QFA Regulation

The QFA is the Certificate in Professional Financial Advice, a professional qualification awarded through LIA, the educational and professional association for people working in Irish financial services. It is one of LIA's professional qualification routes, alongside the APA designations, the CUC/CUG/CUA and the PTP. It is aimed at advisers, planners and administrators who need broad, practice-focused technical knowledge.

LIA's course listing for the QFA shows six modules. The syllabus areas are Life Assurance; Pensions; Savings and Investments; Personal General Insurance; Commercial General Insurance; and Private Medical Insurance and Associated Insurances. That spread means the qualification is as much about general insurance and protection as it is about pensions and investments, so plan study time across all six.

LIA runs its exams online and publishes a dedicated Online Exam Information section plus Exam Regulations covering the process. The QFA course listing does not state the number of questions, the exam duration or the pass mark, so confirm those specifics with LIA before you register. Do not rely on second-hand figures from older sittings.

According to LIA's current course listing, the next QFA exam is scheduled for January 2027, with registration closing on 6 November 2026. Registration deadlines fall well before the exam date, so diarise the closing date rather than the exam date. Verify the sitting and deadline on lia.ie before paying, as schedules are periodically revised.

The source material available for this page does not state a fee for the QFA programme or for individual exam sittings, so no figure is given here. Fees can also differ for members versus non-members and for resits. Check the current course page or contact LIA directly for an accurate, up-to-date quotation before you commit.

LIA's retake arrangements are not set out in the source material used for this page, so no policy is stated here. Retake rules, waiting periods and any additional charges are the kind of detail that changes between sittings. Confirm the current position with LIA before assuming you can re-enter at the next available date.

Most LIA courses are distance-learning, backed by a range of online study supports available 24/7, and LIA delivers its programmes in partnership with Atlantic Technological University Sligo. Students commonly cite the study guide, pre-recorded lectures and past exam papers as the resources that carried them through. Assume self-directed study with remote support rather than a weekly classroom timetable.

LIA states that its financial services courses range from Level 7 to Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications. The QFA course listing itself does not specify which individual level applies to this qualification, so confirm the award level with LIA if it matters for your employer, your CPD record or a further qualification.

There is no officially published order, but a practical approach is to start with the two largest technical blocks - Life Assurance and Pensions - because they underpin protection and retirement advice, then move to Savings and Investments, and finish with the three general insurance modules, which reward precise recall of cover, exclusions and policy structure. Build revision time for every module.

The recurring risks with a six-module qualification are underestimating total workload and treating the general insurance modules as light revision. Cover, exclusions and definitions in personal and commercial lines need accurate recall, not general impressions. Set a study plan per module, work through past exam papers under time pressure, and register before the deadline rather than deciding late.