How Much Does a CA Charge for a Small Business in India? — 2026 Pricing Guide

Short answer. For a typical Indian small business (₹40 lakh to ₹2 crore turnover), end-to-end CA-led compliance runs ₹3,500 to ₹8,000 per month total on transparent online platforms (covering monthly accounting, GST returns, quarterly TDS, annual ITR, year-end finalisation). Local in-person CA fees for the same scope range from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 per month in metros, ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 in tier-2 cities. Statutory tax audit under Section 44AB (where applicable) is a separate engagement at ₹25,000 to ₹1,50,000+ depending on turnover + complexity. Stand-alone services — GST registration ₹1,499 to ₹5,000, ITR filing ₹999 to ₹10,000, GSTR-9 annual ₹5,999 to ₹25,000 — vary widely by vendor.

This guide breaks down what an Indian Chartered Accountant typically charges across every standard SME service category, what drives the price up or down, and how online platform pricing compares to local in-person CAs. All figures are based on publicly available pricing data as of May 2026. Vendor pricing is subject to change.

Quick-reference fee table — monthly accounting retainer

SMB profile	Typical monthly run-rate (online platform)	Typical monthly run-rate (local metro CA)
Freelancer / proprietor, ≤₹15L revenue, GST-registered	₹2,500 – ₹4,000	₹3,500 – ₹7,000
Proprietor / partnership, ₹50L turnover, 50-100 transactions/month	₹3,500 – ₹6,000	₹6,000 – ₹10,000
LLP services, ₹2 crore revenue, 100-200 transactions/month	₹5,500 – ₹9,000	₹8,000 – ₹15,000
Pvt Ltd startup, ₹5 crore revenue, 200-500 transactions/month	₹8,500 – ₹14,000	₹15,000 – ₹30,000
Pvt Ltd manufacturing / multi-state, ₹15 crore revenue	₹15,000 – ₹30,000	₹25,000 – ₹60,000

What the “monthly run-rate” includes: monthly bookkeeping + bank reconciliation, monthly GST return filing (GSTR-1 + GSTR-3B), quarterly TDS return filing, annual ITR filing (amortised), and year-end book finalisation. Excludes: statutory audit (separate), tax audit under Section 44AB (separate), GSTR-9 / 9C annual (separate), payroll processing per employee, ROC event-based filings, virtual CFO scope, GST / IT scrutiny representation.

Service-by-service fee benchmarks (May 2026)

GST registration

• Batchwise: ₹1,499 flat (single state, single legal entity, ARN tracking + 1 clarification round included)
• IndiaFilings / Vakilsearch: typically ₹1,999 to ₹4,000 (variable by add-ons)
• EZTax / eBizFiling: ₹999 to ₹2,499 base
• Local in-person CA: ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 depending on city + add-ons

GST monthly return filing (GSTR-1 + GSTR-3B)

• Batchwise: ₹999 per month, à la carte
• EZTax: ₹1,999 per month for similar scope
• ClearTax / ProMunim / eBizFiling: ₹1,500 to ₹3,500 per month
• Local CA: ₹1,500 to ₹4,000 per month per GSTIN

GSTR-9 annual return + GSTR-9C reconciliation

GSTR-9 is mandatory for taxpayers with aggregate turnover above ₹2 crore in the financial year (₹2 crore and below permanently exempt FY 2024-25 onwards per Notification 15/2025-Central Tax dated 17 September 2025). GSTR-9C reconciliation applies above ₹5 crore AATO per Rule 80 (self-certified since FY 2020-21).

