Are CA fees regulated in India?
No. There is no statutory fee schedule for chartered accountants and no authority that sets, approves or caps what a firm charges a client. Fees are agreed between you and the firm.
Two things often get mistaken for regulation:
- The ICAI Minimum Recommended Scale of Fees. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India publishes a recommended scale, hosted by its Tender Monitoring Directorate along with a calculator. ICAI states on that page that the fees are recommendatory in nature, and that the scale is recommended separately for Class A, Class B and Class C cities. Recommendatory means exactly what it says: it is guidance addressed to members in practice. It does not bind any firm, it does not create a price you can insist on, and it is a recommended minimum rather than a ceiling or a rate card.
- Tender and empanelment conditions. Where a bank, a public-sector buyer or a government department appoints a CA through a tender, that particular appointment may carry its own fee terms. That is a contract for that engagement, not a general price for the profession.
So if you are researching "chartered accountant fee regulation", the honest answer is that the regulation is of conduct and quality, not of price. What protects you commercially is scope in writing, not a scale. If you are still working out what the work involves, see what a chartered accountant does.
What actually moves the fee
| Factor | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The service itself | Sets the base | An audit involves far more work and responsibility than a simple return |
| Complexity | Raises it | Capital gains, foreign income, multiple GSTINs, a restructuring |
| Volume and state of records | Raises it a lot | Twelve months of unreconciled bank entries costs more than a clean trial balance |
| Time and who does the work | Raises it | Work that needs a partner's review is not priced like data entry |
| City and firm | Varies both ways | Cost bases and demand differ, which is also why ICAI recommends different scales for different city classes |
| Urgency | May add a premium | A filing handed over three days before the due date |
| Ongoing versus one-off | Usually lowers the unit cost | A monthly or annual retainer prices cheaper per filing than the same work bought piecemeal |
The single biggest driver is the one clients rarely mention when asking for a quote: the state of the records. Two businesses with identical turnover can be a factor apart in fee because one hands over a reconciled set of books and the other hands over a folder. Keeping accounting and bookkeeping current through the year is what keeps that factor in your favour.
What we charge, for five common services
We publish our own fees rather than quote an industry average we cannot verify. These are Regikart's professional fees, confirmed on 25 September 2026.
| Service | Regikart professional fee | Government fee |
|---|---|---|
| GST registration | ₹999 under the Rule 14A three-working-day route, ₹1,499 for a regular application | None |
| Income tax return filing | From ₹999 | None |
| Private limited company registration | From ₹1,499 | MCA fees and state stamp duty, at actuals |
| Trademark registration | ₹2,499 per class per mark | IP India fee, ₹4,500 per class for an individual, a DPIIT-recognised startup or a small enterprise, and ₹9,000 per class for any other applicant |
| Tax audit under section 44AB | From ₹7,499 | None |
For everything else, and for anything with unusual scope, we quote against the work rather than publish a number we would have to caveat. Ask and you get a figure in writing before anything starts.
Professional fee and government fee are not the same thing
This is where most fee disputes actually come from. A quote can be perfectly fair and still feel like a bait if the two were never separated.
- A professional fee is what the firm charges for its own work: the advice, the drafting, the filing, the follow-up, the responsibility.
- A government fee is a statutory charge paid to a department or registry, at actuals. It is the same amount whoever files for you.
Some services carry no government fee at all. GST registration is free on the portal. Filing an income tax return is free. Others carry a substantial one: a company registration carries MCA fees and state stamp duty, and a trademark application carries a per-class IP India fee that differs by applicant type.
Two tests for any quote you receive:
- Does it separate the professional fee from the government fee, with the government figure identified by name?
- Does the professional fee include the things that always happen, such as replying to a departmental query, or are those extra?
A quote that bundles a government fee into one headline number is not necessarily dishonest, but it makes comparison impossible, which is usually the point.
GST on professional fees
Professional fees attract GST at 18%. A quote of ₹999 means ₹999 plus ₹179.82, that is ₹1,178.82 payable.
If your business is GST-registered, that 18% is normally available to you as input tax credit, so the real cost to the business is the fee itself. If you are an individual filing a personal return, it is a cost. Worth knowing which of the two you are before comparing an individual's anecdote with a company's.
Get the scope in writing
Fees are negotiated, so what you are negotiating has to be defined. An engagement letter or a written scope should cover:
- What is included, filing by filing, with the period covered.
- What is not included, especially bookkeeping catch-up, notice replies, appeals and certificates.
- Who provides what, and by when, because most delays are document delays.
- What happens if the scope grows, and how that is priced.
- Whether the fee is exclusive of GST, and how government fees are handled.
- Turnaround, honestly stated, and what it depends on.
A firm that will not put scope in writing is telling you something about how the engagement will be run. If you are unsure what to put in scope, see when a business needs a CA.
Why the cheapest quote is often the most expensive
The fee is a small number next to what a mistake costs. Three examples, all live law:
- Under-reported income. For FY 2025-26, section 270A of the Income-tax Act, 1961 carries a penalty of 50% of the tax on under-reported income, rising to 200% where there is misreporting. The Income-tax Act, 2025, in force from 1 April 2026, carries the corresponding provisions for Tax Year 2026-27 onwards. That penalty lands on you, the taxpayer, not on whoever filed the return.
- Late ROC filings. AOC-4 and MGT-7 each attract an additional fee of ₹100 per day of delay, per form, with no cap. A company that is six months late on both is well past any fee it saved. See annual ROC filing.
- Late TDS statements. A late quarterly TDS statement costs ₹200 for every day of delay, capped at the tax deductible, and it has to be paid before the statement can be filed.
The real comparison is not fee against fee. It is fee plus risk against fee plus risk. A firm that charges more and files on time with your name on a correct return is cheaper.
A few honest warnings
- A fee far below everyone else's usually means a smaller scope, not a better price. Find the line in the fine print that says what is excluded.
- Certificates are not commodity work. A CA's certificate, such as a net worth certificate, carries a Unique Document Identification Number and the member's name against it. That is why it is priced on responsibility rather than on typing. See what UDIN means.
- Percentage-of-refund pricing is a warning sign. It puts the firm's interest in a larger refund, which is not the same as a correct return.
- "All-inclusive" is worth reading twice. Inclusive of GST? Of government fees? Of one notice reply, or none?
- Not sure the work needs a CA at all? See CA or tax consultant before you compare quotes.
Key takeaways
- No law regulates what a CA charges in India. The ICAI scale is recommendatory guidance to members, not a binding tariff.
- ICAI recommends separate scales for Class A, B and C cities, which is about members' cost bases, not a price you can demand.
- The biggest driver of your fee is the state of your records, followed by complexity and time.
- Professional fees and government fees are different things and should be quoted separately.
- Professional fees carry GST at 18%, recoverable as input tax credit by a registered business.
- Get scope in writing before work starts, and compare scope before you compare price.
- Our published fees: GST registration from ₹999, ITR filing from ₹999, private limited registration from ₹1,499, trademark ₹2,499 per class plus the IP India fee, tax audit from ₹7,499.
Want a figure for your own situation? Tell us the service and the state of your records and you get a written fee before anything starts. Call or WhatsApp +91 70444 94804, or email [email protected]. Offices in Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru, 250+ clients.
Frequently asked questions
Are CA fees regulated in India?
No. There is no statutory fee schedule for chartered accountants and no authority that sets or caps what a firm charges a client. ICAI publishes a Minimum Recommended Scale of Fees for its members, and states that it is recommendatory in nature. Regulation of the profession covers conduct and quality of work, not price.
Does ICAI fix CA fees?
No. ICAI publishes a Minimum Recommended Scale of Fees, recommended separately for Class A, Class B and Class C cities, and hosts a calculator for it through its Tender Monitoring Directorate. ICAI describes the fees as recommendatory. It is guidance addressed to members in practice, so it neither binds a firm nor gives a client a price to insist on.
Is the ICAI fee scale compulsory?
No. It is recommendatory. A firm may charge more or less than the recommended scale depending on the complexity, the volume of records and the time the assignment takes. Quoting the scale at a firm will not get you its rates, and a firm quoting above it is not doing anything irregular.
How much do CA fees cost in India?
There is no single answer, because the fee follows the work. What we can give you is our own published figures: GST registration from ₹999, income tax return filing from ₹999, private limited company registration from ₹1,499, trademark registration ₹2,499 per class per mark, and tax audit from ₹7,499. All are professional fees, exclusive of GST at 18%, with government fees paid at actuals where they apply.
Why do CA fees vary so much between firms and cities?
Because the work varies, and so do cost bases. The same service can take a few hours or a few weeks depending on the volume and condition of your records, the complexity of the income, and how close the deadline is. City matters because rent, salaries and demand differ, which is also why ICAI recommends separate scales for different city classes.
Is GST charged on CA fees?
Yes, at 18% on the professional fee. So a fee of ₹999 is ₹1,178.82 payable. If your business is GST-registered, that 18% is normally available as input tax credit, which means the effective cost to the business is the fee itself. For an individual filing a personal return, it is a real cost.
What is the difference between professional fees and government fees?
The professional fee is what the firm charges for its own work. The government fee is a statutory charge paid to a department or registry at actuals, and it is the same amount whoever files for you. GST registration and income tax return filing carry no government fee. Company registration carries MCA fees and state stamp duty, and a trademark application carries a per-class IP India fee.
Can I get CA fees in writing before work starts?
Yes, and you should insist on it. Ask for an engagement letter or a written scope that lists what is included filing by filing, what is excluded, whether the fee is exclusive of GST, how government fees are handled, and how any growth in scope will be priced. A firm that will not put that in writing is telling you how the engagement will be run.
Are audit fees higher than return filing fees?
Generally yes, and the gap is about responsibility as much as hours. A tax audit under section 44AB means examining records, forming an opinion and signing a report with a UDIN against a member's name. A simple return is a computation and a filing. Our tax audit fee starts at ₹7,499 against ₹999 for a return, which is roughly the ratio to expect.
Should I choose a CA on fees alone?
No, because the fee is small next to what a mistake costs. Under-reported income carries a penalty of 50% of the tax under section 270A of the Income-tax Act, 1961, rising to 200% for misreporting, and that penalty falls on you rather than on whoever filed. Late ROC filings run at ₹100 per day per form. Compare scope, then compare price.
CA ki fees kitni hoti hai ITR filing ke liye?
Koi fixed rate nahi hai, kanoon se bhi tay nahi hota. Fees is baat par depend karti hai ki return kitna complex hai, records kis haalat me hain, aur kis shehar me kaam ho raha hai. Simple salaried return sasta padta hai, capital gains ya foreign income wala return zyada. Humari ITR filing ₹999 se shuru hoti hai, GST 18% alag, aur ITR file karne par koi government fee nahi lagti. Shuru karne se pehle likhit me fee le lena sabse safe hai.
About the author
CA Deepak Jaiswal
Founding Partner, FCA at Regikart. Want to discuss this in the context of your business?
