To become a chartered accountant CA in Pakistan, you need to pass 21 papers divided into four levels and complete a 3.5 year training program at an audit firm. You can join the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) after intermediate, A levels, or graduation with minimum marks.

Do you want to become a Chartered Accountant in Pakistan? Are you finding the best career for your future after F.Sc or ICOM? You should do CA.

I know you might be thinking CA is really hard. But you are not wrong. You can watch the interview at the end of the article.

Are you interested in knowing the answers to the following questions?

  • Who Can Do CA?
  • How Much Does It Cost?
  • What Kind of Jobs Are Offered After CA?
  • Is CA Difficult? ICAP Does Not Pass the Students? Is It True?
  • Which Cities Provide the Opportunity to Do CA?

And much more.

As you know CA stands for Chartered Accountant. It has a wide scope and promises a better future for its students. It is the only professional in Pakistan which has a zero unemployment rate.

Many of the queries are answered below:

1. Who Can Do CA?

Any students can join for a CA in Pakistan who have passed intermediates with 50% marks or who have passed at least 2 papers of A levels can do CA.

If you are a graduate student, you can also join for CA if you have graduated with 45% marks.

2. Which Authority Is Behind The CA In Pakistan?

Institute of Chartered Accountant of Pakistan (ICAP). ICAP is the regulatory body of Pakistan which conduct examinations for CA.

There is only one institute which has the legal authority of offering CA, and that institute is ICAP Institute of Chartered Accountant of Pakistan. Only ICAP provides the certification of CA in Pakistan.

Do you know CA is accepted worldwide? A CA student of Pakistan can get a job in finance, advisory or accounts in any country because CA is recognized in the whole world.

The papers are conducted and checked by ICAP. It is training management and regulatory body.

3. How Much Does It Cost To Do CA In Pakistan?

There are 2 types of cost. One is the fee of examination which is charged by ICAP which is below:

And the other is the tuition fee of the institution in which you study. Every institute has a different fee structure. Scholarships and funds are also provided to deserving students.

Basically, a student pays for the first 2 years in CA, which is the academic fee/ tuition fee charged by the institute in which the student is enrolled. In the first 2 years, the student pays an average of 2.5 lac (approximately 10 thousand per month).

The next is articleship that takes 3.5 years to complete as known as training years in which a student starts getting stipends which are of Rs. 15,000/- per month

ICAP provides scholarships to the students basing on their skills and talents and this scholarship is called Talent Scholarship which is promoted by many institutes of CA e.g. a student’s hostel will be paid by ICAP.

4. Which Cities Provide The Opportunity To Do CA?

Karachi, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Abbottabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala & Rawalpindi have CA colleges (if a student requires tuition).

If a student does not require tuition services and is able to study digitally through online lectures then he/ she can prepare for his examinations in any city. Examination centers are made/ allotted in different other cities too (for 3,4 days).

Hence, CA can be joined through any city of Pakistan.

Many cities have CA colleges. Some are named below:

Islamabad has 3 colleges

  • National College of Business and Management Sciences
  • School of Business and Management
  • SKANS School of Accountancy

Peshawar has 3 colleges

  • Indus College of Business and Finance ICBF
  • Professionals’ Academy of commerce PAC-P
  • SKANS School of Accountancy

Faisalabad has 3 colleges

  • ILEX College of Accountancy
  • Professionals’ College of Accountancy PCA
  • SKANS School of Accountancy

Lahore has 5 colleges

  • CFE College of Accounting and Finance
  • College of accountancy and professional studies ( CAPS)
  • Professionals’ Academy of Commerce (PAC)
  • RISE school of accountancy (RISE)
  • SKANS School of Accountancy SKANS

Gujranwala has 3 colleges

  • College of Accounting and Finance CAF
  • SKANS School of Accountancy
  • Professionals’ Academy of Commerce PAC

Multan has 1 college

  • SKANS School of Accountancy SKANS

Rawalpindi has 2 colleges

  • SKANS School of Accountancy SKANS
  • Wah College of Accountancy

Karachi has 8 colleges

  • KnS School of Business Studies
  • ASA Abeel’s School of Accounts
  • College of Business Professionals CBP
  • Tabani’s School of Accountancy TSA
  • ARTT Business School
  • Al-Hamd
  • College of Management Sciences CBP
  • ESCRIBIR College of Advance Studies

5. What Kind Of Jobs Are Offered After CA?

Basically, 2 types of jobs are offered after the completion of CA which are Private and public.

