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How to Check a Chartered Accountant Is Genuine

Only members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) are chartered accountants. Ask for the membership number and check it with ICAI, and check that any certificate or audit report a CA signs carries an 18-digit UDIN that can be verified on ICAI's UDIN portal.

Ask for the membership number

Every chartered accountant is a member of ICAI and has a membership number. ICAI lets you look a member up by membership number or name. A CA who signs audit reports and certificates also needs a certificate of practice, so ask whether they hold one if that is the work you need. [1]

Check the UDIN on signed documents

A UDIN (Unique Document Identification Number) is an 18-digit number a practising CA generates on ICAI's UDIN portal for each certificate, audit report or other document they certify. Banks and the Income Tax Department use it to check a document is genuine. If a certificate you are given has no UDIN, ask why. [2]

Finding a CA by service

ICAI's CA Connect portal lists CA firms and individual practitioners by the services they offer, such as audit, GST, direct tax, insolvency and valuation. ICAI only passes on what the CAs themselves enter, so still check the membership. [3]

What to ask before you hire

  • What is your ICAI membership number, and do you hold a certificate of practice?
  • Who will do the work: you, or staff at the firm?
  • Is the fee fixed for the job or charged by the hour, and does it include GST?
  • Will you give me a UDIN for every certificate or report you sign?
  • What do you need from me, and by what date, to meet the filing deadline?

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Questions

How do I check if a CA is registered?

Ask for their ICAI membership number and look it up with ICAI by number or name.

What is a UDIN?

An 18-digit number a practising CA generates on ICAI's UDIN portal for each document they certify, so the document can be verified.

Where can I find a CA for GST or audit work?

ICAI's CA Connect portal lists firms and practitioners by service, including audit, GST and direct tax.

Sources

  1. Verify CA membership, Surepass (on ICAI Member Search)
  2. UDIN: verification, format and helpline, ClearTax
  3. CA Connect: ICAI search portal for CA firms and practitioners, Taxscan (Nov 3, 2021)

This guide is general information, not tax advice. It summarizes the sources above, which were last checked on October 23, 2026. Talk to a chartered accountant about your own situation.

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