Chartered Accountant (CA)
India's gold standard in finance — one exam to rule them all
Compiled & edited by Mallikarjun Bhise
A CA qualification from ICAI is arguably India's most prestigious professional certification outside medicine and IAS. CAs lead finance teams, audit India's biggest corporations, and advise on taxation and compliance. ICAI's April–May 2026 campus placement drive averaged ₹13.30 LPA (highest domestic offer ₹27.50 LPA); new CAs hired outside campus drives often start lower.
₹7–80 LPA
Salary
📈 High
Demand
48 months
Roadmap
₹18 LPA
Avg Salary
Chartered Accountant (CA) in detail
Figures checked against the sources listed below on .
CA salary per month in India: what new CAs got in 2026
The most reliable figures come from ICAI’s own campus placement drives for newly qualified CAs. In the April–May 2026 drive, 185 organisations registered and 2,570 candidates got offers. Not every new CA takes part: for the August–September 2026 drive, 6,399 of the 7,931 CAs who passed in May 2026 registered.
Public sector firms compete at the top. In ICAI’s 2024 drive, the highest domestic offer (₹26.70 LPA) came from Power Finance Corporation.
| Stage or employer | Pay | Per month | Year and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Articleship, city of 20 lakh+ people (ICAI minimum) | ₹2,000 (year 1), ₹2,500 (year 2) | Same | Rule in force, reported June 2026, LiveLaw |
| New CA, ICAI campus average | ₹13.30 LPA | ≈ ₹1,10,800 | April–May 2026, ICAI |
| New CA, ICAI campus highest domestic | ₹27.50 LPA | ≈ ₹2,29,000 | April–May 2026, ICAI |
| New CA, ICAI campus highest domestic | ₹32.33 LPA | ≈ ₹2,69,000 | Dec 2025–Jan 2026, ICAI |
| NTPC Executive Trainee (Finance), CA or CMA | E1 grade, ₹40,000–₹1,40,000 basic + DA and perks | Basic ₹40,000 | January 2026 advertisement |
| ICAI Executive Officer (CA) | 7th CPC Pay Level 10: basic ₹56,100 + DA, about ₹15.5 LPA | ≈ ₹1,29,000 | 2026 recruitment |
| KPMG India, CA (self-reported) | ₹10.8–15 lakh (1 year); ₹11.7–20.7 lakh (5 years) | ≈ ₹90,000–₹1,72,500 | AmbitionBox, July 2025 |
Per-month figures are CTC ÷ 12, before tax and PF. One news report rounds the April–May 2026 average to ₹13 lakh.
CA articleship stipend in 2026: ICAI minimum and the proposed hike
Articleship is now two years under ICAI’s current scheme (2023 amendment). ICAI sets a minimum monthly stipend by city population. A draft published in the Gazette on 25 June 2026 would raise it; comments closed on 5 August 2026, and the ICAI Council must finalise it before it applies. Students registered for the old three-year articleship stay on the old rates.
| City population | Current minimum | Draft, June 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 lakh and above | ₹2,000 / ₹2,500 | ₹5,000 / ₹6,000 |
| 4 lakh to under 20 lakh (draft: 5 lakh to under 20 lakh) | ₹1,500 / ₹2,000 | ₹4,000 / ₹5,000 |
| Under 4 lakh (draft: under 5 lakh) | ₹1,000 / ₹1,500 | ₹3,000 / ₹4,000 |
The draft was not final when checked on 14 October 2026.
CA pass percentage 2026: latest ICAI results (May 2026)
Pass rates swing between sessions. CA Final Group I was 21.03% in January 2026 and 12.00% in May 2026. ICAI now holds the Final three times a year: the September 2025, January 2026 and May 2026 sessions produced 11,466, 7,590 and 7,931 new CAs: about 27,000 from one year’s three sessions.
| Level | Group I | Group II | Both groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA Foundation | — | — | 20.09% (18,124 of 90,217) |
| CA Intermediate | 10.25% | 16.11% | 8.47% |
| CA Final | 12.00% | 20.49% | 14.07% |
Source: ICAI result press releases. 7,931 candidates qualified as CAs from the May 2026 Final.
