How to Choose Practice Management Software for a CA Firm: 30-Point Checklist
Short answer: Write down the few things your firm cannot work without, score every shortlisted vendor on the same 30 points (workflow, time and billing, clients and documents, India compliance, security and data, and commercials), send each one the same written questions, then trial the top two on your own clients through one full compliance cycle. Choose the tool that clears your must-haves at the lowest three-year cost, not the one with the longest feature list.
Last updated 13 October 2026. Written for CA, audit and tax firms in India. MyPract is our product; this checklist includes points where it scores poorly, and we list them below.
Most firms choose practice software after one demo and a price quote. The demo shows the vendor's best workflow on sample data, and the quote leaves out setup, consulting and add-ons. This guide gives you a fairer method: one checklist, one set of written questions and one trial plan, applied to every vendor. For our ranked shortlist, see the best practice management software for CA firms.
How should you use this checklist?
- Mark your must-haves. Pick five to eight of the 30 points that are deal-breakers for your firm. A tool that fails any of them is out, however well it scores elsewhere.
- Score each point 0, 1 or 2. 0 = not available, 1 = partly or through a workaround or add-on, 2 = works fully on the plan you would buy.
- Score from evidence. A pricing page, a help article or a test in the trial counts. "It's coming" does not.
- Compare totals only between tools that pass your must-haves.
What are the six areas to check?
| Area | Points | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Work and workflow | 1–6 | Whether recurring compliance and audits run without spreadsheets |
| Time and billing | 7–11 | Whether effort turns into invoices without leakage |
| Clients, documents and portal | 12–16 | Whether client records and files live with the work |
| India compliance | 17–21 | Whether the tool fits DSCs, UDINs, GST and Income Tax work |
| Security, data and access | 22–26 | Whether client data is safe, controlled and portable |
| Commercials and vendor | 27–30 | What it really costs and how easily you can leave |
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| # | Criterion | What to ask or test |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engagements | Can each assignment carry a client, manager, dates, budget hours and fee? |
| 2 | Tasks and dependencies | Can tasks have subtasks, assignees, due dates and "can't start until" links? |
| 3 | Recurring compliance | Does the next GSTR-1, TDS or advance-tax task create itself, or does someone add it each period? |
| 4 | Checklist templates | Can you apply a standard audit or compliance checklist to a new engagement in one step? |
| 5 | Views | List, Kanban, calendar and a "my work" view for each person? |
| 6 | Mobile access | Native Android and iOS apps, or a web app that works in a phone browser? Test it on a staff member's phone. |
Time and billing (points 7–11)
| # | Criterion | What to ask or test |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Time capture | Timesheet and timer, billable and non-billable, against engagements and tasks? |
| 8 | Approvals and locks | Can managers approve time and lock past periods so approved hours can't be edited? |
| 9 | Rates | Can bill rates differ by person, client or engagement? |
| 10 | Invoicing from time | Can you raise an invoice from approved, unbilled time, with entries linked to it? Fixed-fee invoices too? |
| 11 | Payments and recurring invoices | Can clients pay online from the invoice? Can retainer invoices go out automatically each month? |
Clients, documents and portal (points 12–16)
| # | Criterion | What to ask or test |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Client import | Can you import your existing client list from Excel, with PAN, GSTIN and duplicate checks? |
| 13 | Documents | Folders by client and engagement, version history, preview in the browser? |
| 14 | Client portal | Can clients upload files and send messages securely? Are portal users charged as seats? |
| 15 | Client reminders and messaging | Does the tool chase pending documents automatically by email or WhatsApp? |
| 16 | E-signature, proposals and engagement letters | Can clients sign engagement letters or documents inside the tool? |
India compliance (points 17–21)
| # | Criterion | What to ask or test |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | DSC register | Holder, class, expiry, token custody and usage log? Expiry reminder emails? |
| 18 | UDIN | Can you record UDINs against engagements and documents? ICAI requires UDINs on certificates, GST and tax audit reports and other attest work.[1] |
| 19 | GST portal data | Filing status, notices, ledgers and GSTR-2B reconciliation for every client with a GSTIN? Through which licensed provider? |
| 20 | Income Tax and TRACES | Does it fetch Income Tax and TRACES notices, demands and filing status? |
| 21 | Integrations | Tally or other ledger integration, a public API, Zapier or similar? |
Security, data and access (points 22–26)
| # | Criterion | What to ask or test |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Hosting location | Which country and cloud region holds your data and backups? |
| 23 | Roles and permissions | Can article assistants be limited to their own work, and fees hidden from staff? |
| 24 | Sign-in | Two-factor authentication, single sign-on or Google sign-in? |
| 25 | Audit log and recovery | Is there an activity log and a trash where deleted items can be restored? |
| 26 | Data protection and exit | Is the privacy policy written for the DPDP Act 2023? How are breaches reported? Can you export everything in usable formats? |
The DPDP Rules, 2025 were notified on 14 November 2025, with an eighteen-month period for phased compliance,[2] so ask points 22 and 26 in writing.
