A 4-year degree with an accounting major, such as BS Accounting and Finance, gets 4 ACCA exemptions: Business and Technology, Management Accounting, Financial Accounting and Corporate and Business Law. A fully qualified ICAP or ICMAP member gets all nine, while a 2-year B.Com gets none and starts from the first paper.
Each exemption carries a fee: £84 for an Applied Knowledge paper and £111 for an Applied Skills paper. For the accounting graduate above that is £363, about Rs 132,804. The calculator then adds the exams still to pass, so you see the cost of the whole route, about Rs 755,949 for that graduate, registration included.
ACCA exemptions for BS, BBA, B.Com (Hons) and master's degrees
For most Pakistani degrees ACCA looks at two things: how much of the degree you finished and what your main subject was. These are the papers ACCA lists for each combination.
| Major | First year of a 4-year degree | Two years of a 4-year degree | 4-year degree completed | Master's degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting major | BT, MA, FA | BT, MA, FA, LW | BT, MA, FA, LW | BT, MA, FA, LW |
| Accounting as a joint or minor subject | BT | BT, MA, FA | BT, MA, FA | BT, MA, FA |
| Finance major | BT | BT, MA, FA | BT, MA, FA | BT, MA, FA |
| MBA | n/a | n/a | n/a | BT, MA, FA |
| General business and management | BT | BT | BT | BT |
| Law | None | LW | LW | LW |
| Any other subject | None | None | None | None |
ACCA treats Commerce and Business Administration as general business and management, so a 4-year B.Com (Hons) or BBA (Hons) without an accounting major earns Business and Technology (BT) only. If your transcript shows an accounting major, choose that instead. Part-completed means you passed every module of those years.
Exemptions for B.Com, M.Com, LLB, ICAP, ICMAP, PIPFA and CIMA
These qualifications have a fixed list of papers in ACCA's calculator, whatever your subject choices.
| Qualification | ACCA papers exempt | Exemptions | Exemption fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.Com (Hons), University of the Punjab | BT, MA, FA, LW | 4 | £363 (Rs 132,804) |
| B.Com (3 years) | BT, MA, FA | 3 | £252 (Rs 92,194) |
| B.Com (2 years) | None | 0 | None |
| M.Com | BT, MA, FA, LW | 4 | £363 (Rs 132,804) |
| LLB | LW | 1 | £111 (Rs 40,609) |
| I.Com | None | 0 | None |
| ICAP qualified | BT, MA, FA, LW, PM, TX, FR, AA, FM | 9 | £918 (Rs 335,850) |
| ICMAP qualified | BT, MA, FA, LW, PM, TX, FR, AA, FM | 9 | £918 (Rs 335,850) |
| PIPFA qualified | BT, MA, FA, LW | 4 | £363 (Rs 132,804) |
| CIMA | BT, MA, FA | 3 | £252 (Rs 92,194) |
Rupees at Rs 365.85 per pound, the cross rate from the State Bank dollar rate for 8 October 2026, before card tax.
The 4-year B.Com from the University of the Punjab has its own entry with four exemptions. I.Com earns exemptions only from two Foundations in Accountancy papers (FA1 and FA2), not from any ACCA exam.
ICAP CAF students: which passes give which exemption
ACCA does not give a block of exemptions for being part way through ICAP. It checks the ICAP subjects you have passed. Choose ICAP student above and tick each ACCA paper whose ICAP subject you have passed.
| ACCA paper | ICAP subjects ACCA accepts (any one line) |
|---|---|
| Business and Technology (BT) | Business and Economics Insights, or Business Insights and Analysis Business Insights plus Economics Insights Introduction to Business plus Principles of Economics Business Communication and Behavioural Studies plus Introduction to Economics and Finance (or Principles of Economics) Business Communication plus Business Management and Behavioural Studies (or Managerial and Financial Analysis) plus Introduction to Economics and Finance (or Principles of Economics) |
| Management Accounting (MA) | Cost and Management Accounting, or Cost Accounting Management Accounting |
| Financial Accounting (FA) | Introduction to Accounting plus Financial Accounting and Reporting I Introduction to Accounting (or Fundamentals of Accounting) plus Financial Accounting and Reporting Introduction to Financial Accounting plus Financial Accounting |
| Corporate and Business Law (LW) | Business Law Mercantile Law Business Law Dynamics |
| Performance Management (PM) | Cost and Management Accounting, or Cost Accounting Management Accounting Cost Accounting plus Management Accounting |
| Taxation (TX) | Taxation, Principles of Taxation (passed at CAF) or Tax Practices Taxation Principles and Compliance |
| Financial Reporting (FR) | Advanced Accounting and Financial Reporting (or Advanced Corporate Reporting) plus Financial Accounting and Reporting II Advanced Accounting and Financial Reporting (or Advanced Corporate Reporting) plus Financial Accounting Corporate Reporting plus Advanced Accounting and Financial Reporting |
| Audit and Assurance (AA) | Audit and Assurance (passed at CAF) Audit and Assurance Essentials Auditing |
| Financial Management (FM) | Business Finance Decisions Strategic Business Finance |
One ICAP pass can cover two papers. Cost and Management Accounting is accepted for both Management Accounting (MA) and Performance Management (PM). ACCA does not accept a referral (R) grade, which counts as a fail.
