Audit · Standards on Auditing

The Standards on Auditing list, grouped and summarised.

Every SA in the 200–810 series, grouped by what it covers, with a one-line summary of each — a quick reference for practicing CAs, articled assistants and CA-Final students.

Reviewed July 2026
8 min read
CA Anil Agarwal & the TatvaBooks team

What are Standards on Auditing?

Standards on Auditing (SA) are the authoritative statements issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), through its Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, that prescribe the principles, procedures and reporting requirements a Chartered Accountant must follow when conducting an audit of financial statements. They are converged with the International Standards on Auditing (ISA) issued by the IAASB, adapted for the Indian regulatory environment — the Companies Act, 2013, the Chartered Accountants Act, and ICAI's own Code of Ethics.

SAs are mandatory for statutory audits under the Companies Act and are treated as the benchmark of due professional care more broadly. They are organised into blocks by subject, numbered 200 to 810 — the numbering is not fully sequential, and some numbers within a block are reserved or have been withdrawn over time.

SA 200–265 — General principles and responsibilities

This block sets the foundation: the auditor's overall objectives, engagement terms, quality control, documentation, fraud, laws and regulations, and communication with governance.

SA	Title	Summary
SA 200	Overall Objectives of the Independent Auditor	Sets the auditor's overall objectives — reasonable assurance, professional scepticism and judgement — and the concept of audit risk.
SA 210	Agreeing the Terms of Audit Engagements	Requires the preconditions for an audit to be established and the terms recorded in an engagement letter before work begins.
SA 220	Quality Control for an Audit of Financial Statements	Engagement-level quality control — direction, supervision, review, and engagement quality review where applicable.
SA 230	Audit Documentation	What working papers must record, and the timeframe for assembling the final audit file after the report date.
SA 240	The Auditor's Responsibilities Relating to Fraud	Distinguishes fraud from error, and sets the auditor's responsibility to obtain reasonable assurance the statements are free of material fraud-based misstatement.
SA 250	Consideration of Laws and Regulations	The auditor's responsibility to consider non-compliance with laws and regulations that may materially affect the financial statements.
SA 260	Communication with Those Charged with Governance	What must be communicated to those charged with governance — scope, timing, significant findings — and when.
SA 265	Communicating Deficiencies in Internal Control	Requires timely written communication of significant internal control deficiencies identified during the audit to management and governance.

SA 300–450 — Risk assessment and response

Covers planning, understanding the entity, identifying and assessing risk, materiality, and designing procedures that respond to assessed risk.

SA	Title	Summary
SA 300	Planning an Audit of Financial Statements	The overall audit strategy and detailed audit plan, and why planning is a continuous, iterative process.
SA 315	Identifying and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement	Understanding the entity, its environment and internal control to identify and assess risk at the financial-statement and assertion levels.
SA 320	Materiality in Planning and Performing an Audit	How overall materiality and performance materiality are set and revised through the audit.
SA 330	The Auditor's Responses to Assessed Risks	Designing and performing further audit procedures responsive to the assessed risks of material misstatement.
SA 402	Audit Considerations Relating to an Entity Using a Service Organisation	How to obtain evidence when the entity outsources a process (e.g. payroll processing) to a service organisation.
SA 450	Evaluation of Misstatements Identified During the Audit	Accumulating and evaluating identified misstatements against materiality, and communicating uncorrected misstatements.

SA 500–580 — Audit evidence

The largest block: how evidence is obtained, sampling, confirmations, estimates, related parties, subsequent events, going concern and management representations.

SA	Title	Summary
SA 500	Audit Evidence	What constitutes sufficient appropriate audit evidence and the procedures used to obtain it.
SA 501	Audit Evidence — Specific Considerations for Selected Items	Additional evidence requirements for inventory existence and condition, litigation and claims, and segment information.
SA 505	External Confirmations	Using confirmation requests (e.g. balance confirmations from debtors, banks) as audit evidence.
SA 510	Initial Audit Engagements — Opening Balances	Evidence requirements for opening balances when auditing an entity for the first time.
SA 520	Analytical Procedures	Using evaluations of financial information through analysis of plausible relationships as substantive procedures and in the overall review.
SA 530	Audit Sampling	Designing and selecting an audit sample, and evaluating the results of sample-based testing.
SA 540	Auditing Accounting Estimates, Including Fair Value	Audit procedures for estimates and the related disclosures, including management bias.
SA 550	Related Parties	Identifying related parties and related-party transactions, and evaluating whether they are appropriately accounted for and disclosed.
SA 560	Subsequent Events	Procedures for events between the balance sheet date and the report date, and after the report date, that affect the financial statements.
SA 570	Going Concern	Evaluating management's going-concern assessment and the adequacy of related disclosures; drives the Material Uncertainty Related to Going Concern paragraph.
SA 580	Written Representations	Obtaining written representations from management as audit evidence, and the consequences if management refuses to provide them.