Private Sector Jobs

Every large organization needs a CA, a few are

  • Textile Mills
  • The Textile Mill is a great place for people who are inclined to make things but are inhibited by the difficulty of getting materials. Here’s how it works:
  • Designs take the form of textiles (hence the name “Textile Mill”). A textile is a piece of fabric with some kind of pattern on it. The pattern can be as simple as a solid color, or as complex as you like.
  • You specify your design using a declarative language we’ve invented for that purpose. (Declarative here means a language that lets you say what you want, not how to do it.) Using this language, your design can include references to other designs, which makes it easy to build complicated things out of simpler pieces.
  • Once you’ve written up your design, the Textile Mill will make it into an actual piece of fabric and send it to you in the mail. You only pay for materials and labor; there’s no markup on designs.
  • The idea behind the Textile Mill is to make physical objects as easy to create and share as information online is today. In principle, anyone who can write should be able to design anything they like: clothes, furniture, houses, cars – whatever they want to make using fabric.
  • Sugar Mill
  • Cement Factory
  • Hospital
  • Multinational Companies

Public Sector Jobs

  • HCCP
  • FBR
  • National Accountability Bureau

Almost every other large institute requires a Chartered Accountant.

6. What Is The Duration Of CA In Pakistan?

If you join CA after intermediate, then it will be done in two parts. First, you have to pass 13 papers (on average, a student passes 13 papers in 2 years).

Then you join an audit firm (for the purpose of training). It makes a total of 5-6 years (like the medical profession).

7. What Is The Benefit Of Investing 5 Years In CA?

This profession promises a secure life. One gets a job easily which secures financial status.

8. Is CA Really Difficult? ICAP Does Not Pass The Students? Is It True?

Every student has a different capacity.

Some get 50% marks in intermediate and pass CA with good marks whereas other students having more marks in intermediate fail to pass CA. This is due to the capacity of a student and his behavior (which needs to be changed at every stage).

One needs to be a habitual learner and the ones who are easy-go-lucky also fail to do so because they are not used to hard work.

Students qualify the whole profession in the first attempt due to hard work and consistency.

9. FOR HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD A STUDENT STUDY DAILY?

A student needs to be consistent and only needs to invest 4-5 hours per day. And one needs to fix this time and be habitual of investing 4-5 hours daily for studies. Do not ever overestimate your IQ level.

10. HOW MUCH CAN A PERSON EARN AFTER COMPLETION OF CA?

A person can earn up to 80 thousand per month in Pakistan, including housing, transport, and other benefits. The salary may differ in different organizations depending upon gender, location, experience, and skills.

Bonus: Every information you can get from the official website of ICAP.

It is worth mentioning to watch this video.

FAQs

Here are some possible FAQs on CA in Pakistan, its subjects and scope:

  • What is CA in Pakistan? CA is a professional qualification of accountancy administered by ICAP¹².
  • What are the eligibility criteria for CA? You can join CA after intermediate, A levels, or graduation with minimum marks
  • What is the entry test for CA? You have to appear in QAT, a computer-based test of English, Mathematics, and Analytical Reasoning
  • What are the main CA subjects? CA subjects cover four areas: AFC, CAF, CFAP, and MSA¹³⁴.
  • What is the scope of CA in Pakistan? CA has a high scope in Pakistan as it provides specialization in accounting, commerce, tax, banking, etc.
  • How long does it take to complete CA? It takes about 5 to 7 years to complete CA, depending on your academic background and exam performance .
  • How much does CA cost in Pakistan? CA fee varies depending on the level, institute, and training firm. The average fee for CA is around Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 700,000 .
  • What are the benefits of CA in Pakistan? CA offers many benefits such as high salary, professional recognition, global mobility, career growth, and diverse opportunities .
  • What are the challenges of CA in Pakistan? CA is a challenging qualification that requires hard work, dedication, time management, and self-motivation. The pass rate of CA exams is low and the competition is high .
  • What are the best institutes for CA in Pakistan? The best institutes for CA in Pakistan are those that are affiliated with ICAP and have qualified faculty, modern facilities, and good reputation. Some of the top institutes are SKANS, PAC, CFE, Rise, and Al-Hamd .