What does a CA do day to day?
Audit: under Section 141 of the Companies Act, 2013, only a chartered accountant in practice, or a firm of them, can be appointed a company’s auditor. Audit teams check the books, test transactions and draft the report a partner signs.
Tax: under Section 63 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, businesses with turnover above ₹1 crore (₹10 crore if cash dealings stay within 5%) and professionals with receipts above ₹50 lakh need a tax audit. The report is due one month before the return due date, for example 30 September when the return is due on 31 October.
Industry: a CA in a company prepares its accounts, budgets and tax filings, and deals with the outside auditors.
Who should not choose Chartered Accountant (CA)
- Your family needs you earning soon after Class 12. The ICAI minimum articleship stipend in big cities is ₹2,000–₹2,500 a month; a June 2026 draft would raise it to ₹5,000–₹6,000, and is not final.
- One failed attempt would make you quit. In May 2026, only 8.47% of those taking both Intermediate groups passed, and 14.07% for both Final groups.
- You want September free every year. Tax-audit reports are normally due by 30 September, so firms doing tax audits are busiest then.
- Your real interest is company law and board compliance, not accounts and tax. That is the Company Secretary (ICSI) route.
Often confused
- CA vs CMA: which one can sign an audit?
- Only a CA (ICAI) in practice can be appointed a company’s statutory auditor. A CMA (Institute of Cost Accountants of India) does cost audits, which must be done by a cost accountant and not by the company’s statutory auditor (Section 148). PSU finance posts such as NTPC’s 2026 Executive Trainee (Finance) accept either.
- CA vs CS: what is the difference?
- A CA works on accounts, audit and tax. A Company Secretary (ICSI) handles company law, board meetings and filings. Listed companies and companies with ₹10 crore or more paid-up capital must have a whole-time company secretary (Rules 8 and 8A, 2014).
- CA vs ACCA: is ACCA a shortcut to the same job?
- No. ACCA is a UK qualification and does not let you sign statutory audits in India; that right belongs to ICAI members. A qualified Indian CA can claim 9 of ACCA’s 13 papers as exemptions and sit the remaining 4.
Questions people ask
What is the salary of a CA per month in India?
New CAs placed through ICAI’s April–May 2026 campus drive averaged ₹13.30 LPA, about ₹1.1 lakh a month before tax. The highest domestic offer was ₹27.50 LPA, about ₹2.3 lakh a month.
How much stipend do CA articleship students get?
ICAI’s minimum is ₹1,000–₹2,500 a month, depending on city size and training year. A June 2026 draft proposes ₹3,000–₹6,000; it was not final in October 2026.
What is the CA Final pass percentage in 2026?
In May 2026, 14.07% of candidates taking both groups passed; Group I was 12.00% and Group II 20.49%. In January 2026, the both-groups rate was 10.97%.
How long is CA articleship now?
Two years under ICAI’s current scheme, introduced through the 2023 amendment. It was three years before.
Can a CA get a government job?
Yes. PSUs hire CAs directly; NTPC’s January 2026 drive recruited Executive Trainees (Finance) in the E1 grade at ₹40,000 basic. ICAI itself recruits CAs at 7th CPC Pay Level 10.
