LIA is the Centre of Excellence for the Education and Development of Finance Professionals – dedicated to enabling and promoting the highest quality standards in financial advisory practice. We work on our members’ behalf to provide continual education and forward-looking supports. 

We combine member-focused personal development with education programmes, to deliver qualifications and accreditation through a range of courses and supports for you, as a Finance Professional. 

We enable Finance Professionals to remain confident and in control of their customer relationships by providing the highest standards of quality education and enhancing their membership experience with the knowledge and expertise of our countrywide network. 

We are dedicated to helping our members identify and achieve their personal and professional goals. 

The most efficient way to apply for membership is by signing into the members area of our website www.lia.ie. The sign-in is located in the top right-hand corner of our home page. Once logged in, and on the home page of your Dashboard, click the Apply for Membership button. Follow the onscreen steps to complete the application process. 

Note: If you do not have an LIA account, you will be asked to create an account as an initial step. You can also manually complete a membership application form by downloading the relevant membership form from the Forms page within the membership section of our website, and post it to LIA House. However, as the online process is much more efficient, we recommend you use that option.

If your employer is included in LIA’s Company Group Payment Scheme, they should use LIA’s Company Portal to process your application for membership. 

Please contact our Member Services team by email at membership@lia.ie or call 01-4563890 should you need information on the individual/s within your company with access rights to the Portal. 

If your employer is not part of LIA’s Company Group Payment Scheme, please refer to the “How do I pay my initial membership subscription?” section above. 

Membership of LIA is required if you wish to claim or retain one or more designations awarded by LIA. For a designation to be held, you must be a Qualified Member of LIA and so you must retain Qualified Membership.

You may apply for Associate or Associate Plus Membership at any stage during your journey with LIA (before you become a Qualified Member). 

Associate Membership provides you with most of the benefits which accrue to Qualified Members. However, it does not provide access to the free MyCPD modules on the LIA Elevate platform. Some other live events may also include a charge for Associate Members. 

Associate Plus Membership provides you with all of the benefits which accrue to Qualified Members. It does provide access to the free MyCPD modules on the LIA Elevate platform. Click here to view the full list of member benefits. 

As an Associate or Associate Plus Member you are not required to pay a study fee.

Our peer associations require that all students become members from the commencement of their studies. 

LIA does not require that students become a member until they have reached a stage in their study whereby they have a designation available and wish to claim it.

If the student has no designation to claim or does not wish to claim a designation, they are only required to pay a study fee if they wish to study with LIA. 

Although LIA’s study fee is higher than our peer associations, overall, LIA is the lower cost option for both students and standard or Qualified Members. See below pricing structure for both the membership subscription and study fee:

LIA will notify you 30 days in advance of the date on which your membership is due for renewal. This notification is sent to the personal email address on your member record. Please ensure that your details are up to date by reviewing/updating them after signing into the members area of our website www.lia.ie. 

Note: To update your personal details anytime, just click on your name located in the top righthand corner of your dashboard when signed into the members area of our website. The options to Update your Profile or Change your Password should appear for you. 

• If paying by direct debit, you will receive your receipt of payment approximately 10 days after the date of the payment. 
• If paying by credit or debit card, your receipt will be issued to you by email, within a maximum of 1 hour after making the payment. 
• If paying by cheque or bank draft or postal order, your receipt will be issued to you by email as soon as the funds have been cleared by the bank. 

At your next renewal date, your annual subscription will increase to the Qualified Membership rate of €210. 

No. Members are only required to pay one annual membership subscription regardless of how many designations they hold with LIA.

The most efficient way to pay your annual subscription is by direct debit, as once it has been set up, and as long as you still wish to retain membership, you do not need to take any action for payment of your annual subscription to be processed. 

Setting up a direct debit online is a very quick process. 

For existing members: 
You will receive an email renewal reminder, including a link to sign in to the members area approximately 30 days before your renewal date. 

Once you have clicked the link and logged in, click the ‘Renew Membership’ button which should be visible on your dashboard. When you reach the payment page, you will be provided with a Direct Debit option. You should then provide the information required in the detail fields to complete the direct debit setup. 

For new members: 
As part of your application process (see “How do I apply for membership?” in the Applying for Membership section above), you can select the direct debit option as your preferred payment method. You should then provide the information required in the detail fields to complete the direct debit setup. 

In line with the SEPA guidelines, LIA requires a single mandate for each member. 

Therefore, for efficiency, LIA would recommend that if you are setting up direct debits for more than one member, you should use the online facility by signing in to the members area of our website.

Pay online
You can pay your annual subscription by signing in to the members area of our website www.lia.ie. 

Once signed in, click the “renew” button on your dashboard. You will then be guided through the steps required to pay by card payment.

Over the phone
You can also pay your annual subscription by phoning our Member Services or Finance Team on 01-4563890 between 9am - 5pm. Please have your debit/credit card and mobile phone to hand when making payment by phone, as you will be texted a One Time Code by your bank/card company at the time of payment, which will be required to authorise the payment. 

NOTE: 
Please do not send card details by email. If you are unable to pay online, please either call us to arrange payment or email membership@lia.ie to request a call back so you can pay your membership subscription by phone. 

Please ask your employer to contact our Member Services team at membership@lia.ie to advise of the required change/s. LIA will also advise on the immediate steps required to ensure that your membership remains active. 

If your membership lapses, any designations held with LIA will cease to be effective. This could result in material adverse effect for you should your role require that such designations be held. You will also lose access to all member resources. Thankfully it is a quick and easy process for your membership to be reinstated, as detailed below. 

