Own practice
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
compounding client base
- Route in
- Typically Chartered Accountancy (CA) or CMA — Cost & Management Accountant. 3 courses lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹40,000 – ₹90,000 / monthly Any experience
- Where you work
- Listed and large companies (statutorily required), Law and CS firms, Corporate secretarial departments, Consulting firms
What the work involves
Day to day
Running your own accounting, audit or tax practice - finding clients, doing the technical work, managing staff and collecting fees. You are the practitioner and the business owner at the same time.
Who this suits
Fit
Qualified professionals who want autonomy and are willing to build slowly. Works best after several years in a firm, once you have both technical confidence and contacts who will refer work.
The honest reality
Read this one
The first few years are financially thin while a client base builds, and recovery of fees from small clients is a persistent problem. You carry professional liability personally. There is no paid leave and no one to cover the deadline if you are ill.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 12, commerce preferred Required
The commerce base.
Qualify as a CA Required
Foundation, Intermediate, articleship and Final. Practice requires the membership.
Take a Certificate of Practice from ICAI Required
You cannot sign audit reports or practise publicly on membership alone. The COP is a separate application and it carries its own obligations, including a bar on most salaried employment.
Work in a firm first, or start with small clients Required
Two or three years employed teaches you what clients actually need and how work is priced. Starting cold usually means undercharging for two years while you find out.
Build a client base and a niche Required
GST compliance, small business accounting, statutory audit, or a sector specialism. Practices grow almost entirely on referral, and the first fifty clients decide the shape of the next twenty years.
Partnership or a larger firm Optional
Bringing in partners lets you take work you cannot handle alone - and audit allotments and bank empanelment often require firm standing and a minimum number of partners.
Courses that lead here
3 mapped routes into this career.
The roles this becomes
2 lanes out of the same starting point.
What it pays
Indicative bands.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹40,000 – ₹90,000 / monthly | Varies by employer |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Own practice?
The earliest entry point is professional level.
Where does a Own practice usually work?
Listed and large companies (statutorily required), Law and CS firms, Corporate secretarial departments, Consulting firms.
What does a Own practice earn to start?
40,000 - 90,000 per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Does a Own practice need a licence or registration?
Certificate of Practice (COP) from the respective institute is required for independent practice. Not required for salaried employment.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.