CA industrial training lets an articled assistant spend the final part of practical training inside a company's finance function instead of a CA firm. It is a regulated part of the CA course, not an ordinary job change. The organisation, the supervising member, the student's own training record, the notice period and the forms all have to fit ICAI's rules before a joining date is fixed.
ICAI revised the criteria with effect from 1 January 2026. The current conditions are set out in ICAI's announcement dated 12 January 2026, Revised Eligibility Criteria for Empanelment of Organizations to Impart Industrial Training. This guide explains those conditions, compares industrial training with continuing articleship in a firm, and gives a date-by-date planning example.
Where industrial training fits in the two-year practical training
Under the New Scheme of Education and Training, ICAI's student FAQs on CA courses state that practical training can begin after passing both groups of the Intermediate examination and completing the four-week Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft Skills (ICITSS). The duration of practical training is 2 years, and articled assistants are permitted 12 leaves in each year.
The same FAQs state that industrial training runs for 9 to 12 months and is permitted during the last part of the 2 years of practical training. ICAI treats the industrial training period as service under articles, provided the completion certificate is submitted. In other words, industrial training replaces part of the firm-based articleship. It does not extend the course.
Who can take industrial training
ICAI's 2026 announcement sets two conditions for the articled assistant:
- the student must have passed the Intermediate (Professional Competence) Examination or an equivalent examination specified by ICAI; and
- the student must have completed 12 months of practical training.
The student must also intimate the Principal at least three months in advance of the date on which industrial training is to begin. This notice rule is the one students most often miss. An offer letter with a joining date six weeks away cannot be accepted on those terms if the Principal has not been informed three months ahead.
Old scheme students
Students still training under the old scheme follow different limits. ICAI's FAQs on articleship forms 103-F and 104 state that an old-scheme articled assistant becomes eligible after completing a minimum of eighteen months of practical training, and the industrial training may run between nine and eighteen months. New-scheme students should not rely on advice written for the old scheme.
Which organisations can impart industrial training
A financial, commercial or industrial undertaking can be empanelled only if it meets at least one of these financial tests:
| Test | Minimum under the 2026 criteria |
|---|---|
| Fixed assets | ₹10 crore |
| Total turnover | ₹50 crore |
| Paid-up share capital and net worth (both together) | ₹1 crore paid-up capital and ₹5 crore net worth |
In addition, the organisation must have at least two full-time working Chartered Accountants, each a member of ICAI continuously for at least three years. Empanelment is valid for five years. After that, renewal is mandatory and is tested against the criteria in force at the time of renewal.
The practical consequence is that brand size proves nothing. A listed group company may have an empanelled entity and several non-empanelled subsidiaries. Ask HR which legal entity will sign the training agreement and confirm that entity's empanelment status before resigning from the firm.
Who can supervise an industrial trainee
The training is taken under an ICAI member working in the organisation. An Associate member who has held membership continuously for at least three years may train one industrial trainee at a time. A Fellow may train two. If the finance team's only Fellow already has two trainees, there is no seat for a third, however attractive the vacancy.
Stipend: the gap between articleship and industrial training
Industrial trainees must be paid a monthly stipend agreed between the trainee and the member, subject to a minimum of ₹15,000 per month. ICAI's FAQ notes that this minimum has applied from 1 July 2023. For comparison, the same FAQs list the minimum articleship stipend under the new scheme by the population of the city where the firm operates:
| City population | Year 1 (per month) | Year 2 (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 lakh and above | ₹5,000 | ₹6,000 |
| 5 lakh to 20 lakh | ₹4,000 | ₹5,000 |
| Below 5 lakh | ₹3,000 | ₹4,000 |
At the minimum rates, 12 months of industrial training pays at least ₹1,80,000 (₹15,000 × 12). Twelve months of second-year articleship in a city of 20 lakh or more pays at least ₹72,000 (₹6,000 × 12). The minimum difference is ₹1,08,000. Firms and companies may pay more than these floors, so compare actual offers, but the gap explains why industrial training attracts so much interest.
Industrial training or stay in the firm: how to decide
| Factor | Articleship in a CA firm | Industrial training |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum stipend | ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 per month depending on city and year | ₹15,000 per month |
| Exposure | Several clients and industries, mostly audit and tax assignments | One business in depth: closing cycles, controllership, treasury, tax or internal audit |
| Supervision | Principal in the firm | Associate (one trainee) or Fellow (two trainees) employed in the organisation |
| Timing | Full 2 years | 9 to 12 months in the last part, after 12 months in a firm |
| Paperwork | Articleship registration and completion | Three months' notice to the Principal, Form 104 agreement, Form 105 completion certificate |
Eligibility answers whether you can take industrial training. Career fit answers whether you should. A student aiming for an audit or advisory career after qualifying may gain more from the breadth of a second year in a firm. A student aiming for financial planning and analysis, controllership or treasury may gain more from a year inside a company that closes books every month. Before accepting, ask what work you will actually do, who will review it, whether the role is repetitive data entry or includes analysis, and whether the role supports the job you want after qualifying.
Forms and records
The Agreement of Training for industrial training is entered into in Form 104. On satisfactory completion, the member who imparted the training issues a Completion Certificate in Form 105 and forwards a copy to the Secretary of ICAI. ICAI's articleship FAQs add that if excess leave remains after industrial training ends, Form 104 is submitted under the same principal to serve the excess leave period.
Keep copies of the intimation to your Principal, the Form 104 agreement and its acknowledgement, leave records, stipend credits and the Form 105 certificate. These documents settle most disputes about the training period when you apply for the Final examination or membership.
A worked timeline
Consider a new-scheme student who began practical training on 1 July 2025. The 2 years end on 30 June 2027 (before any extension for excess leave).
- 12 months completed: 30 June 2026. The student is eligible from 1 July 2026.
- Latest intimation for a 1 July 2026 start: the Principal must be told at least three months earlier, that is, by 1 April 2026.
- Option A, 12 months of industrial training: 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, which uses the entire second year.
- Option B, 9 months of industrial training: the student stays in the firm until 30 September 2026 and trains in industry from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, so that industrial training falls in the last part of the practical training. Intimation is then due by 1 July 2026.
If the student only receives an offer in May 2026, a 1 July 2026 start is no longer possible, because three months' notice cannot be given. The earliest date becomes three months after the day the Principal is informed.
Checklist before you accept an industrial training offer
- You have passed the Intermediate examination and will have completed 12 months of practical training before the start date.
- You informed your Principal at least three months before the start date.
- The legal entity signing your agreement is currently empanelled, and its five-year empanelment covers your training period.
- Your supervisor is an Associate with three years' continuous membership and no other trainee, or a Fellow with fewer than two.
- The duration is 9 to 12 months and ends with your practical training.
- The stipend is at least ₹15,000 per month.
- Form 104 is filed correctly and you know who will issue Form 105.
- Your leave count so far is within 12 per year, or you have planned for serving excess leave.
Common mistakes
- Treating a corporate internship as industrial training when the organisation is not empanelled.
- Fixing a joining date without the three-month intimation.
- Checking the group's name rather than the specific entity and supervising member.
- Choosing only on stipend without asking about the work profile.
- Following old-scheme advice on the 18-month rule, which does not apply to new-scheme students.
Updated on 27 September 2026: merged our separate guides on industrial training scope and on industrial training versus articleship, added ICAI's articleship stipend table, a stipend comparison, old-scheme rules and a dated planning example, all verified against ICAI's 2026 announcement and student FAQs.
