Many of you might have read our blog on CMA, but only a few may know about the CMA articleship, and others may be confused about what it is all about. This guide is created to explain CMA articleship eligibility, CMA articleship duration, registration, stipend, exemptions, and other requirements in a simple way, and we hope it will find you well.
What Is CMA Articleship?
CMA articleship, officially known as CMA Practical Training, is an important part of the Cost and Management Accountancy course. It provides students with practical exposure to cost accounting, management accounting, financial accounting, taxation, auditing, financial management, and other professional areas. It molds students to gain real-world experience alongside their academic preparation by offering an opportunity to apply the concepts learned during the CMA course in actual business and professional environments.
CMA Articleship Eligibility
One of the most common questions students ask is whether they need to clear CMA Intermediate before starting practical training.
Under the current ICMAI Practical Training Scheme, students registered for the CMA Intermediate course on or after 11 February 2020 are required to undergo practical training.
| Eligibility Criteria | Requirement |
|---|---|
| CMA Course Level | Must be registered for the CMA Intermediate course |
| Intermediate Examination | Passing both Intermediate groups is not mandatory to begin practical training |
| Training Period | Minimum 15 months of practical training |
| Training Organization | Training must be completed with an ICMAI approved or recognized organization |
| Training Area | The work must be within an area recognized by ICMAI |
| Registration | Practical training must be registered with ICMAI through the prescribed online procedure. |
Can You Start a CMA Articleship After Intermediate Registration?
Since the official scheme does not make it a condition that clearing both Intermediate groups is mandatory for starting the training. A student can start CMA practical training after registering for the Intermediate course, subject to the applicable ICMAI requirements. But students should ensure that the organization and training area are recognized by ICMAI and that the training is properly registered.
CMA Articleship Duration
Students who have registered for the CMA Intermediate course on or after 11 February 2020 should undergo practical training with a duration of 15 months. Training should be completed before the declaration of the final results. To become eligible to appear in the final examination, a student must satisfy the criteria on such a cut-off date as may be specified from time to time.
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A student could approach:
- A Practicing Cost Accountant
- A firm of Cost Accountants
Other than that, a CMA aspirant could do their articleship in the following organizations:
- Central/State Government / Semi-Government / Public Utilities.
- Banks/Insurance/ other Financial Institutions
- Public Sector Undertakings
- Universities, Management Institutes and any other recognized educational institutions
- Co-operative societies and NGOs
- Firm of Chartered Accountants/ Company Secretaries
- Management consultants
- Any other organizations with a turnover of Rs.25 Lakhs in case of the service sector or Rs.50 Lakhs in case of other than the service sector.
- MSME or Start-Up organizations.
- Any other organizations as approved by the Council.
NOTE: CA/CS articleship will not be recognized for CMA Practical Training / articleship.
CMA Practical Training Areas and Job Roles
The training can cover areas such as:
- Auditing
- Banking Operation
- Corporate Laws, Industrial Laws, Commercial Laws
- Cost Accounting
- Direct Taxation
- Engineering Services involved in production of power or any manufacturing activities, Project Planning & Management, Quality Assessment, and Supply Chain Management.
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Management
- Financial Services
- Indirect taxation
- Insolvency & Valuation
- Insurance
- Management Accounting
- Management Consultancy Services as defined in Appendix 6 under Regulation 111 of CWA Regulations, 1959.
- Project Management
- Regulatory compliances
- Systems Analysis, Information Technology (including ERP system)
- Teaching in Finance, Accounts, Costing, Taxation and Management.
Some of the tasks a trainee undergoes during the training period include Cost analysis, Preparation of cost sheets, Budgeting and variance analysis, MIS reporting, Financial accounting, Tax-related work, Audit support, and many more.
NOTE: Training can also be done in any other areas approved by the Council.
CMA Articleship Registration Process
Step-by-Step Registration Process
- Get an offer letter: Obtain a written offer letter from your training organization. Before joining, verify that your supervisor meets the required CMA qualification and that the organization satisfies ICMAI’s eligibility criteria.
- Log in to the ICMAI student portal with your CMA Intermediate registration credentials.
- Submit the training registration form: Enter your employer and supervisor details, proposed training start date, and other required information. Upload the offer letter and proof of your supervisor’s qualification, if required.
- Get supervisor approval: Your training supervisor must log in to the ICMAI portal and approve your training request. The registration process moves forward once the supervisor confirms the request.