Sources (21)
- ICAI Placement Directorate — 65th campus brochure, previous programme highlights (April–May 2026: 185 organisations, 2,570 offered, highest ₹27.50 LPA, average ₹13.30 LPA)
- ICAI CMI&B — Campus placement page (highest domestic salary Dec 2025–Jan 2026: ₹32.33 LPA)
- Careers360 — ICAI 65th placement programme across 29 centres (6,399 of 7,931 registered; average about ₹13 lakh in April–May 2026)
- Careers360 — ICAI 60th campus placement ends, highest domestic package ₹26.70 lakh (2024, Power Finance Corporation)
- ICAI press release — CA Final May 2026 result
- ICAI press release — CA Intermediate May 2026 result
- ICAI press release — CA Foundation May 2026 result
- ICAI press release — September 2025 CA exam results (11,466 qualified)
- Careers360 — ICAI CA January 2026 result: 7,590 qualify, Group I 21.03%, both groups 10.97%
- LiveLaw — ICAI proposes major hike in stipend for CA articled assistants (current and draft rates, June 2026)
- ICAI Board of Studies (Operations) — public comments on proposed stipend rates (6 July 2026)
- Taxmann — ICAI New Scheme of Education and Training 2023 (two-year practical training)
- Taxmann — Eligibility, appointment and duties of auditors under Companies Act, 2013 (Section 141)
- Section 148, Companies Act, 2013 (cost audit by a cost accountant)
- TaxGuru — MCA increases CS appointment limit to ₹10 crore (Rule 8A, from 1 April 2020)
- Income Tax Department — Section 63, Income-tax Act, 2025 and Form 26 FAQs (tax audit due date)
- IndGovtJobs — NTPC Executive Trainee (Finance) recruitment 2026 (E1, ₹40,000–1,40,000)
- Career Power — ICAI Executive Officer recruitment 2026 (Pay Level 10)
- AmbitionBox — KPMG India Chartered Accountant salaries (updated July 2025)
- LearnSignal — ACCA exemptions after CA (9 of 13 papers)
- Income Tax Department — Section 63, Income-tax Act, 2025 (tax audit thresholds)
Realistic salary outcomes
Elite outcome
Top ~3% of qualified CAs
Big 4 partner track, CFOs at listed companies, M&A and transaction-advisory partners, senior investment banking. Usually 10–15+ years post-qualification, with All-India ranks or Big 4 origin.
Strong outcome
Top ~20%
Big 4 manager / senior manager (5–8 years post-qual). Mid-management Finance roles at MNCs and listed Indian firms. Successful boutique practitioners in metros.
Median outcome
Typical fresher / early-career outcome
Fresh CA joining Big 4 audit or mid-tier firm. Industry roles at MNC shared-services. The "average" CA salary headlines come from this band.
Weak outcome
Bottom ~25%
Small CA firm or regional practice doing mostly tax filing, GST returns, and small-business compliance. Multi-attempt qualifiers and Tier-2/3 city placements often start here.
How your college changes the outcome
Articleship firm: Big 4 (Deloitte / EY / KPMG / PwC)
Placement
95%+ retained or placed at premium
Avg package
₹9–13 LPA fresher CTC
Branded firm name carries the next 10 years of career mobility. Stipend during articleship: ₹15,000–₹30,000/month. Exit options to industry are far stronger.
Network
Big 4 alumni dominate Indian finance leadership. Internal mobility across India offices + global secondments. Strong CFO pipeline at MNCs and listed firms.
Internship access
Articleship itself is the 2-year structured internship — Big 4 places you on rotations across audit, tax, and advisory verticals.
Articleship firm: Reputed mid-tier (BDO, Grant Thornton, RSM, S.R. Batliboi network firms)
Placement
80–90% placed post-qual
Avg package
₹7–10 LPA fresher CTC
Strong technical exposure, often deeper hands-on work than Big 4 juniors. Industry recruiters recognise these firms; transitioning to Big 4 or MNC post-qual is realistic.
Network
Solid alumni network in industry CFO offices. Less coveted than Big 4 but well-respected in domestic recruitment.
Internship access
Articleship rotations are less standardised but often broader — single juniors handle full audits end-to-end, accelerating skill build.
Articleship firm: Small/regional CA firm
Placement
Variable — many self-place via referrals
Avg package
₹4–7 LPA fresher CTC
Broader work exposure (tax, GST, audit, ROC all together) but limited brand value. Many qualifiers later switch firms or move to industry to scale up.
