Limit of 60 Assignments per CA/Partner: ICAI Officially Notifies New Tax Audit Cap from AY 2026-27 [Read Notification]
These revised limits will supersede all previous guidelines on the subject and replace Chapter VI of the 2008 Council General Guidelines, which will remain applicable only until March 31, 2026.
![Limit of 60 Assignments per CA/Partner: ICAI Officially Notifies New Tax Audit Cap from AY 2026-27 [Read Notification]](https://images.taxscan.in/h-upload/2025/07/30/2070709-limit-assignments-per-ca-partner-icai-notifies-new-tax-audit-cap-ay-2026-27-taxscan.webp "Limit of 60 Assignments per CA/Partner: ICAI Officially Notifies New Tax Audit Cap from AY 2026-27 [Read Notification]")
The number of tax audit assignments that a chartered accountant or each partner of a chartered accountancy firm may take on has been capped by updated guidelines published in the E-gazette by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India ( ICAI ). No chartered accountant in practice will be allowed to accept or sign more than 60 tax audit assignments in a single fiscal year,...
The number of tax audit assignments that a chartered accountant or each partner of a chartered accountancy firm may take on has been capped by updated guidelines published in the E-gazette by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India ( ICAI ).
No chartered accountant in practice will be allowed to accept or sign more than 60 tax audit assignments in a single fiscal year, starting on April 1, 2026 (Assessment Year 2026-27), regardless of whether the assessees are corporate or non-corporate entities. Additionally, each partner in a chartered accounting firm will be subject to this limit on an individual basis.
Tax Audit Deadline Is Near! Are you prepared? Click here
These new guidelines, which were published in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary) on July 25, 2025, are issued in accordance with Section 15(2)(fa) of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949. They are intended to ensure professional diligence, streamline audit quality, and address issues related to overload and potential compromises in audit efficacy.
The cap does not apply to tax audits conducted in compliance with Section 44AB clauses (c), (d), and (e), which are cases covered by presumptive taxation schemes such as Sections 44AD, 44ADA, and 44AE of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
The guidelines also clarify that in calculating the cap of 60 assignments, each financial year’s audit will be considered a separate assignment. Additionally, audits of multiple branches of the same entity will be treated as a single audit assignment, and revised audit reports shall not count toward the limit. Furthermore, part-time partners in CA firms will be excluded from the cap calculation for firm-level audits.
Tax Audit Deadline Is Near! Are you prepared? Click here
These revised limits will supersede all previous guidelines on the subject and replace Chapter VI of the 2008 Council General Guidelines, which will remain applicable only until March 31, 2026. To ensure compliance, every CharteredAccountant in practice will be required to maintain proper records of all accepted and signed tax audit assignments in a prescribed format as directed by the ICAI Council.
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