- Wait for ICMAI validation: ICMAI will review the submitted details and provide confirmation after validation. Keep the portal acknowledgement and confirmation for your records.
- Start training after confirmation: Begin your practical training only from the date confirmed by ICMAI. Keep proper records throughout the training period, as training cannot be backdated.
CMA Articleship Stipend
The stipend for the article varies depending on the employer, firm, or organization, and CMA levels. But as per the ICMAI, the minimum recommended stipend for cost and management trainees is as follows:
| Employer | 1st Year ₹ p.m |
2nd Year ₹ p.m |
3rd Year ₹ p.m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practicing Cost Accountant /Firm of Cost Accountants | 2,000 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
Corporates Organizations
|
Cities OR Town |
Pursuing CMA Intermediate Course |
Pursuing CMA Final Course |
CMA Final Qualified | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year1 | Year2 | Year3 | Year1 | Year2 | Year3 | |
| ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | ₹ p.m. | |
| Category X | 20000 | 22000 | 25000 | 25000 | 27000 | 30000 | 42000 | 45000 | 50000 |
| Category Y | 18000 | 20000 | 22000 | 22000 | 25000 | 27000 | 40000 | 42000 | 45000 |
| Category Z | 15000 | 18000 | 20000 | 20000 | 22000 | 25000 | 37000 | 40000 | 42000 |
To know more about the classification of towns and cities, refer to the annexure provided on the ICMAI official website.
CMA Practical Training Exemption
A large number of CMA aspirants might be working or have already worked in any of the recognized Organizations under finance, accounting, or cost management sections. To help such aspirants, ICMAI is providing an opportunity to claim exemption from Practical Training by following the procedures given below:
- By submitting an Online Form to the Directorate of Training and Placement Institute along with a payment of Rs.2000/-
- Scanned copy of Experience certificate.
- A letter mentioning the turnover of the company on the letterhead of the company, signed and sealed.
- Submission of a scanned copy of the salary slip attested by the employer.
Can You Change Your CMA Articleship Organization?
A CMA student can change the organization during practical training. But the student must inform ICMAI within 30 days of the change and should submit all the required documents. ICMAI currently allows not more than three changes within the 15 month training period. Students should therefore avoid changing organizations frequently unless there is a genuine reason, as every change is subject to the ICMAI rules and regulations.
How to Find CMA Articleship Opportunities?
After getting certain ideas about the training program, many aspirants often get stuck in finding the best articleship opportunities by :
- Connecting with CMA firms and Practising Cost Accountants
- Enquiring in company career pages
- Searching the job portals
- Colleges and CMA student networks
- Direct applications to eligible companies
- Referrals from seniors and other professionals
Apart from the above mentioned aspects, ICMAI itself publishes articleship opportunities. Thus, visiting their official websites regularly helps you to find better articleship opportunities.
Documents Required for CMA Practical Training
Students should keep the relevant documents ready for registration and completion of their practical training.
Depending on the type of training and applicable process, documents may include:
- CMA Intermediate registration details
- Training offer/appointment documentation
- Details of the employer or Practising Cost Accountant
- Training-related forms such as (T1 or T4)
- UDIN wherever applicable
- Experience certificate when changing organizations
- Form T 5 for completion of practical training
- Documents required for exemption, if applicable
How to Choose the Right CMA Training Organization?
Since the 15 month Articleship has the ability to build real exposure to your career aspirants must be very careful while choosing the training organization because currently there are many organizations that offer a good amount of stipend, but the real question lies in whether the training they are offering meets your requirements for achieving a successful career. So aspirants should do research about the organization by following the given factors:
- Career value
- Learning exposure
- A good work profile
- Whether the firm provides training in your area of interest
- Stipend
Apart from this, make sure to get detailed information based on your preferences.
FAQ's
Yes. CMA Practical Training is the official term used by ICMAI, while “CMA articleship” is commonly used by students and education websites to describe the same practical training requirement.
CMA practical training itself is regarded as a professional training job; ICMAI specifies 35 hours per week for a Cost & Management Trainee. But aspirants cannot claim that an unrelated regular job automatically counts as CMA practical training.
In order to gain industrial experience, aspirants should prioritize roles that involve actual analysis, reporting, costing, budgeting, and financial decision making.
The chance to get a full time job depends on factors such as CMA progress, practical skills, academic performance, communication skills, technical knowledge, organization, and work experience.
Yes, practical training can complement CMA Final preparation by helping students connect theoretical concepts with real business situations.