QFA Loans

It is the Certificate in Professional Financial Advice, a professional qualification listed by LIA, the educational and professional association for people working in financial services. LIA lists it as a 6-module programme with the next exam in January 2027 and registration closing 6 November 2026.

LIA lists the QFA as comprising 6 modules. LIA does not break the module content down further on its programme listing, so check the current LIA programme and exam information pages before you plan your study order.

LIA lists the next QFA exam as January 2027, with registration closing 6 November 2026. That is a future sitting, not a currently in-force date, so confirm the timetable on LIA's exam and lecture dates page before booking.

LIA's eight advised-on categories are Life Assurance; Pensions; Savings & Investments; Personal General Insurance; Commercial General Insurance; Private Medical Insurance & Associated Insurances; Housing Loans, Home Reversion Agreements & Associated Insurances; and Consumer Credit & Associated Insurances. These are the areas LIA uses to categorise CPD, so treat them as a study map rather than an official syllabus.

A practical approach is to start with the protection and savings foundations, then the mortgage and consumer credit areas, because lending and insurance concepts recur across topics. Pensions is usually the heaviest area for calculations, so leave enough time for it rather than compressing it at the end.

LIA does not publish a recommended study-hours figure for the QFA, so no number can be quoted here. With 6 modules and a registration deadline of 6 November 2026 for the January 2027 sitting, most candidates need a structured multi-month plan rather than a few weeks.

LIA states that most of its courses are distance-learning, backed by online study supports available 24/7. Past students describe using pre-recorded lectures, exam papers and a study guide. Check what your registration includes before buying third-party material.

LIA publishes no pass rate, so difficulty cannot be quantified here. The most common self-inflicted failures are spreading effort too thinly across 6 modules, skipping exam-style practice, and leaving the calculation-heavy pension and lending topics until the final weeks.

LIA's programme listing does not state a QFA retake policy, fee or waiting period, so none can be quoted here. Check LIA's exam regulations and education forms, guides and exemptions pages for the rules that apply to your sitting.