• Batchwise: ₹5,999 for GSTR-9 only; ₹9,999 bundle for GSTR-9 + GSTR-9C
• IndiaFilings / Vakilsearch: ₹6,000 to ₹15,000 (GSTR-9); ₹12,000 to ₹30,000 (bundle)
• Local CA: ₹8,000 to ₹25,000 (GSTR-9); ₹15,000 to ₹60,000 (bundle); depends on size + complexity

ITR filing

• Batchwise: ₹999 base (ITR-1 / ITR-4 simple); higher for ITR-2 with capital gains, ITR-3 with full books, ITR-3 with foreign income
• ClearTax / Tax2Win / TaxBuddy: ₹999 to ₹4,999 across self-serve to CA-assisted tiers
• Local CA: ₹1,500 to ₹10,000+ for individuals; ₹15,000 to ₹50,000+ for LLPs / Pvt Ltds with full books

TDS quarterly return filing (Form 24Q / 26Q / 27Q)

• Batchwise: ₹1,499 per quarter, single entity, single TAN, up to 50 deductees
• EZTax / IndiaFilings: ₹1,500 to ₹3,500 per quarter
• Local CA: ₹2,000 to ₹6,000 per quarter for similar scope

Year-end book finalisation (one-time)

• Batchwise: ₹4,999 (proprietor / freelancer); ₹7,499 (partnership / LLP / company)
• Local CA: ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 depending on entity + transaction volume

Payroll processing

• Batchwise: ₹2,999 one-time setup; monthly via subscription tier
• greytHR / Keka / RazorpayX: ₹3,495 to ₹6,999 per month base + per-employee charge (typically ₹50 to ₹150 per employee)
• Local CA: ₹3,000 to ₹15,000 per month depending on headcount

ROC compliance (Pvt Ltd / LLP)

• AOC-4 + MGT-7 annual filings: ₹2,999 to ₹8,000 per filing on platforms; ₹3,500 to ₹15,000 locally
• Event-based (INC, DIR, DPT, MGT-14): ₹1,500 to ₹5,000 per form on platforms; ₹2,500 to ₹10,000 locally

Statutory audit (Companies Act Section 139 — mandatory for every company)

Statutory audit fees vary widely by turnover:

• Turnover ≤ ₹1 crore (private company): typically ₹15,000 to ₹40,000
• Turnover ₹1 to ₹10 crore: ₹35,000 to ₹1,25,000
• Turnover ₹10 to ₹50 crore: ₹1,00,000 to ₹4,00,000
• Turnover above ₹50 crore: ₹3,00,000+; often custom-quoted

Tax audit (Section 44AB)

Mandatory if business turnover exceeds ₹1 crore (or ₹10 crore where cash receipts are ≤ 5%) or professional gross receipts exceed ₹50 lakh (₹75 lakh where cash receipts are ≤ 5%). Typically bundled with statutory audit for companies; standalone for proprietors + firms above the threshold.

• Proprietors + firms standalone: ₹15,000 to ₹50,000
• Bundled with statutory audit: add ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 to statutory audit base

Virtual CFO / fractional CFO

• Batchwise: ₹9,999 structured discovery; retainer thereafter ₹25,000 to ₹1,25,000+ per month
• Jordensky / ProMunim / boutique virtual CFO firms: ₹20,000 to ₹1,50,000+ per month
• Full-time CFO hire (for comparison): ₹35,000 to ₹2,00,000 per month direct cost in metros

What drives the fee up or down

1. Multi-GSTIN / multi-state — each additional GSTIN typically adds 30-60% to GST return-filing fee per period.
2. Transaction volume — high-volume e-commerce, retail, or multi-branch operations move into higher accounting tiers quickly.
3. Employee count — payroll fees are typically per-employee on top of a base; >25 employees triggers EPF + ESI complexity.
4. Entity type complexity — Pvt Ltd > LLP > Partnership > Proprietorship in compliance load (and fees).
5. Sector complexity — exporters (EOU / SEZ), real estate (RERA), e-commerce (Section 52 TCS), educational / healthcare (mixed exempt + taxable supplies) attract premium scope.
6. Deadline pressure — last-minute engagements typically attract 25-100% surcharge.
7. Audit prep — if books are unstructured, the year-end finalisation + audit prep is materially more expensive than for monthly-closed books.
8. Regulatory representation — GST / IT department scrutiny notices, ITAT appeals, advance ruling applications are custom-quoted and not part of standard monthly retainer.
9. Geographic location — metro CAs typically charge 1.5x to 3x tier-2 city CAs for equivalent scope (driven by overhead, not delivery quality).
10. Software preference — Tally / Zoho / QuickBooks subscriptions are typically the customer’s cost; some CAs bundle the licence into their fee.

