Moves by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy (CIPFA) to merge with another accountancy body will cost an initial £400,000.
The cost will mostly be made up of ‘legal advice, due diligence, additional member events and communications, and costs associated with the member vote'.
CIPFA announced earlier this year it was postponing the vote to join forces with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which will now not take place until September at the earliest.
Members have not yet been told the long-term cost of merging with ICAEW, which has about 150,000 members compared with CIPFA's 13,263.
Roman Haluszczak, a CIPFA member, claimed there was a real risk CIPFA would become a junior member of the merged body.
He said: ‘Nobody has said how many CIPFA people will lose their jobs or what the new structure is going to be like.'
CIPFA's latest accounts, which were approved last week, showed it recorded a net income of just over £1m in 2025, down from £2.9m the previous year.
A CIPFA spokesperson said it had always promised to run a ‘thorough engagement process' with members prior to any vote, but this was taking longer than expected.
They added: ‘We remain committed to giving members the time and information they need to make an informed decision.'