Commercials and vendor (points 27–30)
| # | Criterion | What to ask or test |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Three-year cost | Licence for your team size, setup fee, consulting, storage, add-on modules and GST, in rupees? |
| 28 | Pricing model | Per user, per organisation or flat? Prices in rupees or US dollars? Monthly or annual only? |
| 29 | Trial terms | How long? Card required? Does it convert to a paid plan automatically? |
| 30 | Support and onboarding | Support hours in IST, implementation help, and who migrates your data? |
Dollar-priced tools also add bank forex charges and 18% GST on imported services to the headline price. Our comparisons put published prices side by side.
Where does MyPract score weakly on this checklist?
We built MyPract, so here is our own honest scoring. These points score 0 for MyPract today:
- 6, mobile access: MyPract has no native Android or iOS app; it is a responsive web app.
- 3 and 4, recurring and checklists: it does not create the next recurring task automatically or apply a checklist template in one step.
- 11, payments and recurring invoices: it does not collect payments or send recurring invoices automatically.
- 15 and 16: no automated client reminders, no WhatsApp, and no e-signature, proposals or engagement letters (e-signature is built but not switched on).
- 17, partly: it has a DSC register but does not send expiry reminder emails.
- 18 and 20: MyPract does not track UDINs and has no Income Tax or TRACES sync.
- 21: it does not integrate with Tally or any ledger, and has no public API or Zapier integration.
- 24: email and password only; it does not offer SSO or Google sign-in.
Where it scores well: engagements, tasks with dependencies, time approvals and period locks, rate rules, invoices from approved time, client import with row checks, documents with versions, a client portal that doesn't charge client users, read-only GST portal data, six roles, an activity log and trash, India hosting, rupee pricing and a three-month trial that needs no card. Tools such as Jamku, ERPCA and TaxDome score higher on several of the weak points; see MyPract vs Jamku, MyPract vs ERPCA and MyPract vs TaxDome. Check our claims against the facts page.
Copyable RFP and evaluation template
Paste this into an email to each shortlisted vendor. Ask for written answers, a link to the pricing or help page behind each one, and "Not available" where a feature doesn't exist.
Subject: Practice management software evaluation – [Firm name]
About us
- Firm: [name], [city]. Team: [number] users ([partners/managers/staff/articles]).
- Clients: about [number]; work mix: [audit / GST / income tax / TDS / ROC / advisory].
- Current tools: [Excel / tax software / accounting software].
- Decision by: [date]. Budget: [₹ per year, excl. GST].
Please answer each point: Yes / Partly / No, with a link.
1. Engagements with client, manager, dates, budget hours and fee.
2. Tasks with subtasks, assignees, due dates and dependencies.
3. Recurring compliance tasks created automatically each period.
4. Checklist templates applied to an engagement in one step.
5. List, Kanban, calendar and personal "my work" views.
6. Native Android/iOS apps, or a mobile browser version.
7. Timesheet and timer, billable and non-billable.
8. Manager approval of time and locking of past periods.
9. Bill rates by person, client and engagement.
10. Invoices from approved time; fixed-fee invoices.
11. Online payment collection; automatic recurring invoices.
12. Excel/CSV client import with PAN, GSTIN and duplicate checks.
13. Document folders, version history and browser preview.
14. Client portal; are portal users charged?
15. Automated client reminders; email or WhatsApp.
16. E-signature, proposals and engagement letters.
17. DSC register with custody, expiry and reminder emails.
18. UDIN recording against engagements.
19. GST portal data: filing status, notices, ledgers, GSTR-2B. Which GSP?
20. Income Tax and TRACES notices, demands and filing status.
21. Tally/ledger integration, public API, Zapier.
22. Country and cloud region of data and backups.
23. Role-based access; can staff be kept from seeing fees?
24. Two-factor authentication, SSO, Google sign-in.
25. Activity log; restore of deleted items.
26. DPDP Act privacy policy, breach reporting, full data export.
27. Three-year total for [number] users: licence, setup,
consulting, storage, add-ons, GST.