Indicative monthly run-rate by SMB persona (May 2026)

Persona	Entity	Revenue	Compliance kit	Run-rate on Batchwise	Run-rate local metro CA
Freelancer / consultant	Proprietor	₹15 lakh	GST + ITR + monthly books	₹2,500 – ₹4,000 / mo	₹3,500 – ₹7,000 / mo
Retail / D2C startup	Proprietor	₹50 lakh	GST + TDS + ITR + monthly books + payroll (3 staff)	₹4,500 – ₹6,500 / mo	₹7,000 – ₹12,000 / mo
Professional services	LLP	₹2 crore	GST + TDS + ITR + monthly books + GSTR-9 + payroll (8 staff)	₹7,000 – ₹11,000 / mo	₹10,000 – ₹20,000 / mo
Tech startup post-Series A	Pvt Ltd	₹5 crore	Full stack + statutory audit + ROC + virtual CFO advisory	₹12,000 – ₹20,000 / mo	₹25,000 – ₹50,000 / mo
Manufacturing	Pvt Ltd	₹15 crore	Full stack + statutory audit + tax audit + GSTR-9C + payroll (50 staff) + multi-state	₹25,000 – ₹45,000 / mo	₹50,000 – ₹1,25,000 / mo

Statutory audit + tax audit + GSTR-9 / 9C are annual one-time engagements — the monthly run-rate above amortises them across 12 months for total-cost comparison.

Online platform vs local CA — pricing transparency comparison

Platform / vendor	Publishes per-month / per-service pricing transparently?	Typical entry pricing (May 2026)
Batchwise	Yes	GST registration ₹1,499; monthly accounting from ₹1,999/mo
EZTax	Yes (tiered)	Monthly accounting ₹1,999 – ₹3,999
eBizFiling	Yes (basic tier)	Monthly accounting from ₹3,499
ProMunim	Yes (transparent tier publishing)	Multiple monthly tiers published
ClearTax	Partial — DIY + assisted pricing published; CA-led custom	ITR DIY free; CA-assisted ₹999 – ₹4,999
IndiaFilings	Limited — “starting from” pricing, much hidden behind contact form	”Starting from” entry varies
Vakilsearch	Limited — opaque on most services	Custom quote dominant
MyOnlineCA	Partial transparency	Listed service-wise
Tax2Win / TaxBuddy / Quicko	Yes for ITR; limited for retainer scope	ITR ₹999 – ₹3,499
Lekhakar	Yes for some tiers	Entry tiers from ₹999 to ₹1,500
Local in-person CA	No — quote-driven on first call	Variable; metro 1.5-3x tier-2

Pricing data is indicative as of May 2026 based on the respective platforms’ publicly available pricing pages. All vendor prices are subject to change.

Red flags in Indian CA pricing

1. Unrealistically low quote (e.g., “₹500 GST return”) — usually a loss-leader for an upsell-heavy engagement.
2. No published scope — “we’ll handle everything” without a scoping memo creates surprise invoices.
3. Hidden government fees — the platform fee may be low but government / professional fees (stamp duty, DSC, ICAI filing fees) are added later.
4. Monthly retainer creep — initial ₹3,000/month quote becomes ₹8,000 by month four after “add-ons” surface.
5. No partner CA name shared — for any engagement requiring a CA signature (statutory audit, tax audit, Form 3CD, GSTR-9C reconciliation, Form 15CB foreign remittance certificate), the signing CA’s name + ICAI membership number must be shareable.
6. No indemnity insurance — professional CAs carry indemnity; an engagement promising audit / certification work without indemnity disclosure is a risk.
7. Pre-paid annual deals with no exit clause — full-year prepayment without a defined exit / pro-rata refund clause is rarely worth it for first-time engagements.
8. “Guaranteed tax savings” — no professional can guarantee tax savings; aggressive savings promises typically lead to scrutiny exposure.