Network
Weak. Senior CAs in small firms are usually solo practitioners; transferable network is modest.
Internship access
Articleship breadth is very high — you see tax filing, GST returns, statutory audit, and ROC compliance all in the same week. Depth on big audits is lower.
Off-campus reality
CA qualification is ICAI-administered — college and university barely matter. What matters: which firm you do articleship at, your AIR (if any), and whether you cleared in first/second attempt. Multi-attempt CAs face a real glass ceiling at Big 4 entry.
Reality check
Stress level
Very High
Burnout risk
High
AI disruption
Moderate
Daily reality
CA Final cleared in first attempt is rare. The real day-to-day is long hours during March, September, and November — 14-hour days, 6-day weeks during audit season — followed by calmer months. Articleship stipend stays modest for the 2 years of training.
Work culture
Audit season culture is genuinely brutal — overnights, weekends, family events skipped. Off-season is calmer, but managers maintain client commitments year-round. Tax practice has its own deadline spikes.
Competition
Severe — CA Final pass rate per attempt is ~10–15% (ICAI official). Roughly 60–70% of registered students never clear the course at all.
Saturation
India already has ~400,000+ CAs, and the three CA Final sessions from September 2025 to May 2026 qualified about 27,000 more. Smaller practices feel saturation; Big 4, industry, and FP&A roles continue to absorb strong candidates.
Layoffs
CAs are largely insulated from cyclical layoffs — audit and compliance work continues through downturns. Recessions hit advisory and M&A practices most, but staff CAs are usually retained.
AI disruption
GST and basic compliance work is increasingly automated by software (Zoho, ClearTax, Tally Prime) — small-practice margins are compressing. Audit, advisory, and judgement-heavy work stay durable; data-entry layers of compliance do not.
Things this career rarely advertises
- 01Average time to qualify is 5–7 years, not the "4 years" marketed by coaching institutes — multiple attempts are the norm.
- 02ICAI's minimum articleship stipend is ₹1,000–₹2,500 a month by city and year (a raise was proposed in June 2026); small firms often pay close to it, below minimum wage in many states.
- 03College and B.Com institution barely affect outcomes; firm of articleship (Big 4 vs small) shapes the next decade much more.
- 04Industry CAs (FP&A, treasury) often out-earn practitioners after 7–10 years — the "CA → own practice → crore club" path is far less common than perceived.
Day in the life
Career roadmap
CA Foundation
CA Intermediate
Articleship (2 years)
CA Final
Skills to start building now
Optional, low-cost online courses for the entry route into this career. Useful while you study — never a substitute for the degree or exam it requires.
Affiliate disclosure
Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy a course, NextClimb may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. They never change what this page recommends.
- Advanced ExcelArticleship work runs on Excel; fluency makes the three years easier.Browse courses on Udemy
- Tally Prime with GSTExpected from day one at most CA firms.Browse courses on Udemy
- Financial modelling & valuationOpens corporate-finance and deal roles after qualification.Browse courses on Udemy
Key skills required
Salary progression
CA Fresher
3 Years
7 Years
CFO/Partner
✅ Pros
⚠️ Cons
Sources & methodology
Exam pass rates and member count
ICAI official examination results + ICAI Annual Report 2024
Salary tiers
AmbitionBox + Glassdoor + Big 4 India salary disclosures + ICAI placement programme reports
Articleship stipend ranges
ICAI minimum stipend guidelines + market surveys
Automation impact
ICAI Tech Outlook + KPMG India Future of Audit 2024
Found something out of date or inconsistent with newer data? Email nextclimbsupport@gmail.com — corrections ship within a week.
Related paths to explore
Is Chartered Accountant (CA) the right career for you?
About 7 questions, 2 minutes — free, no sign-up. Get your top course matches with fees, salary and the reasons each may not fit you.
Take Free Career Quiz