Akhtar Rana, FAIA
I am the founder of Xpert Tax Accountants and a Fellow of the Association of International Accountants, holding an AIA practising certificate. This page sets out what I am qualified to do, what I am not, and how to check any of it for yourself.
You can verify my membership on the AIA register. I would rather you did. Anyone can put letters after their name on a website; almost nobody invites you to check them.
What I am qualified to do
I am a Fellow of the Association of International Accountants (FAIA) and I hold an AIA practising certificate. The AIA is a body recognised in UK law for a number of regulated pieces of work, and the practising certificate is what licenses me to do them. In particular it covers:
- Licensed Access. I can instruct barristers directly, without going through a solicitor first. Where a case needs counsel's opinion, I go straight to the Bar and brief them with the file I have already built. Most small practices cannot do this.
- Independent examination of charity accounts. The AIA is on the Charities Act list of bodies whose members may examine charity accounts, so I can act as an independent examiner where the law requires a qualified one.
- The ATOL Reporting Accountants scheme. I am able to act as an ATOL Reporting Accountant for travel businesses that hold an ATOL licence.
- Accountant's certificates for lenders. AIA members are recognised by the majority of UK banks and building societies to sign the income certificates that mortgage lenders ask self-employed people for.
What I am not, and will not pretend to be
I do not give investment, pension or insurance advice, and I am not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. The AIA is not a Designated Professional Body, so unlike some firms I have no exemption to arrange those products, and I would not want one. It is not my field.
Where you need regulated financial advice, I will tell you plainly, and put you in front of an FCA-authorised adviser. Then I will work alongside them on the tax. Being clear about the edge of what I do is part of doing it well.
Why an accountant writes about Inheritance Tax
It is a fair question, and the honest answer is research, not bluff. I subscribe to the Tolley Tax Library, the reference that tax practitioners actually use, and I check the primary source before I write. When a rule is still draft, contested, or expected rather than settled, I say so on the page rather than smoothing it away. Every figure we publish is logged against its GOV.UK source before it goes live.
Where to check me
- The AIA register, for my membership and practising status
- Companies House, for Rana & Co Accountants and Management Consultants Ltd, the firm behind Xpert
What I have written
A selection. The rest is in the Growth Centre and our advisory pages.
Work with a named, accountable adviser
If you would rather deal with a qualified accountant who puts their name to the work and invites you to check it, book a free consultation.