How to choose — 6-step checklist

1. Define your scope. List exactly what you need (GST monthly, TDS quarterly, ITR annual, books, payroll, audit, ROC). Don’t accept a vague “end-to-end” quote.
2. Verify the delivering CA. For any engagement requiring a CA signature, get the CA’s name + ICAI membership number; verify on the ICAI member directory.
3. Confirm published scope + price upfront. Get the scoping memo + price quote in writing before paying.
4. Compare three quotes minimum. Don’t accept the first quote; compare across one online platform, one local CA, one mid-tier firm.
5. Check turnaround commitments. Routine monthly GST return should close within 5 working days of complete inputs; annual GSTR-9 within 10-15 working days.
6. Confirm indemnity + data discipline. For any audit / certification work, indemnity disclosure + data confidentiality terms should be part of the engagement letter.

FAQs

Is there a mandatory ICAI scale of fees for CAs in India? No. ICAI previously published a “minimum recommended scale of fees” but it is recommendatory not mandatory. Following Competition Commission of India scrutiny on professional-services pricing, ICAI does not enforce a binding fee scale. CAs are free to price their services. Practically, market rates cluster within identifiable bands by service category + geography, but no individual quote is “wrong” because it differs from a recommended scale.

Why does the same service cost 2x in Mumbai vs Surat? Local CA pricing in metros is driven by overhead — office rent, staff costs, customer-acquisition costs, regulatory representation overhead. Tier-2 cities have lower overheads. Delivery quality for routine compliance work (GST, ITR, TDS, accounting) is comparable; specialised work (M&A, transfer pricing, IBC) tends to concentrate in metros.

Will the IT Act 2025 change CA fees? Substantially no. The IT Act 2025 (effective 1 April 2026) is primarily a structural rewrite — section renumbering, terminology refresh (“Tax Year” replacing “Assessment Year”), form renumbering. Section 44AB (tax audit) becomes Section 63; Section 44AD / 44ADA (presumptive) becomes Section 58; thresholds + substantive policy unchanged per CBDT FAQ. Fee bands should remain similar through the transition. See the IT Act 2025 transition reference.

Do CAs charge separately for late-fee or interest payments? Government late fees + interest are pass-through to the customer, paid at actuals to the relevant department. They are not part of CA fees. CAs may charge a small handling fee for processing the late-fee payment + correction return, but the late fee itself goes to the government.

Are CA fees deductible as a business expense? Yes. Professional fees paid to a CA for business-related work are fully deductible under Section 37(1) of the Income Tax Act 1961 (Section 32 of the IT Act 2025 from FY 2026-27), subject to GST input credit availability where the CA is GST-registered + the recipient business is also GST-registered.

Is online CA cheaper than local CA — and is it as good? For 90% of routine SME compliance (GST returns, ITR, TDS, monthly accounting, ROC filings), online platforms with vetted partner CAs typically charge 30-60% less than local in-person CAs in metros — the gap is driven by overhead, not by delivery quality differences. For court / departmental representation, niche specialisms, and physical-presence audit fieldwork, a local CA remains the right choice. See the Online vs Local CA guide for the full comparison.

How do I switch from my current CA to a new one? Standard process: provide opening balances + chart of accounts to the new CA; the new CA continues from there. There is no break in continuity. See the Switch accountant checklist for the step-by-step.

What’s the cheapest way to handle a small business’s CA work? Lowest-cost discipline: (a) maintain monthly books in Tally / Zoho / QuickBooks yourself; (b) use an online platform like Batchwise for filings only (GST ₹999/mo, ITR ₹999/yr, TDS ₹1,499/qtr); (c) hire a partner CA only for year-end finalisation (₹4,999) + statutory audit if mandatory. Total annual run-rate ~ ₹35,000 to ₹50,000 for a small proprietor / LLP. For higher-volume businesses, the time cost of DIY bookkeeping typically exceeds the savings — at which point the monthly accounting retainer at ₹1,999 to ₹3,499/mo is more cost-effective. See DIY vs Hire a CA for the decision matrix.