Tax audit fees — what CAs charge and why
Tax audit fees in India typically range from a few thousand rupees for a straightforward proprietorship to significantly more for businesses with complex accounts, multiple locations, or high transaction volumes. Fixed, transparent pricing (like Rs 4,999 onwards for a standard audit) is common for standard cases; anything unusually cheap or vaguely quoted is worth double-checking. Shunya's fixed fees are Rs 4,999 for the tax audit only, Rs 7,999 for tax audit plus ITR filing, and Rs 5,999 for the F&O trader package.
Who needs this
- Businesses whose turnover crosses the Section 44AB limit (see the turnover limit guide)
- Professionals whose gross receipts cross the 44AB limit for professions
- F&O traders whose trading turnover crosses the audit limit
- Businesses that opt out of presumptive taxation under Section 44AD (see the 44AD opt-out trap)
What's included with Shunya
- Turnover computation and applicability check
- Form 3CA/3CB and 3CD prepared, UDIN-tagged and filed
- Every report reviewed by a CA
- Form 26AS and AIS reconciliation (Tax Audit + ITR plan)
- Fixed fee, no hourly billing
What drives the fee
The main factors are the volume and complexity of transactions, the quality of your existing bookkeeping (a business with clean, reconciled books costs less to audit than one where the CA has to reconstruct records), the number of locations or bank accounts involved, whether related-party transactions or loans/deposits need special scrutiny, and whether the audit needs to be bundled with ITR filing or additional forms.
Fixed fee vs hourly billing
Some CAs bill by the hour, which can make costs unpredictable, especially if your books turn out to need more cleanup than expected. A fixed, transparent fee agreed upfront — based on an honest look at your turnover and books before quoting — protects you from that uncertainty and is increasingly the norm for standard cases like proprietorships, small partnership firms, and individual professionals.
Why very cheap audits are a red flag
A tax audit report carries a Chartered Accountant's signature and UDIN against every clause of Form 3CD — it's a professional opinion with real liability attached. Fees priced well below the effort a proper review requires usually mean either a rushed, box-ticking exercise, or a bundled add-on to some other service where the audit itself gets little independent attention. Compare what's included, not just the headline number.
What a fair quote should include
A reasonable tax audit fee should cover: applicability and turnover verification, review of books against source documents (not just a summary), preparation of the correct form (3CA or 3CB) along with the full Form 3CD, UDIN generation, and upload on the e-filing portal. If ITR filing is a separate cost, it should be quoted as such rather than assumed.
Is it cheaper to get my tax audit and ITR filed together, or separately?
Usually together, and for a reason beyond just price — the same CA who prepares your audit already has your reconciled books and turnover figures, so filing the ITR immediately afterward avoids duplicating that work. Bundled pricing (audit plus ITR as one package) is common specifically because of this overlap, and it also avoids the risk of two different professionals working from slightly different versions of your numbers.
This article is for general information only. For your specific situation, consult a practicing CA.