider and their exam centre. Anytime I have needed help and guidance the team are…
Premier Training are very helpful and kind. I have found the training very easy to follow and having the ebook, resources and hard copy of the AAT Level 1 Bookkeeping book, the course was straightforward. Videos clarified information and I liked the idea of the practice assessments to support the learning. Results from these were…
Mark has been an absolutely brilliant tutor with me. I suffer with severe anxiety and depression, as well as other long-term chronic illnesses. The ability to be able to study at my own pace via distance learning, but with the amazing support of tutors like Mark, is so valuable to students. He has tailored contact…
I really enjoy my studies with Premier Training. The study material is very detailed and straightforward. My personal tutor is really approachable and helpful with his feedback on my assignments – not to mention always prompt in marking my assignments. Online learning is the best way for me to complete my studies as, with a…
I have now completed Levels 2 & 3 of my AAT qualification with Premier Training and can speak nothing but highly of the service and learning tools provided. The course is extremely flexible, meaning I have been able to continue my studies during major life milestones (including having a baby). With all of the revision…
I have just finished the AAT Level 1 Award in Bookkeeping and I am very impressed with the quality of the course. It is very well written and I could very easily understand everything even if my English is not great. I like the videos at the end of each chapter, because it deepens my…
The tutors are super friendly and happy to answer any questions – they’re always quick to reply too. Results come back quickly, often within hours, and the feedback really helps to understand how you might have gone wrong on a question and what you can do to improve marks. The course material is fantastic and…
