By Rahul Choudhary · Founder, IndiaSchool AI Pvt Ltd
ICAI published the Foundation and Intermediate schedule on 23 September 2026. Here are the dates, timings and reading time, and which details, like the exam form window, are still unconfirmed.
ICAI lists the January 2027 CA Intermediate and Foundation examinations in its announcements of 23 September 2026. Intermediate runs 2 to 12 January 2027 in two groups, and Foundation runs on four days between 3 and 9 January. Every paper starts at 2 PM IST.
| Level | Dates (January 2027) | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| CA Intermediate, Group I | 2, 4 and 6 January | 2 PM to 5 PM |
| CA Intermediate, Group II | 8, 10 and 12 January | 2 PM to 5 PM |
| CA Foundation, Papers 1 and 2 | 3 and 5 January | 2 PM to 5 PM |
| CA Foundation, Papers 3 and 4 | 7 and 9 January | 2 PM to 4 PM |
Only one outlet we checked (Careers360) gave a paper-wise table; the others gave group-level dates. The mapping below follows the normal paper order and matches those group-level dates, but confirm it against the schedule PDF on icai.org before you plan your last revision days.
| Paper | Date | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate Paper 1: Advanced Accounting | 2 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Intermediate Paper 2: Corporate and Other Laws | 4 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Intermediate Paper 3: Taxation | 6 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Intermediate Paper 4: Cost and Management Accounting | 8 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Intermediate Paper 5: Auditing and Ethics | 10 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Intermediate Paper 6: Financial Management and Strategic Management | 12 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Foundation Paper 1: Accounting | 3 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Foundation Paper 2: Business Laws | 5 January 2027 | 3 hours |
| Foundation Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude | 7 January 2027 | 2 hours |
| Foundation Paper 4: Business Economics | 9 January 2027 | 2 hours |
Reports based on the ICAI notice say Intermediate papers and Foundation Papers 1 and 2 run from 2 PM to 5 PM, and Foundation Papers 3 and 4 from 2 PM to 4 PM. Candidates get 15 minutes of advance reading time (1:45 PM to 2:00 PM) in every paper except Foundation Papers 3 and 4, which get none.
Business Standard also reports that the exams are held at centres across India and at overseas centres in Bahrain, Dubai and Kathmandu, and that the schedule will not change if a listed date is later declared a public holiday. One outlet described the papers as morning-session, which contradicts the 2 PM start reported by the others, so treat the ICAI schedule PDF as the final word on timings.
The schedule announcement is the only ICAI item we could verify. Several sites already publish form dates, fees and an admit card date, but none of them linked a separate ICAI notice for those.
Watch icai.org and the Self Service Portal (eservices.icai.org) for the official form notice. Our earlier guide to the September 2026 exam form shows how the late-fee window worked last cycle.
From 9 October 2026 to 2 January 2027 is about twelve weeks. For Intermediate, ICAI also announced on 24 September that Live Virtual Revisionary Classes for the January 2027 attempt have started; check the announcement on icai.org for the schedule.
Mixed-format practice matters here: every Intermediate paper carries 70 marks of descriptive answers and 30 marks of case-study MCQs, while Foundation Papers 3 and 4 are fully MCQ with negative marking. Our guide on which CA papers are MCQ and which are descriptive has the detail, and the passing criteria and exemption rules explain what you need to clear each group.
Sources: ICAI's announcements page on icai.org (items dated 23 and 24 September 2026, including the "Schedule of Intermediate & Foundation Examinations, January 2027"), cross-checked against Business Standard, Careers360 and The Tax Corp's report of the same notice. The schedule PDF itself could not be opened during our checks, so paper-wise dates and timings come from those reports. CA Grader is not affiliated with ICAI. Verify dates and timings on icai.org before relying on them for exam-day decisions, since ICAI can and does revise schedules by announcement.
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