By IIC Lakshya
03 Feb 2026
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If you are pursuing a career in Chartered Accountancy (CA), you must attend the articleship. It is a mandatory requirement of the CA curriculum, which is established and managed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Learn about the CA articleship and the skills that candidates and working professionals learn while attending the articleship.
Articleship in Chartered Accountancy is one of the significant phases after a candidate clears the groups of Intermediate examination. A practical training of two years is a must when pursuing a CA course.
The training is performed under the Chartered Accountant, who is also known as the principal. They are eligible and permitted to train qualified CA candidates. You can also read about how to register for the CA exam, especially as a beginner, to understand the process.
It is a myth that articleship is free labor, as CA-qualified individuals work for firms free of cost. However, it is much more important because it helps the candidates prepare for the real-world accounting skills and CA professional expertise.
It also guides candidates to develop communication skills and a professional attitude in the corporate world. Additionally, you should know what to carry on the CA exam day with a detailed checklist. Below are some of the significant skills that enhance the scope of the CA professionals after they complete their articleship:
CA qualified professionals develop confidence in handling accounting tasks of clients and their business in the real world. They start undertaking work which allows them to prepare financial statements and use accounting softwares leading to opportunities in the future. Read about the CA exam dates 2026 to become more familiar with it.
CA qualified professionals also learn about different types of audits, like bank audits, stock audits, statutory audits, internal audits, and tax audits. They will start working on the different types of auditing processes for real businesses with actual transactions. They can improve their communication and presentation skills.
There are two types of taxation, namely Direct tax (specifically income tax) and Indirect tax (specifically GST). As a CA fresher working in an articleship learn about computational and preparation of Income Tax Returns (ITR) of different entities, along with what accounting is. Articleship educates CA beginners about the following job roles and responsibilities:
Every registered company in India needs to submit a detailed report of its business procedures called the annual ROC compliance. There is a due date prescribed by the Companies Act, 2013, and the companies' rules ans regulations under which the reports must be filed. While attending articleship, CA candidates learn about the ROC compliance filing process.
A Chartered Accountant is authorized to certify and approve all company documents along with the organizational registration process. Learn about the emerging finance careers in 2025, educating professionals. During the articleship process, working professionals learn about responsibilities and digital forms.
Working in an articleship helps the CA freshers to understand the ropes of the job and the responsibilities of the business. Articleship offers a financial perspective of CA professionals handling business responsibilities, and how the financial perspective of the businesses can be managed.
CA professionals learn about partnership, acquisition, and investment related to asset valuation and determining the valuation of subjects. As a CA working in an articleship, they get to learn about whether a decision is profitable or not. Viability of subjects or assets is evaluated by CAs; hence, due diligence is something that CAs learn in this process, leading to categorization and its significance.
In conclusion, Articleship for a CA is not only about offering free labor but also about acquiring skills that are very helpful for establishing their future CA career. The skills that a CA professional learn in the articleship depend on the nature of their clients and the size of the company they are working for. It ensures that candidates become more versatile and responsible in their profession.
The 6 capitals of accounting identified by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) are intellectual, social & relationship, financial, natural, human, and financial.
Accounting can be divided into 4 branches: private accounting, government accounting, public accounting, and accounting education.
Government bodies often cite nine essential skills for all candidates, and working professionals are required to have literacy, numeracy, digital proficiency, creativity, communication, and adaptability skills. This helps in adapting to any workplace, along with taking on the responsibilities of complex tasks.
The skills that are best for all CA students to acquire and perform are time management, problem-solving, ethics, technical proficiency, strategic management, analytical skills, and communication.
The following skills are needed for the articleship: