Statute

• The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 w.e.f. 1st July, 1949
• As amended by The Chartered Accountants (Amendment) Act, 2006 w.e.f. 8th August, 2006 (some provisions coming into effect later as per respective dates notified).
• The Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 w.e.f. 1st June, 1988.

Membership Eligibility (Ss. 4 & 8 and Regn. 4)

The applicant

1. Has completed prescribed period of practical training.
2. Has passed the CA Final Examination.
3. Has attained twenty-one years of age.
4. Has completed the course on General Management & Communication Skills (GMCS)
5. Application in Form 2, payment of prescribed membership fee and entrance fee.

Eligibility to join the C.A. Course & Examinations (Regn. 45)

1. Eligibility for Common Proficiency Test (CPT) (Regn. 25C & 25D) – May enroll for the course if he has passed Class 10 examination. He may appear for CPT after appearing for Senior Secondary Examination (10 + 2) Examination or while positive result of the same is awaited. CPT Examination will be generally conducted two times a year.
2. Eligibility for Registration as Articled /Audit Assistant: Under the new scheme, a person is eligible for registration as articled /audit assistant if such a person has passed CPT and Group I of IPCC. CA student has to complete 100 hrs. or I.T.T. course and 35 hrs. of orientation course before joining articleship.

Integrated Professional Competence Course

1. Requirements for IPCC Regn.:
   Pass in 12th standard and CPT Exam (or Entrance/Foundation/PE-I)
2. Requirements for appearance in IPCC Exam
   Completion of 8 months study course

Direct Entry to Chartered Accountancy Course

Exempted Categories: The following categories of students shall be exempted from passing the Common Proficiency Test (CPT):

• Graduate or Post Graduate in Commerce having secured in aggregate a minimum of 55% of the total marks or its equivalent grade in the examination conducted by any recognised University (including Open University) by studying any three papers of 100 marks each out of Accounting, Auditing, Mercantile Laws, Corporate Laws, Economics, Management (including Financial Management), Taxation (including Direct Tax Laws and Indirect Tax Laws), Costing, Business Administration or Management Accounting; or
• Graduates or Post Graduates other than those falling under Commerce stream mentioned above having secured in aggregate a minimum of 60% of the total marks or its equivalent grade in the examination conducted by any recognised University (including Open University) has passed the intermediate level exam of ICWA or ICS.

For more details, please visit to our website www.icai.org (important accouchement BOS/Announcement/227/12(1) dated 16th August, 2012.

Final (Regn. 29)

Examination held in May and November every year. Conditions for eligibility as given below :

1. Should have passed Intermediate/PE-II Examination/ Professional Competence Examination (PCE)/IPCC
2. The student should have completed or is serving the last twelve months of Articleship as on the first day of the month in which the examination is held. (applicable in case of three years articleship; i.e., for the students who commence articles after PE II)
3. The student should have completed or is serving the last 6 months of articleship as on the first day of the month in which examination is held (applicable to students who commence articles after IPCC for a period of 3 years)

Members Entitlement to train articled assistant (Regn. 43)

Eligibility requirement for member giving practical training

1. Member should be in full time practice.
2. No. of trainees (articled assistant) given below :

In addition to the above full-time salaried employees who have continued as employee with the same employer for 3 years as on the date of registering as articled assistant shall also be entitled to give practical training as under –

In case of discontinuance of practice, or resignation of partner such member shall not be entitled to train article assistant/s for the balance of their training period. Such articled assistant/s will continue to be trained in the same firm even though the other partners are already training up to their maximum entitlement.

Practical Training Record (Regn. 64)

A monthly record of practical training of the Articled/Audit Assistant is required to be maintained w.e.f. 1-4-1995 in respect of all articled trainees commencing articles thereafter.

1. A monthly training record specifying the areas in which the articled assistant has obtained work experience with corresponding No. of days is to be maintained by the member in charge of training (MIT) or Principal.
2. A report of the practical training on the basis of such monthly record is to be enclosed with Form 108/109 [Regulations 64(1) & 64(2)], in all cases of completion/termination.
   (Refer Training Guide issued by the Institute)

Stipend for Articled Assistant (Regn. 48)

Minimum monthly stipend as shown below (w.e.f. 23rd January, 2015)

1. Payment to be made by account payee cheque or credit to bank account of articled assistant. Stamped receipt to be obtained by principal.
2. Population figures on the basis of last published census figures.

Leave (Regn. 59)

** Subject to a maximum entitlement of 180 days leave for three and half years articleship and 156 days for three years articleship. Stipend is payable only for such period and not for period of excess leave taken.

Period of training (Regn. 50, 71)

Article assistant 3 years & 6 months for PCC students, 3 years for PE-II qualified students. 3 years for IPCC – GI qualified students

Audit assistant 56 months for PCC students and 4 years for PE-II/ IPCC qualified students

Transfer/Termination of Articleship [Regulation 56(1)]

In partial modification of the announcement dated 30th June, 2009 regarding transfer/termination of articles the Council in its recent meeting has decided that the transfer/termination of articleship in terms of Regulation 56(1) of the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 shall be permissible on the grounds as stated below: –

1. Transfer /termination of articles is permitted without any restriction during the first year of articles.
2. During rest of the articleship period on satisfying anyone or more of the conditions as stated below: –

