Chartered Accounting (CA(SA) route)

By the end, you can explain the full CA(SA) route, record transactions and read financial statements at a first-year level, and you are better prepared to apply for a SAICA-accredited degree and bursaries (this path does not qualify you as a CA).

Career pathwayAbout 60 hours3 stagesFree

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Career pathway. This is a regulated career. Online learning gives you strong foundations and a clear plan, but you will need to study and register formally to work in it. The route is explained on this page.

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A Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) is a senior finance professional qualified through SAICA, working in audit, financial reporting, tax, advisory and business leadership. It is one of South Africa's most respected qualifications, and there is ongoing demand for more CAs, especially from previously disadvantaged groups.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsUnderstand what a CA(SA) does, the steps to qualify, and the basic language of accounting.Task: Write your own CA(SA) roadmap: school subjects and marks needed, which universities near you offer a SAICA-accredited BCom, the postgraduate year, the three-year training contract and the professional exams. Add the bursaries you could apply for (including Thuthuka) and their closing dates.Core skillsBuild first-year financial accounting skills: double entry, adjustments and preparing financial statements.Task: Work through the first five chapters of the free OpenTuition FA lectures and notes. Then complete a set of books for an imaginary business for one month, including adjustments for depreciation, accruals and prepayments, and prepare a trial balance that balances.Applied practiceRead and question real financial statements the way a trainee auditor or analyst would.Task: Download the integrated annual report of a JSE-listed company. Find the auditor's report, the statement of financial position and the statement of profit or loss. Write a one-page summary: who the auditors are, what type of audit opinion was given, and three questions you would ask management about the numbers.

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What competent looks like

Can explain every step of the CA(SA) route and the entry requirements
Can record transactions and year-end adjustments and balance a trial balance
Can prepare a basic statement of profit or loss and statement of financial position
Can find and explain the audit opinion in a real annual report
Has a written plan with target universities and bursary deadlines

The South African route

SAICA sets the CA(SA) route: a National Senior Certificate with pure Mathematics (not Maths Literacy), a SAICA-accredited BCom, a postgraduate year (such as a PGDA or CTA), a three-year training contract with a SAICA-registered training office, and SAICA's professional assessments (described on SAICA's site as the ITC and APC). SAICA says the full route takes about seven years, and its Thuthuka Bursary Fund supports qualifying learners.

Free resources

Become a CA(SA): information for learners, including the Thuthuka Bursary
South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)
ACCA Financial Accounting (FA) free lectures
OpenTuition
ACCA Financial Reporting (FR) free lectures
OpenTuition

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Accounting student (SAICA-accredited BCom)
Trainee accountant (SAICA training programme)
Audit clerk or junior audit assistant
Accounts clerk
Bookkeeper (junior)