Are you "qualified by experience" once you complete PER but have 2-3 papers left

No. When companies say ‘qualified by experience’ they generally mean someone who does not have a formal accounting qualification (either they never studied or they didn’t finish it) but they have been doing the same or similar role for a number of years.

They have the knowledge needed to do the role that they do, just from doing the role for a long time, even though they may not have formally studied for it. However you wouldn’t expect them to be able to move from say a financial accounting position into management accounting if they didn’t have experience.

Generally speaking you’d need at least 5 years experience in a very similar role to the one you’re applying for to call yourself qualified by experience. It has nothing to do with PER. And if you’re actively studying, this isn’t a designation you want to go for. It has connotations of someone older who has given up on studying or trying to improve their knowledge. It won’t be long until you’re fully qualified!

so could you clarify the following for me:

I’ve got one exam left to pass but I have finished my 36 months in a gold status employer, can I therefore submit the Approved Employer Exemption Form and claim my time as well as exemption for PER objectives even though I still have got the one exam to pass?

thanks in advance