28. Pricing model and currency; monthly or annual billing.
29. Trial length, card requirement, automatic conversion.
30. Support hours (IST), onboarding and data migration help.
Please also share: two references from firms of our size in India,
and your standard contract and data processing terms.
How should you run the evaluation?
- Shortlist three tools from your must-haves and the published prices. Our pricing page and comparisons are a starting point.
- Send the template above to all three on the same day, and give them the same deadline.
- Score the written answers 0, 1 or 2 per point. Drop any tool that fails a must-have.
- Trial the top two on real work. Import your actual client list, set up one audit and one recurring compliance engagement, log a week of time and raise one invoice. Run it through at least one GST or TDS due date.
- Ask the people who'll use it. A manager and an article assistant should score usability, not only partners.
- Compare three-year cost, then decide.
How we checked
On 13 October 2026 we checked ICAI's UDIN announcement and the Press Information Bureau's note on the DPDP Rules, 2025. Competitor strengths come from our existing comparisons, each checked against the vendor's own pages. MyPract's scores come from our published facts page and the features page. We do not publish statistics on what firms choose because we have not surveyed them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose practice management software for my CA firm?
List the few things you cannot work without, score each shortlisted tool on the same checklist, send every vendor the same written questions, and run a trial on your own clients through at least one GST or TDS cycle before you pay.
How many vendors should I shortlist?
Three is usually enough. Fewer gives you no comparison; more means nobody has time to test each one properly with real work.
How long should a software trial last for a CA firm?
Long enough to cover one full compliance cycle, so ideally a month or more. Check the trial terms, whether a card is needed and whether the trial converts to a paid plan automatically.
What should I ask a vendor about data security?
Where client data is stored, who can access it, how access is controlled by role, how a breach would be reported, and how you get all your data out if you leave. The DPDP Rules, 2025 make these questions more pressing for Indian firms.
Does MyPract meet every point on this checklist?
No. MyPract does not have native mobile apps, Income Tax or TRACES sync, UDIN tracking, e-signature, payment collection, Tally integration or a public API. It scores well on engagement workflow, time approvals and billing, India hosting and rupee pricing. Score it like any other vendor.
Should I include price in the score?
Yes, but as total cost over three years, including setup, consulting, storage, add-on modules and GST, not just the headline per-user price.
Put MyPract through the checklist
Score MyPract like any other vendor. The trial runs for three months with no card, which is long enough for a full GST quarter, and it never converts to a paid plan automatically.
Try MyPract free for 3 months
No card required, and the trial never converts to a paid plan automatically.
Start your free trialSources
[1] ICAI, UDIN Being Made Mandatory in 2nd Phase for GST & Tax Audit Reports, 14 March 2019 (checked 13 October 2026).
[2] Press Information Bureau, DPDP Rules, 2025 Notified, 17 November 2025 (checked 13 October 2026).
Related reading
- MyPract vs Jamku: Which CA Practice Management Software Is Right for Your Firm in 2026?Looking for a Jamku alternative? Compare MyPract and Jamku on pricing, time-to-invoice billing, client portal, portal sync and trial terms.
- MyPract vs Zoho Practice: Which Is Better for Indian CA Firms in 2026?Looking for a Zoho Practice alternative? MyPract works whatever ledger your clients use, includes a client portal and bills approved time.
- MyPract vs TaxDome: All-in-One Breadth or AI-Native Value?Looking for a TaxDome alternative? MyPract is a global, AI-native platform that costs under 6% of TaxDome Pro for 10 users, with no multi-year lock-in.
- MyPract vs ERPCA: Which CA Office Software Gives Better Value in 2026?Looking for an ERPCA alternative? MyPract is cheaper for teams of up to 6 users and adds approval-controlled, time-to-invoice billing.
Start with the best practice management software for CA firms, or see every comparison, MyPract pricing, all features or MyPract at a glance.