Free tool · salary explorer
Average pay by role, city and experience. Every figure comes from a named public source.
The short version
Quick answer: On AmbitionBox, CAs average ₹8.4–9.3 lakh a year in year one. By 9–12 years, it is ₹14–15.4 lakh. ICAI’s Apr–May 2026 campus drive averaged ₹13.31 lakh. Financial analysts average ₹5.4–6 lakh at 1–3 years. ACCA and CFA pay depends on the role.
Guide
What finance jobs in India really pay
A CA is a Chartered Accountant, qualified through ICAI (the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India). On AmbitionBox, CAs average ₹8.4–9.3 lakh a year in year one. Pay rises slowly at first. The biggest jump comes at 9–12 years. The figures cover 15,282 salaries for the job title “Chartered Accountant”.
| Experience | Average a year | Salaries |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 yr | ₹8.4L – ₹9.3L₹70,000 – ₹77,000 a month | 1,539 |
| 1–3 yrs | ₹8.8L – ₹9.7L | 4,508 |
| 3–6 yrs | ₹9L – ₹10L | 5,740 |
| 6–9 yrs | ₹10.5L – ₹11.6L | 2,733 |
| 9–12 yrs | ₹14L – ₹15.4L | 984 |
Plain takeaway: early CA pay is flat-ish; patience pays off after year nine.
AmbitionBox shows each average as a narrow range. Real pay spreads wider. On PayScale, people listing the CA credential have a median base salary of ₹14 lakh. The middle half earns ₹9.2–25.2 lakh (1,765 profiles). Monthly figures are CTC (cost to company) ÷ 12, before tax.
ICAI runs campus placement drives for newly qualified CAs. In its Apr–May 2026 drive (the 64th), the average CTC was ₹13.31 lakh a year. The highest offer was ₹27.5 lakh. 130 organisations took part. By the time ICAI reported it, 2,507 candidates had offers.
The Dec 2025–Jan 2026 drive (the 63rd) averaged ₹13 lakh, with a highest offer of ₹32.33 lakh. There, 145 organisations made offers to 2,503 candidates. ICAI published both drives’ figures in its June 2026 brochure for the next drive.
Campus averages cover large firms that recruit through ICAI. AmbitionBox covers everyone with the job title, so its fresher range is lower.
Thinking about adding CFA after CA? Read CFA after CA.
No large public dataset reports pay by ACCA status in India. Salary sites record job titles, not qualifications. So the honest answer is the pay of the roles ACCA prepares you for. At 1–3 years, their averages run from about ₹2.6 lakh (accountant) to about ₹9.6 lakh (FP&A analyst) a year.
| Role, 1–3 yrs, all India | Average a year | Salaries |
|---|---|---|
| FP&A AnalystFinancial planning and analysis | ₹9.1L – ₹10.1L | 362 |
| Tax Consultant | ₹6.2L – ₹6.8L | 2,768 |
| Financial Analyst | ₹5.4L – ₹6L | 25,307 |
| Audit Associate | ₹5.4L – ₹5.9L | 3,077 |
| Accountant | ₹2.5L – ₹2.8L | 65,926 |
Plain takeaway: with ACCA, the role you land matters more than the letters after your name.
More detail: ACCA salary and jobs in India. Checking exemptions first? Try the ACCA exemption calculator.
PayScale has a page for people who list the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) credential in India. Across 394 profiles, the median base salary is ₹10.2 lakh a year. Pay climbs steeply with experience. The data is self-reported and may include candidates still studying.
| Experience | Median base | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 yr52 profiles | ₹6.1L | ₹4.1L – ₹8.8L |
| 1–4 yrs171 profiles | ₹8.1L | ₹5L – ₹12.3L |
| 5–9 yrs66 profiles | ₹18.3L | ₹12.1L – ₹27.5L |
| 10–19 yrs60 profiles | ₹30.3L | ₹16.3L – ₹40.2L |
Plain takeaway: the CFA median more than doubles from 1–4 years to 5–9 years.
Equity research, a common CFA role, averages ₹8.6–9.5 lakh a year at 1–3 years (AmbitionBox, 2,112 salaries). Costs first? See the CFA fee calculator and the CFA eligibility checker.
