ICAI CA Exam Dates 2026: Sep-Nov 2026 Timetable Out, Day-wise Schedule and Shift Timings

The ICAI CA Exam Dates 2026 for the September and November sessions have been officially released on icai.org. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has scheduled the CA Intermediate and CA Foundation September 2026 exams from 1 September to 12 September and 2 September to 9 September respectively, and the CA Final November 2026 exams from 2 November to 13 November 2026. The May 2026 session — covering all three levels of Foundation, Intermediate, and Final — concluded on 20 May 2026, with results expected in the first week of July 2026.

• CA Foundation Sep 2026: Exams on 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th September 2026; exam form window opens 6 July 2026.
• CA Intermediate Sep 2026: Group I on 1st, 3rd, 6th September; Group II on 8th, 10th, 12th September 2026.
• CA Final Nov 2026: Group I on 2nd, 4th, 6th November; Group II on 9th, 11th, 13th November 2026.
• May 2026 results (Foundation and Intermediate): expected first week of July 2026; CA Final May 2026 result expected July 2026.
• Sep–Nov 2026 exam form: Opens 6 July 2026, closes 19 July 2026; correction window 23–25 July 2026 at eservices.icai.org.
• Exam timings: Most papers run 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM; Foundation Papers 3 & 4 are 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2 hours); CA Final Paper 6 (Elective) is 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM (4 hours).
• Exam cycle: ICAI conducts CA Foundation and Intermediate exams three times a year (January, May, September); CA Final runs in May and November only.

For all current updates, students should regularly visit the official website www.icai.org for official information regarding final dates and schedule.

Key Summary

In this Article, we have discussed about ICAI CA Exam Dates 2026, Session-wise Timetable, Exam Day Schedule, and Year-wise Date Trends.

• ICAI officially released the September 2026 timetable (Foundation & Intermediate) and November 2026 timetable (Final) — CA Final Group I: Nov 2, 4, 6; Group II: Nov 9, 11, 13.
• Sep–Nov 2026 exam form window: 6–19 July 2026; correction window: 23–25 July 2026; forms at eservices.icai.org.
• CA Foundation Sep 2026: Sep 2, 5, 7, 9; CA Intermediate Sep 2026: Group I Sep 1, 3, 6 and Group II Sep 8, 10, 12.
• May 2026 session (Foundation, Intermediate, Final) concluded on 20 May 2026; results expected first week of July 2026 at icai.nic.in.
• ICAI runs Foundation and Intermediate exams three times a year (January, May, September); CA Final is held in May and November only.

What are the ICAI Exam Dates 2026?

ICAI’s 2026 examination calendar spans four sessions across the year. Foundation and Intermediate students can appear in January, May, or September; CA Final students have the May and November windows. The January and May 2026 sessions have concluded. The September 2026 (Foundation and Intermediate) and November 2026 (CA Final) timetables are confirmed. Here is a session-by-session breakdown of all dates.

ICAI January 2026 Session: CA Foundation Exam Dates (Concluded)

The January 2026 session was available exclusively to CA Foundation students. This was the first of three annual attempts for Foundation students in 2026. The examinations were conducted in offline mode across ICAI-designated centres in India and abroad. The session is now concluded; students who appeared in January and did not clear may re-attempt in the September 2026 session.

• Exam Dates: 18, 20, 22, 24 January 2026
• Mode: Offline (pen and paper), afternoon session
• Result: Declared (February/March 2026)
• Who Could Appear: CA Foundation students only — Intermediate and Final do not have a January session

Note: The January 2026 session is concluded. Students who did not attempt or clear the Foundation January 2026 exam could re-appear in May 2026 (now concluded) or in the upcoming September 2026 session.

ICAI May 2026 Session: CA Foundation, Intermediate & Final (Concluded)

The May 2026 session was the most comprehensive exam window of the year, covering all three levels simultaneously. CA Final Group I exams opened the session on 2 May and the last Foundation paper was held on 20 May 2026. The session is concluded. Foundation and Intermediate results are expected in the first week of July 2026, while the CA Final result is expected by July 2026.

• CA Final – Group I: 2, 4, 6 May 2026
• CA Final – Group II: 8, 10, 12 May 2026
• CA Intermediate – Group I: 5, 7, 9 May 2026
• CA Intermediate – Group II: 11, 13, 15 May 2026
• CA Foundation: 14, 16, 18, 20 May 2026
• Foundation & Intermediate Result: Expected first week of July 2026
• CA Final Result: Expected July 2026

Note: The May 2026 examination window is now closed. Students awaiting results must check icai.nic.in from the first week of July 2026 onward. Students who wish to re-appear must submit the exam form for the September 2026 session between 6–19 July 2026.

Ques. When will the ICAI CA Intermediate May 2026 result be declared?

ICAI September–November 2026: Exam Form & Registration Dates

A single exam form submission window covers both the September 2026 session (Foundation and Intermediate) and the November 2026 session (CA Final). Students at all three levels must submit their forms within the same window. The form is available only on the ICAI Self Service Portal (SSP). Students who have not yet completed their course enrollment must note separate enrollment cutoff dates which fall earlier than the form submission window.

• Exam Form Opens: 6 July 2026
• Last Date to Submit (without late fee): 19 July 2026
• Correction Window: 23–25 July 2026 (centre change and detail correction)
• Portal: eservices.icai.org (ICAI SSP)
• CA Intermediate New Enrollment Cutoff for Sep 2026 Attempt: 1 May 2026 (already past — new registrations to this course now target Jan 2027 or later)

Note: The exam form window is separate from course enrollment/registration. A student may be registered with ICAI but still needs to submit the exam form within the July 6–19, 2026 window to be eligible for the September or November 2026 exams. Missing this deadline means the next available attempt is January 2027 (Foundation/Intermediate) or May 2027 (Final).