1. Medical grounds requiring discontinuance of articles for a minimum period of three months (on production of a Medical Certificate issued by a Government Hospital).
2. Transfer of parent(s) to another city.
3. Misconduct involving moral turpitude.
4. Other justifiable circumstances/reasons: —

1. Grounds already permissible in the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 (on submission of requisite proof of the Act warranting transfer/termination of articleship): —

1. Industrial Training (Regulation 51)
2. Secondment of articles (Regulation 54)
3. Conversion from PCC to IPCC (for termination of articles only. Re-registration of articles to be allowed only after passing Group-I of IPCC)
4. Death of Principal [Regulation 57(1)(c)]
5. Ceasing of practice by the Principal [Regulation 57(1)(a)]
6. Removal of name of the Principal from the Register of Member due to any reason [Regulation 57(l)(b)]

1. Marriage basis (only if there is relocation to another city involving distance of 50 kms).
2. Irregular payment or non-payment of stipend with reference to Regulation 67.
3. Articled assistant desires to serve balance period of training outside India.
4. Shifting by the Principal to another city involving distance more than 50 kms.

The articled assistants are required to get the consent of the Institute before getting Form 109 signed by the Principal in their own interest.

The request, on anyone or more of the aforesaid grounds of an articled assistant on a plain paper along with the recommendation/ consent of the Principal for transfer / termination of articleship accompanied by evidence/proof (self-attested by the articled assistant) to the satisfaction of the Institute be made. Request for transfer not accompanied by consent of Principal shall not be accepted. Not applicable in case of Transfer for Industrial Training

In case of dispute between principal and articled assistant, the matter be settled amicably among the articled assistant and the principal concerned and the Institute shall not interfere in such cases.

Training in Industry (Regn. 51, 72)

1. Eligibility: Articled or audit assistant passing Intermediate/PE-II/PCC/IPCC Examination.
2. Period: Minimum period may range between 9 and 12 months during last year of practical training.
3. Only with recognised financial/commercial/industrial undertaking with minimum fixed assets of ₹ 1 crore or minimum total turnover of ₹ 10 crore or a minimum paid-up share capital of ₹ 50 lakh or in any other institution or organisation approved by the Council.
4. Training under a member of the Institute who has been a member for continuous period of at least three years. Associates can train 1 trainee. Fellows can train 2 trainees.
5. Intimation of intention to principal under whom serving earlier, at least three months in advance.
6. Agreement in triplicate in Form 104 to be executed.

Office hours (Regn. 60)

• An articled assistant shall work 35 hours per week.
• The articled assistant should undergo practical training in accordance with the guidelines of the Institute between 9.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.
• During the period, the articled assistant shall not be permitted to attend colleges/other institutions for graduation or any other course.
• Every articled/audit assistant shall submit, once in a year, a specific declaration duly countersigned by the Principal to the effect that he is regularly attending training and his college hours do not clash with his articles timings and that no coaching is undertaken by him between 9.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on any working day.

Other courses of study during training (Regn. 65)

1.  Cannot be undertaken without prior permission of the Council of the Institute.
2. Permission is normally granted on a specific prior application in Form 112 for permission in respect of all courses other than those specified in a negative list that may be specified by the Council from time to time.
3. In case of attending of regular classes, the same should be outside normal office hours.
4. Only one course permitted at a time during training period.
5. In the event of breach of guidelines and not taking permission as required, the articles already undergone shall be derecognised for such period as the Institute may decide. In case an articled assistant is found not undergoing articles in the manner prescribed, he shall be debarred from appearing in the exam up to 3 consecutive exams besides cancellation of such period of articles. The concerned member who allowed him to be such an articled assistant be subject to punitive action besides withdrawing either partly or fully his eligibility to train articled assistant. In Peer Review, the Reviewer be required to verify whether training is imparted to the articled assistants in the manner prescribed..

Other occupation during training (Regn. 65)

1. Cannot engage without permission of Council.
2. Permission normally granted for being sleeping partner in a firm, directorship in a family company and lectureship in college (not exceeding 9 hours per week) in subjects useful for CA course, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions.

Implementation of New GMCS Programme

The Council has decided that the General Management and Communication Skills (GMCS) Programme, presently being organised for 15 days for the CA students should be organised twice during the period of articled training as under:

1. GMCS-I (15 days) – during 1st year of articled training
2. GMCS-II (15 days) – after completion of 18 months of training but before completion of articled training

In view of the same GMCS-I & II Programme will be implemented in respect of those students, who will be registered for articled training on or after 1st May, 2012. Students, who are undergoing articled training or have been registered for articled training prior to 1st May, 2012 shall be governed by the existing GMCS Scheme. The fee for each programme of GMCS I & II shall be ₹ 9,000/- only.

Miscellaneous

1. The articled assistant can be seconded to another member eligible to train articled assistant/s by Mutual consent. Student has to submit form for secondment to his Principal who after completing the same has to submit the same to Regional Office of ICAI.
2. The Principal can, with the prior consent of the articled assistant/s, second the articled assistant/s to another eligible member as per above procedure.

The member to whom the articled assistant/s is seconded should be eligible to train articled assistant/s.

Maximum articled assistant/s a member can train in case of secondment shall be 2.

Aggregate period of secondment shall not exceed 1 year, minimum duration under one member should be four months.

In case secondment done to a member in an industry the period shall be not exceed 1 year.

Principal to

• Pay the stipend during secondment
• Keep record of training undergone in secondment.

No need to execute a separate deed in case of secondment.