Learnings › First 90 Days in a CA Office › First lesson
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Welcome to a CA office
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Welcome. You have joined a CA office, maybe as a new staff member, maybe as an articled assistant. Either way, the first few weeks can feel confusing. People speak in short forms, the phone keeps ringing, and everyone seems to be in a hurry near a due date. This is normal. In 90 days most of it will feel familiar.
This course is short. Thirteen lessons, each about ten minutes. Each lesson ends with a small "Do this today" list. Do those tasks. They teach more than reading.
What a CA office does
A CA office helps clients follow tax and business laws, and keeps their numbers in order. In a small office, the usual work is:
- Income tax: income tax returns (ITR) for salaried people, shop owners, doctors, firms and companies. Also advance tax, TDS returns and replies to notices.
- GST: registration, monthly or quarterly returns, reconciliation of purchase data, and replies to notices.
- Accounting: bookkeeping in Tally or other software, bank reconciliation, final accounts.
- Audit: tax audit, company audit, and other audits done by the CA.
- Company and other work: MCA filings, registrations, project reports, loan papers.
Every piece of work belongs to a client, has a due date, and is checked by someone senior before it goes out. Remember these three things: client, due date, review. Most of this course is built on them.
Who does what
Titles change from office to office. This is the common picture in a small practice:
| Role | What they usually do |
|---|---|
| Partner / Principal (the CA) | Owns the practice. Signs audit reports and certificates. Takes the final decision on advice, fees and difficult clients. |
| Manager or senior | Plans the work, gives you tasks, reviews what you prepare, and answers most of your questions. |
| Articled assistant | A CA student doing practical training under a principal, as per ICAI rules. Learns by doing real client work. |
| Staff / accountant | An employee who does accounting, return preparation, data entry or filing work. |
| Front office / admin | Phones, visitors, couriers, fees collection, files and records. |
If you are an articled assistant, your principal is the CA you are registered with. Some rules for you (hours, leave, training) also come from ICAI's articleship rules and your training agreement. When this course says "check with your principal", it means exactly that.
The year in a CA office
Work comes in waves. Knowing the waves helps you plan your leave and your learning. The dates below are the usual ones. The government sometimes extends them, so always follow your office's own due date list.
| When | What is busy |
|---|---|
| Every month | GST returns, TDS payments, bookkeeping for monthly clients. |
| April to July | Collecting documents, ITRs for individuals and small businesses. July is very busy. |
| August to October | Tax audits and audit-case returns, company audits and annual filings. |
| Every quarter | TDS returns and advance tax instalments. |
| November to March | Notices, assessments, GST annual work, planning for next year. March is year-end. |
A day in July
Riya joined an office in June. In July, her senior gave her twenty salaried ITRs. On day one she finished three and felt slow. Her senior showed her a checklist, a folder for each client, and the Form 26AS and AIS check. By the end of the month she was doing eight a day, with fewer review comments. Nobody expected speed in week one. They expected care, questions and a clean folder.
What your office expects in the first 90 days
- Come on time and tell your senior early if you will be late or absent.
- Keep client information inside the office. Always.
- Save work in the right folder with the right name.
- Never share a DSC PIN, password or OTP.
- Ask when you are not sure. Report a mistake the moment you see it.
- Let your work be checked before it reaches the client.
How the office rule boxes work
From Lesson 1, most lessons show a box with your own office's rule for that topic. A green box means your principal has written that rule for your office. Follow it, even if it is different from what the lesson says in general. A grey box means your office has not written that rule yet. It shows an example only. If you see a grey box, ask your senior what the rule is in your office.
One rule from day one
The Chartered Accountants Act and the ICAI Code of Ethics bind the CA (the member), not you directly. You are bound by your employment or articleship terms and any confidentiality undertaking you sign, and the CA must supervise the work done in the office. So you follow the firm's policy and your undertaking. If you are unsure whether something is allowed, ask before you do it.
Do this today
- Write down the names of your partner, your senior and the front office person.
- Ask your senior for the office due date list for this month.
- Ask which three types of work you will do most in your first month.
Train every new joiner the same way: unlock the other 12 lessons
Confidentiality, files, DSCs, talking to clients, checklists and reporting, with your office's own rules shown inside the lessons and a 90-day onboarding plan. Rs. 999 + GST, one time · or the Office Subscription Plan at Rs. 1,499 / year for every course, for you and your staff.