What does a Chartered Accountant do?
A chartered accountant (CA) is a certified finance professional who audits accounts, advises on tax and finance, and ensures statutory compliance. In India, qualified through ICAI, they typically conduct audits, file and plan taxes, prepare and certify financial statements, and advise businesses on finance and regulation — a trusted expert whose sign-off carries legal weight for companies and individuals.
A chartered accountant usually has around 0–12 yrs of experience and earns typically ₹7L–₹30L/yr in India. The day-to-day blends Auditing, Taxation (Income Tax & GST), Financial reporting and more — this page gives you a ready-to-use chartered accountant job description template you can copy, plus the exact skills and salary employers expect.
Chartered Accountant job description template
Copy the 8 responsibilities, 5 requirements and 9 skills below into your job post, then edit the parts that are specific to your company — pay band, location and reporting line.
Select the text above to copy it manually if the button is unavailable.
What are a Chartered Accountant's key responsibilities?
A chartered accountant is typically responsible for the 8 duties below, which cover the day-to-day work most employers expect the role to own outright. Paste them into your job post as they are, or cut the ones another team already handles — a responsibility list that claims work the hire will not actually do is the fastest way to lose a candidate at offer stage:
- Conduct statutory, internal and tax audits of financial records
- Prepare, review and certify financial statements
- Handle income-tax, GST and corporate tax computation, planning and filing
- Advise clients on finance, tax efficiency and compliance
- Ensure adherence to accounting standards and regulations
- Support due diligence, valuations and financial reporting
- Liaise with regulators, banks and tax authorities
- Advise on business structuring, costing and risk
What qualifications does a Chartered Accountant need?
Employers hiring a chartered accountant in India usually ask for the 5 qualifications below, typically alongside 0–12 yrs of experience. Keep only the ones you will genuinely screen on: every extra must-have narrows the pool, and in the Indian market a long mandatory list filters out strong candidates whose background simply reads differently on paper:
- Qualified Chartered Accountant (ICAI) membership
- Strong knowledge of auditing, taxation and accounting standards
- Analytical rigour, integrity and attention to detail
- Proficiency in accounting/ERP software and Excel
- Good communication for advising clients and stakeholders
What skills should a Chartered Accountant have?
These are the 9 skills employers name most often on live chartered accountant listings in India. Treat the first few as the ones worth screening for directly and the rest as signals a candidate can pick up on the job — asking for all of them at once is what turns a reasonable role into an unfillable one:
Listing the three or four skills you genuinely screen on — rather than all 9 — is what keeps a chartered accountant posting from filtering out candidates who could do the job.
What does a Chartered Accountant earn in India?
Typical salary (India)
typically ₹7L–₹30L/yr
Experience range
0–12 yrs
These are typical ranges and vary by city, company and skills. For live, role-specific pay data, see the OnJob salary guide.
Chartered Accountant job description — FAQs
What does a chartered accountant do?
A chartered accountant (CA) audits accounts, handles taxation and statutory compliance, prepares and certifies financial statements, and advises businesses on finance and regulation. Their certification gives their sign-off legal weight for companies and individuals.
How do you become a chartered accountant in India?
Chartered accountants in India qualify through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), clearing the Foundation, Intermediate and Final exams and completing articleship — the practical training stage. ICAI membership is the hard gate: that certification is what gives an audit sign-off and certified financial statements their legal weight. Expect a rigorous, multi-year commitment covering auditing, taxation and Ind AS.
What is the difference between a CA and an accountant?
An accountant handles day-to-day bookkeeping and records, while a chartered accountant is a certified professional qualified to audit accounts, sign statutory filings and provide expert tax and advisory services. The CA qualification is far more demanding.
How much does a chartered accountant earn in India?
Freshly qualified CAs typically earn ₹7L–₹12L per year, experienced CAs ₹15L–₹25L, and those in senior corporate or practice roles ₹30L+. Movement between those bands comes from specialisation as much as tenure: statutory and tax audit depth, Ind AS financial reporting, GST and corporate tax planning, and advisory work on valuations, due diligence and business structuring.