Reinstatement of your membership is a simple process. Sign in to the members area of our website www.lia.ie. Click the ‘Reinstate’ button, which can be found on your dashboard, and you will be guided through the reinstatement process, including the payment options available to you. 

If you are a Qualified Member, your membership will be backdated to your initial renewal date at the time of lapsing. 

If you are an Associate or Associate Plus Member, your membership will be reinstated and recommenced from the time payment is received. 

Click here for a full list of benefits. 

Do I need to remain a member of LIA to retain designations awarded by LIA? 

Yes. Two of the key mandatory requirements for continuing to hold an LIA designation are that you remain a Qualified Member of LIA and that you meet your annual CPD requirements

Should a member wish to transfer their membership and designation either from LIA to another organisation or from another organisation to LIA, they are entitled to request this. The process is as follows; 

• Member contacts their current designation holder requesting a transfer. 
• LIA/IOB issue the member with a letter confirming their designation, compliance and their exam transcript. 
•  Member goes to the Institute they wish to transfer to, shows them the letter, and relevant transfer takes place. 
• Member goes back to their old institute to confirm the transfer. 

The onus is on the member. We don't discuss member details directly with IOB/II, for data protection reasons. 

Affiliate Membership is only available to individuals working within a Credit Union. So unfortunately, it is not possible for you to retain Affiliate Membership if this is no longer the case. However, you can reapply for LIA membership on an individual basis. Click here to join now. 

If your membership lapses any designations held with LIA will cease to be effective. This could result in material adverse effect for you should your role require that such designations be held.  You will also lose access to all member resources. 

Thankfully it is a quick and easy process for your membership to be re-instated, please refer to FAQ 'How do I arrange for my membership to be re-instated, if it has lapsed?'

Reinstatement of your membership is a simple process. Sign into the members area of our website www.lia.ie. Click the ‘reinstate’ button, which can be found on your dashboard, and you will be guided through the reinstatement process, including the payment options available to you. 

If you are a Qualified Member, your membership will be backdated to your initial renewal date at the time of lapsing.  

If you are an Associate or an Associate Plus member, your membership will be reinstated and recommenced from the time payment is received.  

If you wish to cancel your membership, please email the Member Services Team at membership@lia.ie and a member of our team will arrange this for you. 

If you cancel your membership: 

• You will lose access to all LIA member benefits and online resources; and 
• If you are a Qualified Member, you will no longer be able to participate in the CPD programme and will lose any designations awarded to you by LIA, which may impact your ability to retain your current role or provide financial advice. 

If you cancel your membership: 

• You will lose access to all LIA member benefits and online resources; and 
• If you are a Qualified Member, you will no longer be able to participate in the CPD programme and will lose any designations awarded to you by LIA, which may impact your ability to retain your current role or provide financial advice.  

Once you have renewed and paid your membership, you are not entitled to a refund of membership if you subsequently decide to cancel your membership during the following 12 months. 

LIA offers two options for Retired Members:

1. Retain Your LIA Designation(s):

Members who choose to retain LIA designation(s) must comply with the relevant CPD programme and will continue to receive the benefits of Qualified Membership at a reduced rate.

This option is most suitable for members who are no longer engaged in paid employment but wish to:

• Participate in honorary or voluntary work.
• Maintain their professional designation(s), knowledge and expertise.

2. Surrender Your LIA Designation(s):

Members who choose to surrender their LIA designation(s) may opt out of the CPD scheme and will receive Associate Membership benefits at a reduced rate.

This option is suitable for members who have ceased all paid employment and no longer wish to provide financial advice in any capacity.

To qualify for Retired Membership, a member must:

• No longer be engaged in full-time or part-time paid employment. Paid consultancy or advisory roles are treated as active employment.
• Self-certify that you are no longer in paid work as part of the Retired Membership application process.
• Be permitted to undertake voluntary work, provided it is unpaid and aligns with LIA’s guidelines.

• If you retain your designation(s), you’ll enjoy all the benefits of Qualified Membership. 

• If you surrender your designation(s), you’ll retain benefits equivalent to Associate Membership. 

• Both options are available at a reduced rate. 

Click here to see a list of member benefits. 

The annual subscription fee for Retired Members is €50, applied from the renewal date following approval of your Retired Membership application.  

Retired members who retain their LIA designation(s), may engage in voluntary work and must adhere to the same professional standards as a Qualified Members. While partaking in voluntary work, members must retain their professional designation(s) and meet their CPD requirements.

Examples of Voluntary Work;

• Serving on the board or committees of non-profit organisations.
• Providing mentorship or advisory services to financial professionals on a pro bono basis.
• Volunteering your professional expertise in financial literacy programmes.

If you return to full-time or part-time employment while holding Retired Membership, please notify LIA. This may result in adjustments to your membership, including a return to full fee-paying status. 

Conditions for Maintaining Retired Membership:

1. Annual Re-certification:

Members who have not yet reached Ireland’s State Pension Age must re-certify their employment status annually as part of the membership renewal process. This requirement remains in place until the member reaches the State Pension Age.

2. Employment Disclosure:

Members must notify LIA if they return to part-time or full-time employment. This ensures that membership status remains up to date and allows LIA to discuss any necessary adjustments.

Yes, but many members choose to retain membership at the reduced rate to stay connected with LIA, access member benefits, and keep up with developments in financial services.