Website for a CA or CS firm: what ICAI rules allow and what they don't

Most CA partners we speak to want a proper website but hold back for one reason: they are not sure what ICAI will accept. That caution is sensible. Under the Chartered Accountants Act, not following Council guidelines can be treated as professional misconduct. The good news is that the rules are clear enough to build a site that is useful, credible and fully within bounds. This post walks through what is allowed, what is not, and how a compliant site can still bring in enquiries.

Can a CA firm have a website at all?

Yes. ICAI first issued guidelines for members' and firms' websites in 2001, and the current version was revised at the 388th Council meeting in February 2020. It sits in Volume II of the Code of Ethics. The guidelines exist precisely so that a website does not breach the rules against solicitation and advertising in Clauses (6) and (7) of Part I of the First Schedule to the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949.

The core idea is that a CA website must work on a "pull" model, not a "push" model. Information is there for someone who comes looking for it. The site should not be pushed out to people who did not ask, through mass emails or similar channels.

What can you put on a CA firm website?

The guidelines allow factual, professional information. In practice that covers:

• The firm's name, and the year it was established.
• Head office and branch addresses, phone numbers and email IDs.
• Partner details: names, qualifications and contact details.
• The services the firm provides, presented for a visitor who looks for them rather than pushed at them.
• Articles, professional information, news and job openings.
• Passport-style photographs of partners.
• Educational videos.
• Links to government, regulatory and professional bodies.

Two housekeeping points come with this. The website address should be intimated to ICAI within 30 days, and the site should show the date up to which it was last updated. The information on the site should also match what ICAI has on record for the firm and its partners.

What does ICAI not allow on a CA website?

ICAI's advisory of 14 October 2020 lists 29 prohibited contents and features, and says the list is not exhaustive. The ones that most often catch firms out are:

• Client names or client logos, and testimonials that name clients.
• Professional fees, or any mention of free services.
• The firm name designed as a logo or monogram.
• Words like "leading", "best" or "top" firm, and subjective claims such as "best quality services".
• Awards, gradings by any organisation or survey, and media coverage of the firm.
• A "why choose us" section.
• Photos other than passport style, including event photo galleries.
• Videos other than educational ones, such as a firm profile video.
• ISO or other certifications, empanelments and affiliations with national or international organisations.
• Logos of government departments or schemes, and claims of liaising with government offices.
• CSR, donations and social activities.
• Non-professional updates such as general news, weather, or greeting cards.
• Pop-ups, push notifications, and online chat or consultation windows.
• Links to social media accounts that carry non-professional or prohibited content.
• Banner ads, sponsorships, and links to commercial businesses.

The spirit behind the list is clear. A CA firm website is an information desk, not a billboard.

What about company secretaries and ICSI rules?

Practising company secretaries follow ICSI's Guidelines for Advertisement by Company Secretaries, 2020. The rules follow the same principle: factual information is allowed; solicitation and self-praise are not.

Under ICSI guidelines, a CS can state their name, firm name, address, contact details and professional qualifications, and factual statements about areas of practice. But they cannot use terms such as "expert", "specialist" or "best", cannot publish client names, fees or testimonials, and cannot use photographs other than passport size. The advertisement or website must not be derogatory or bring the profession into disrepute.

If you run an integrated CA and CS practice, the safest approach is to apply the stricter rule wherever they differ, which in practice means treating both lists as requirements.

How to handle grey areas safely

A few common features sit in a grey area where firms often get contradictory advice:

• WhatsApp click-to-chat. A static link to a WhatsApp number so an enquirer can message the firm is usually acceptable on a pull model, because the visitor initiated the action. An automated WhatsApp pop-up that jumps out at a visitor is not.
• Enquiry forms. A simple "get in touch" form with name, email, phone and message is standard. A form asking for client financial data before an engagement has started is best avoided.
• Case studies. Factual, anonymised descriptions of problems solved can work if they do not name the client or make comparative claims. But because ICAI prohibits testimonials and client references, many conservative firms choose to skip case studies entirely and let articles demonstrate competence instead.
• Firm logo. The guidelines specifically prohibit a logo or monogram of the firm name. The firm name should appear in standard typography. A partner's personal initials or family emblem used as a firm logo is a common point of objection.

Our rule when building for CA clients is simple: if a feature could reasonably be argued as solicitation, we leave them off. For any feature you are unsure about, check ICAI's or ICSI's current guidelines, or ask the Institute, before it goes live. Guidelines are revised from time to time, and the current published version is the one that counts.

Your checklist: what to put on and what to leave off

Put on the site:

• Firm name as plain text, year of establishment, and every office address.
• Phone numbers, email IDs and a simple enquiry form.
• Partner names, qualifications and passport-style photos.
• A clear, factual list of services, with a plain-language page for each.
• Articles, regulatory updates and compliance notes.
• Links to ICAI or ICSI, government and regulatory sites.
• A "last updated on" date.

Leave off the site:

• Client names, logos and named testimonials.
• Fees, packages and "free consultation" offers.
• "Best", "leading", "top", "expert" and similar claims.
• Awards, rankings, certifications, empanelments and media mentions.
• "Why choose us" sections and event photo galleries.
• A logo or monogram of the firm name.
• Pop-ups and anything that pushes content at visitors.

How does a compliant CA website still bring in enquiries?

A compliant site is not a weak site. The rules stop you from praising yourself. They do not stop you from being found and being useful, and that is what actually brings enquiries.

Be found. A business owner searching for help with GST registration or a tax notice is looking for exactly what you do. Clear service pages with the words people actually search, a fast mobile site and correct name, address and phone details help you show up. Our post on local SEO for Indian service businesses covers the basics.

Be useful. Articles and regulatory updates are allowed, and they are the most honest form of credibility a firm has. A plain explanation of a new compliance requirement or an upcoming filing date earns search traffic and shows how the firm thinks, without a single claim about being the best.

Be easy to reach. Every page should make the next step obvious: a phone number, an email and a short enquiry form that reaches the right person. A visitor who has already read your article on a filing deadline should not have to hunt for how to contact you.

This is how we approach a website for CA firms: factual, clear and built around service pages and useful content, with the ICAI list kept in mind from the first draft.

Sources

• ICAI, Advisory: Website Guidelines of the Institute (No. M-626/14/2020, 14 Oct 2020): [icai.org](https://icai.org/post/advisory-website-guidelines-of-the-institute)
• ABC Audit summary of the ICAI advisory, 29 prohibited contents: [abcaus.in](https://abcaus.in/icai/icai-advisory-website-guidelines-cas-prohibited-contents-features.html)
• SAG Infotech, ICAI guidelines for a chartered accountant website (permitted contents, pull model, 30-day intimation): [blog.saginfotech.com](https://blog.saginfotech.com/icai-guidelines-for-a-chartered-accountant-website)
• TaxGuru, analysis of ICSI Guidelines for Advertisement by Company Secretaries, 2020: [taxguru.in](https://taxguru.in/chartered-accountant/icsi-guidelines-advertisement-company-secretary-analysis.html)
• ICSI, Guidelines for Advertisement by Company Secretaries, 2020 (original PDF): [icsi.edu](https://icsi.edu/media/webmodules/Guidelines%20for%20Advertisement%20by%20Company%20Secretaries,%202020.pdf)