The new Income-tax Act 2025 will be tested from the May 2027 CA exams onwards, ICAI's Board of Studies announced on 5 December 2025. Attempts before May 2027 stay on the Income-tax Act 1961.
The Act received the President's assent on 21 August 2025 and is effective from 1 April 2026, so it applies from tax year 2026-27. That tax year ends on 31 March 2027, and ICAI will examine the new Act only after that.
The Income-tax Act 2025 applies:
- from the May 2027 CA exams onwards for Intermediate Paper 3A: Income-tax Law and Final Paper 4: Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation;
- for exams held from 1 May 2027 onwards for Self-Paced Online Module Set C, Paper 5: International Taxation.
What it means for you: for any attempt before May 2027, you study the Income-tax Act 1961. For May 2027 or later, use the new edition ICAI lists for May 2027 onwards.
Source: ICAI announcement, 5 December 2025 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Update (October 2026): for CA Final November 2026 and Intermediate January 2027, you still study the Income-tax Act 1961. ICAI's November 2026 RTP for Final Paper 4 applies the Finance Act 2025, AY 2026-27 (RTP Final Paper 4, November 2026, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Frequently asked questions
Is the Income-tax Act 2025 applicable for CA Inter January 2027?
No. CA Intermediate January 2027 and CA Final November 2026 are on the Income-tax Act 1961; the 2025 Act applies from May 2027 (ICAI announcement, PDF (opens in a new tab)).