A financial analyst prepares budgets, reports and analysis for a company. AmbitionBox has 55,151 salaries for this title. The average is ₹5.4–6 lakh a year at 1–3 years. It rises to ₹8.6–9.5 lakh at 6–9 years. PayScale’s national median base salary is ₹5.7 lakh.
| Experience | Average a year | Salaries |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 yrs | ₹5.4L – ₹6L | 25,307 |
| 3–6 yrs | ₹6.9L – ₹7.7L | 23,254 |
| 6–9 yrs | ₹8.6L – ₹9.5L | 6,546 |
Plain takeaway: “financial analyst” is a broad title, so it starts lower than specialist roles.
AmbitionBox has no separate band for under one year for this title. Specialist analyst roles, such as FP&A or credit, start higher.
It depends on the role. For CAs with 1–3 years’ experience, Gurugram and Bengaluru lead on AmbitionBox. Smaller cities pay less. Think of a city like a price tag on the same skills: rent and demand push it up or down.
| CA, 1–3 yrs | Average a year | Salaries |
|---|---|---|
| GurugramY-class (Delhi NCR) | ₹12.9L – ₹14.3L | 189 |
| BengaluruX-class | ₹12L – ₹13.9L | 400 |
| MumbaiX-class | ₹10.7L – ₹11.9L | 591 |
| New DelhiX-class | ₹10.4L – ₹11.4L | 679 |
| AhmedabadX-class | ₹9.3L – ₹10.2L | 196 |
| SuratY-class | ₹6.3L – ₹7.3L | 93 |
Plain takeaway: at 1–3 years, the average CA in Gurugram earns about twice the Surat average.
X and Y are the Government’s city classes for HRA (house rent allowance). X is the eight biggest metros: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Gurugram and Noida are Y, but central staff there get Delhi’s X rate.
Pick a qualification, role, experience band and city. The tool looks up AmbitionBox’s average for that job title, city and band. AmbitionBox shows it as a narrow range, about 5–10% either side. The tool never estimates or blends a number.
If a city has fewer than 30 reports, we flag the range. Under 10, we show the all-India figure and say so. City pages not updated in the last 12 months are left out.
The unlocked map adds every city, every role and your qualification’s own data. That means ICAI placements for CA, and PayScale for CA and CFA. For ACCA and FRM, it shows the roles instead. No large public dataset reports pay by those qualifications.
FAQs
On AmbitionBox, CAs with under one year of experience average ₹8.4–9.3 lakh a year (1,539 salaries). ICAI’s Apr–May 2026 campus placement averaged ₹13.31 lakh a year for newly qualified CAs.
No large public dataset compares them, because salary sites record job titles, not qualifications. Compare roles instead. At 1–3 years, audit associates average ₹5.4–5.9 lakh and FP&A analysts ₹9.1–10.1 lakh a year (AmbitionBox).
On PayScale, people listing the CFA credential have a median base salary of ₹10.2 lakh a year (394 profiles). The middle half earns ₹5.6–19.9 lakh. It may include candidates who have not passed all three levels.
On AmbitionBox, financial analysts average ₹5.4–6 lakh a year at 1–3 years and ₹8.6–9.5 lakh at 6–9 years (55,151 salaries). PayScale’s national median base salary is ₹5.7 lakh a year.
At 1–3 years, Gurugram leads on AmbitionBox, with an average of ₹12.9–14.3 lakh a year. Bengaluru follows at ₹12–13.9 lakh. Surat averages less, about ₹6.3–7.3 lakh.
No. CTC (cost to company) is your full yearly package. In-hand pay is lower after income tax, PF (Provident Fund) and other deductions. This tool shows CTC divided by 12 as a monthly guide, before tax.
Salary figures are copied from public, self-reported sources (AmbitionBox, PayScale) and ICAI placement reports. Each shows the date its page was updated. They show averages, not a job offer or a promise. QuintEdge does not add, adjust or estimate any figure. ACCA, CFA Institute, GARP and ICAI do not endorse QuintEdge. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute. FRM® is a registered trademark of GARP.
