The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) issued a formal communication disputing a media report that claimed low return on investment (ROI) and poor salary prospects for Chartered Accountants. ICAI clarified that such claims are misleading, emphasizing that the CA profession remains highly rewarding, globally recognized, and in strong demand across industries. It highlighted that newly qualified CAs earn significantly higher average salaries, with strong placement statistics and increasing job opportunities. The Institute also underscored the cost-effectiveness of the CA course, noting that fees are relatively low and often offset by stipends during articleship. Further, it pointed to expanding career avenues in areas such as forensic accounting, ESG, and risk management, supported by evolving technology trends. ICAI requested the publication of a clarification to correct misconceptions and urged verification of facts before reporting to maintain accuracy and public confidence in the profession.
THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF INDIA
(Set up by an Act of Parliament)
April 27, 2026
To
Mr. Bhuwanesh Jain
Editor
Rajasthan Patrika
Sub: Regarding publishing the clarification-News Item with heading
Dear Sir
1. CA profession is weakening in terms of ROI (along with B.Tech, MBA)
2. Initial salary of CAs is limited to t3-5 lakh despite hardship
3. A graph showing the slow progress in terms of salary is also depicted in the clipping
The Article states that there is low return on investment (ROI) for Chartered Accountants which is incorrect and misleading. The CA qualification is much sought after by the Industry and service sector with high demand and, therefore, continues to remain highly rewarding both in terms of monetary compensation and professional pursuits in India and abroad.
The Chartered Accountancy (CA) course, offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), is one of the most cost-effective professional course compared to other professional courses. The CA profession is globally recognised and offers strong careergrowth, high earning potential and multiple career opportunities. One can start their own practice and build enterprises that generate employment, or work with large corporates, multinational companies and Global Capability Centres. While core areas such as audit, accounting and taxation remain fundamental, there is growing scope in emerging fields including forensic accounting, valuation, insolvency, ESG reporting, risk management, insolvency professionals, assurance, information systems audit, and cross-border financial compliance. With increasing adoption of technology and AI, the profession continues to evolve, with CAs combining financial expertise and digital capabilities to support emerging business needs.
Financially also, the profession remains highly rewarding. Newly qualified CAs in industry earns an average starting salary of around t12-13 lakh per annum, with top domestic packages going beyond t36 lakh and international offers exceeding T50 lakh. In 2025, through campus placement drives, around 10,244 Chartered Accountants were placed, with highest domestic pacakage of 132.33 LPA, supporting strong career beginnings with competitive CTCs.
During the ongoing 64th ICAI Campus Placement Programme (April—May 2026) for newly qualified Chartered Accountants, 8,911 job vacancies were offered whereas number of CAs participants were only 5,834, indicating strong demand for CAs and significant opportunities for qualified Chartered Accountants.
Education is an investment in knowledge and capability, and its true value cannot be assessed through ROI. However, even from a financial perspective, the total CA course fee is approximately X80,000, which is almost offset through stipends received during the mandatory articleship period of 2 years. Further, Scholarships and fee waivers, enhance accessibility and reduce the out-of-pocket cost to minimal or zero.
Overall, the CA profession today offers a strong combination of high demand, premium profession with diverse opportunities and excellent career and financial growth, making it one of the most sought after and future-ready careers in India and globally.
You are, requested to publish an appropriate clarification or a follow-up story bringing out the aforesaid facts, so as to dispel any misconceptions created among students and stakeholders due to the above news item.
Further, it is requested that, in future, facts relating to the profession and the Institute may kindly be verified with us prior to publication, to ensure accuracy and avoid any inadvertent misrepresentation.
We trust that, as a responsible media organization, you will take necessary steps in this regard.
Yours Faithfully
CA (Dr.) Jai Kumar Batra
Secretary
