NEW DELHI — The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has released the CA January 2027 exam schedule for Foundation and Intermediate students, giving candidates a clear timeline for applications, preparation and examinations. The CA Intermediate exams will begin on January 2, while the Foundation exams start on January 3, 2027.
The announcement puts the next major milestone on the calendar for thousands of CA aspirants. Candidates planning to appear in the CA Foundation January 2027 or CA Intermediate January 2027 examinations will need to keep track of the application window, examination dates, fees and correction period.
The ICAI examination application window will open on November 3, 2026. Candidates can submit their forms without a late fee until November 16.
CA January 2027 Exam Dates: Foundation and Intermediate Schedule
The CA Intermediate January 2027 examination will be held in two groups.
CA Intermediate Group 1
- January 2, 2027
- January 4, 2027
- January 6, 2027
CA Intermediate Group 2
- January 8, 2027
- January 10, 2027
- January 12, 2027
The CA Foundation January 2027 examination will take place on:
- January 3, 2027
- January 5, 2027
- January 7, 2027
- January 9, 2027
ICAI’s official announcement dated September 23 confirms the examination schedule.
ICAI CA Exam 2027 Timings: Check Paper Duration
All Foundation and Intermediate examinations will begin at 2 pm.
For Foundation candidates, Papers 1 and 2 will run for three hours, while Papers 3 and 4 will have a two-hour duration. All Intermediate papers will be three hours long.
Candidates will also receive 15 minutes of advance reading time, from 1:45 pm to 2 pm, for all papers except Foundation Papers 3 and 4.
The timing makes preparation for the final weeks particularly important: candidates will need to work not only on subject coverage but also on completing full-length papers within the prescribed duration.
CA Exam Form January 2027: Application Starts November 3
For candidates focused on the CA exam form January 2027, the application window opens on November 3.
The important dates are:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Application begins | November 3, 2026 |
| Application without late fee | November 3–16, 2026 |
| Application with late fee | November 17–19, 2026 |
| City/medium correction window | November 20–22, 2026 |
Applications submitted during the late period will attract a ₹600 late fee for Indian and Kathmandu centres, while candidates applying from overseas centres other than Kathmandu will pay a US$10 late fee.
Candidates must submit their examination applications online through ICAI’s Self Service Portal (SSP).
CA January 2027 Exam Fee: How Much Candidates Have to Pay
For candidates appearing from Indian examination centres, the CA Foundation examination fee is ₹1,500.
For CA Intermediate candidates, the fee is:
- ₹1,500 for a single group or applicable unit
- ₹2,700 for both groups or Unit 2
Different fees apply to overseas centres. At Kathmandu, the Foundation or single Intermediate group fee is ₹2,200, while the fee for both Intermediate groups is ₹3,400.
CA Foundation and Intermediate Exams to Be Held Across 207 Indian Cities
The January 2027 CA examinations will be conducted across 207 cities in India.
Major examination locations include Delhi/New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow and Noida. ICAI will also conduct the examinations at three overseas centres: Bahrain, Dubai and Kathmandu.
The institute has stated that examinations at the announced locations will be subject to sufficient numbers of candidates opting to appear from each centre.
CA January 2027 Exams: What Happens If There Is a Public Holiday?
One detail in the ICAI notification could prevent last-minute confusion.
ICAI has clarified that the examination schedule will not change simply because an examination day is subsequently declared a public holiday by a Central or state government or a local authority.
Candidates should therefore follow the official timetable rather than assuming that a holiday announcement will automatically move an examination.
English or Hindi: Language Options for CA January 2027
Candidates appearing for the Foundation and Intermediate examinations will be allowed to answer their papers in English or Hindi.
This gives candidates flexibility in choosing the language in which they are most comfortable writing their examination responses.
CA January 2027 Preparation: The Calendar Has Now Changed
With the timetable officially out, the preparation phase becomes more concrete.
For Intermediate candidates, the first paper arrives on January 2, leaving a fixed countdown to the Group 1 examinations before Group 2 follows from January 8. Foundation candidates have their first paper on January 3, with the four papers spread across January 3, 5, 7 and 9.
The release of the timetable also gives students an opportunity to work backwards from the examination dates — mapping syllabus completion, revision cycles, mock papers and final revision rather than preparing against an uncertain deadline.
The bigger message from ICAI’s announcement is simple: the CA January 2027 examination cycle is now officially on the calendar. Candidates have the dates, application window, fees and correction period. The next task is preparation.