Ques. Can I submit the exam form for the September 2026 CA exam after 19 July 2026?

ICAI CA Intermediate September 2026 Exam Dates (Upcoming)

The CA Intermediate September 2026 examination has been officially scheduled by ICAI with Group I spread across the first week of September and Group II across the second week. Students may appear for either one group or both groups in the same session. Three papers are examined per group, each of 3-hour duration in the afternoon slot.

• Group I – Paper 1: 1 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Group I – Paper 2: 3 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Group I – Paper 3: 6 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Group II – Paper 4: 8 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Group II – Paper 5: 10 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Group II – Paper 6: 12 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Admit Card: Expected last week of August 2026 (~14–15 days before first exam)
• Result: Expected October 2026

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the exam. Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

Ques. When will the CA Intermediate September 2026 admit card be released?

ICAI CA Foundation September 2026 Exam Dates (Upcoming)

The CA Foundation September 2026 examination runs across four days, with two papers held in the first week and two in the second week of September. Papers 1 and 2 (Accounting, and Business Laws) are 3-hour papers, while Papers 3 and 4 (Quantitative Aptitude, and Business Economics) are 2-hour papers. All papers are held in the afternoon session. The Foundation exams run alongside the Intermediate schedule, with Foundation Paper 1 scheduled on September 2 — the day after Intermediate Group I starts.

• Paper 1 – Accounting: 2 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Paper 2 – Business Laws: 5 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Paper 3 – Quantitative Aptitude: 7 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2 hours)
• Paper 4 – Business Economics: 9 September 2026 | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2 hours)
• Admit Card: Expected last week of August 2026
• Result: Expected October 2026

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the exam. Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

Ques. Is there a reading time before ICAI Foundation papers?

ICAI CA Final November 2026 Exam Dates (Upcoming)

The CA Final November 2026 examination is the second Final-level session of 2026. ICAI officially released this timetable alongside the September 2026 schedule. Group I papers are scheduled across the first two weeks of November, with Group II papers in the following week. Notably, Paper 6 (the Elective Paper) is a 4-hour paper, distinguishing it from all other CA Final papers which run 3 hours. Students who appeared in CA Final May 2026 and are awaiting results may submit the form for November 2026 to attempt both sessions in the same calendar year.

• Group I – Paper 1: 2 November 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Group I – Paper 2: 4 November 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Group I – Paper 3: 6 November 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Group II – Paper 4: 9 November 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Group II – Paper 5: 11 November 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (3 hours)
• Group II – Paper 6 (Elective): 13 November 2026 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM (4 hours)
• Admit Card: Expected mid-October 2026 (~15 days before first exam)
• Result: Expected January 2027

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the exam. Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

Ques. Can a CA Final student appear in both May 2026 and November 2026 sessions?

ICAI 2026 Exam Day Schedule and Timings

All ICAI CA examinations follow a fixed afternoon slot, with reporting time at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Students must bring both the printed admit card and a valid government-issued photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, voter ID, or driving licence). Electronic devices including mobile phones are strictly prohibited in the examination hall.

Year-wise ICAI CA Exam Dates and Trends (2021–2026)

The table below tracks the start dates of ICAI CA exam sessions from 2021 to 2026, across all levels. This gives students a reliable reference for planning preparation timelines and predicting when ICAI might release the next timetable. The shift from biannual (May/November, up to 2023) to tri-annual (January/May/September from 2024) under the New Scheme is the most significant structural change in the past decade. Final-level exams retain the biannual calendar.

The dominant pattern for CA Final and Intermediate is a May 2 or May 3 start in the May session, and a September 3–4 start in the September session — consistent across 2023–2026. CA Foundation, which follows the higher-level exams, typically starts 12–16 days after CA Final in the May session. In the September session, Foundation exams begin the day after Intermediate Group I, running in parallel. This overlap (Intermediate Group I on September 1, Foundation Paper 1 on September 2) has been maintained in 2026 as well. The implication: students who cleared Intermediate Group I earlier and are now attempting Group II while also mentoring Foundation-level peers should account for this overlapping exam window in their planning.

Ques. Has the ICAI CA exam date ever been postponed in recent years?

Will ICAI Conduct CA Exams Thrice a Year in 2026 and Beyond?

Since the introduction of the New Scheme of Education and Training in 2023, ICAI has consistently maintained three annual examination sessions (January, May, September) for Foundation and Intermediate. This tri-annual model is embedded in the scheme’s design and there are no indications as of June 2026 that ICAI plans to revert to the biannual structure. Several structural features of the new scheme reinforce this continuity:

• Shorter preparation cycles: The new curriculum is designed with modular learning in mind; a 4-month window between attempts aligns with the recommended study hours per paper.
• Two-group structure: Students appearing for one group at a time benefit more from three sessions per year than two, since they can clear Group I in May and immediately target Group II in September.
• Pass rate considerations: ICAI tracks sectional pass rates; more frequent exams generate more data and allow faster course-correction in preparation strategy.
• CA Final biannual exception: ICAI’s position is that the comprehensive, six-paper Final examination requires a longer, undivided preparation window. A biannual schedule for Final is expected to continue.

Students already registered under the Old Scheme who are completing transitional papers should verify session availability for their specific papers with ICAI, as transition timelines differ from the standard New Scheme calendar.

Ques. Is there a January 2026 session for CA Intermediate?

Ques. What is the difference between the ICAI January, May, and September sessions in 2026?

Countdown to ICAI September and November 2026 Exam Dates

As of 6 June 2026, the following countdown gives students a time-reference for each upcoming milestone in the September and November 2026 exam cycle.

Source: https://www.icai.org/category/examination-students