Worked examples
BS Accounting and Finance, completed. Four exemptions: 3 × £84 + 1 × £111 = £363. Nine exams remain: five Applied Skills exams at £143 each, Strategic Business Leader, Strategic Business Reporting and two options, plus the ethics module. With registration and the first year's subscription the total is £2,056, about Rs 755,949 for a filer at Rs 365.85 a pound.
ICAP chartered accountant. All nine Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills papers are exempt. The exemption fees are £918, about Rs 335,850. Only the four Strategic Professional exams and the ethics module are left, so the whole route costs about Rs 697,120.
MBA. Business and Technology, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting are exempt for £252. Ten exams remain and the total is about Rs 767,714. No Applied Knowledge exam is left, so there is no centre fee to add.
ICAP student with Cost and Management Accounting and Business Law passed. That gives MA, PM and LW: £84 + 2 × £111 = £306, about Rs 111,950.
Is an exemption worth its fee?
For Applied Skills papers it nearly always is. An exemption costs £111, while sitting the same paper costs £143 at standard entry and £366 at late entry, plus tuition and months of study. An Applied Knowledge exemption costs £84, which you can compare with the fee your computer based exam centre quotes for BT, MA or FA.
ACCA invoices the fees when it awards the exemptions. If you change your mind, you can forfeit an exemption and get a refund only if you tell ACCA within 14 days. After that the fee is not refundable.
ACCA awards exemptions after checking your transcript and certificate, so the calculator shows what ACCA's published entries give for your qualification. A course ACCA has assessed in detail at a particular university can earn more, so a BS or MS from a university with an ACCA accredited programme should also be checked in ACCA's own calculator by university name. Documents not in English need a sworn English translation.
Questions people ask
How many ACCA exemptions does a B.Com get in Pakistan?
It depends on the length of the degree. A 2-year B.Com gets no exemptions but lets you register. A 3-year B.Com gets BT, MA and FA. The 4-year B.Com from the University of the Punjab gets BT, MA, FA and LW. Another university's 4-year B.Com (Hons) is assessed by its major: an accounting major gets four, while a general Commerce degree gets BT only.
How many exemptions do I get after ICAP CAF?
ACCA counts the ICAP subjects you have passed rather than the CAF stage itself. For example, Cost and Management Accounting covers MA and PM, Business Law covers LW and Taxation Principles and Compliance covers TX. Tick each one in the calculator to get your count and fee. A fully qualified ICAP chartered accountant gets all nine.
What ACCA exemptions does an MBA or BBA get?
An MBA gets three: Business and Technology, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting. A completed BBA (Hons) counts as a general business and management degree and gets Business and Technology only, unless its major is accounting (four exemptions) or finance (three).
How much is the ACCA exemption fee in Pakistan?
£84 for each Applied Knowledge paper (BT, MA, FA) and £111 for each Applied Skills paper (LW to FM). Four exemptions for an accounting graduate cost £363, about Rs 132,804 before card tax. A bank deducts 0.5% advance tax from a filer's card payment, 1% for a non-filer.
Can I get exemptions from Strategic Professional papers?
No. ACCA gives at most nine exemptions, covering the three Applied Knowledge and six Applied Skills papers. Strategic Business Leader, Strategic Business Reporting and the two option papers must be sat by everyone, along with the Ethics and Professional Skills Module.
How do I apply for ACCA exemptions?
Apply when you register with ACCA by uploading your degree certificate and transcript. Qualifications you finish later can be added through MyACCA at any time. ACCA sends an invoice with the exemption notice, and you pay the fees through MyACCA by card.
Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.