ICAI Announces Chartered Accountants January 2026 Examination Schedule and Guidelines
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has made an official announcement [No. 13-CA (EXAM)/JANUARY/2026], dated September 23, 2025, regarding the next Chartered Accountants Foundation, Intermediate, and Final Examinations 2026. Under Regulation 22 of the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988, the institute is glad to announce the dates and places where the upcoming CA examinations will be conducted, provided that a sufficient number of candidates offer themselves to appear from each of the places (listed below).
Similarly, Post Qualification Course examinations under Regulation 204 [International Taxation – Assessment Test (INTT – AT) and Insurance and Risk Management (IRM) Technical Examination] will be conducted on the dates and locations (cities in India only) provided that a sufficient number of candidates offer themselves to appear from each of the places (mentioned in the official announcement).
The ICAI CA Final Course examinations are scheduled to be held on the following dates:
- Group I: 5th, 7th, and 9th January 2026
- Group II: 11th, 13th, and 16th January 2026
The ICAI CA Intermediate Course examinations are scheduled to be held on the following dates:
- Group I: 6th, 8th, and 10th January 2026
- Group II: 12th, 15th, and 17th January 2026
The ICAI CA Foundation Course examinations are scheduled to be held on the following dates:
- 18th, 20th, 22nd, and 24th January 2026
The International Taxation – Assessment Test (INTT – AT) examinations are scheduled to be held on 13th and 16th January 2026, while examinations for the Insurance and Risk Management (IRM) Technical are scheduled to be held on 9th, 11th, 13th, and 16th January 2026, for modules 1st to 4th.
Due to the Hindu festivals Makar Sankranti/Magha Bihu/Pongal being on January 14, 2026, no examination is scheduled for Wednesday. ICAI also highlighted the point that no further amendments will be introduced to the examination schedule if the Central Government or any State Government/Local Body declares a public holiday on any of the days of examination.
Paper(s) 3 and 4 of the Foundation Examination will be held for the duration of two hours, while Paper 6 of the Final Examination and all papers of the International Taxation – Assessment Test (INTT-AT) will be conducted for the duration of four hours. Except for these examinations, all the other examinations will be held for 3 hours. The table below lists the examination-wise timing(s):
| Examination | Paper(s) | Exam Timings (IST) | Duration |
| Foundation | Paper 1 & 2 | 2 PM to 5 PM | 3 Hours |
| Paper 3 & 4* | 2 PM to 4 PM | 2 Hours | |
| Intermediate | All Papers | 2 PM to 5 PM | 3 Hours |
| Final | Paper 1 to 5 | 2 PM to 5 PM | 3 Hours |
| Paper 6 | 2 PM to 6 PM | 4 Hours | |
| Post Qualification Course Examination i.e., International Taxation – Assessment Test (INTT– AT) | All* | 2 PM to 6 PM | 4 Hours |
| Post Qualification Course Examination i.e., Insurance and Risk Management (IRM) Technical Examination | All* | 2 PM to 5 PM | 3 Hours |
For complete information, refer to the official announcement. Below is the link.