SA 600–620 — Using the work of others

Applies when the auditor relies on another auditor, the entity's internal audit function, or an outside expert.

SA	Title	Summary
SA 600	Using the Work of Another Auditor	Responsibilities when the principal auditor uses the work of a component auditor (e.g. a branch or subsidiary audited by another firm).
SA 610	Using the Work of Internal Auditors	Evaluating and, where appropriate, using the work of the internal audit function to modify the nature, timing or extent of procedures.
SA 620	Using the Work of an Auditor's Expert	Evaluating the competence, capabilities and objectivity of an expert engaged by the auditor, and using their work as evidence.

SA 700–720 — Audit conclusions and reporting

Governs the auditor's report itself: the base format, Key Audit Matters, modified opinions, additional paragraphs, comparatives and other information.

SA	Title	Summary
SA 700	Forming an Opinion and Reporting on Financial Statements	Forming an opinion and setting the auditor's report structure — see our dedicated SA 700 page with a worked example.
SA 701	Communicating Key Audit Matters	Determining and describing Key Audit Matters in the auditor's report, mandatory for listed entities.
SA 705	Modifications to the Opinion	When and how to issue a qualified opinion, adverse opinion, or disclaimer of opinion.
SA 706	Emphasis of Matter and Other Matter Paragraphs	Adding an Emphasis of Matter paragraph (draws attention to a matter already disclosed) or Other Matter paragraph (a matter not disclosed but relevant to understanding the audit).
SA 710	Comparative Information — Corresponding Figures and Comparative Financial Statements	Auditor's responsibilities for prior-period figures presented for comparison.
SA 720	The Auditor's Responsibilities Relating to Other Information	Reading and considering other information in documents containing audited financial statements (e.g. the Board's report) for material inconsistency.

SA 800–810 — Specialised areas

A smaller block for engagements outside a standard general-purpose financial statement audit — special purpose frameworks, single statements, and summary financial statements.

SA	Title	Summary
SA 800	Special Considerations — Audits of Financial Statements Prepared per Special Purpose Frameworks	Applying the SAs when the financial statements are prepared under a special purpose framework rather than a general-purpose one.
SA 805	Special Considerations — Audits of Single Financial Statements and Specific Elements	Auditing a single statement (e.g. only the balance sheet) or a specific account or item, rather than a complete set of financial statements.
SA 810	Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements	The auditor's work when reporting on summary financial statements derived from audited financial statements.

This list reflects the standards ICAI has issued as of this review. ICAI periodically revises, withdraws or renumbers standards — verify the current, complete list and each standard's effective date on the ICAI website before relying on it for a live engagement or exam preparation.

Practical notes for a practicing CA

Learn the blocks, not just the numbers. The 200s/300s/500s/700s grouping mirrors the audit lifecycle — planning, risk, evidence, reporting. Knowing which block an unfamiliar SA sits in tells you roughly what it governs before you open it.
SA 230 documentation is your defence. If a peer reviewer, quality reviewer, or regulator later questions a conclusion, the working paper trail required under SA 230 is what you point to — not memory of what was done.
SA 315 and SA 330 are the engine room. Risk assessment procedures under SA 315 directly drive the nature, timing and extent of the further procedures required under SA 330 — a generic risk assessment produces a generic (and defensible-on-paper-only) audit programme.
Going concern (SA 570) is not a checkbox. Especially post-COVID and in a tightening credit environment, document the specific evidence supporting management's assessment, not just a statement that "no material uncertainty exists."
Standards are revised. "SA 700 (Revised)" and "SA 705 (Revised)" exist because ICAI updated the originals — always confirm you are working from the current version, and check for exposure drafts on standards under revision before an exam or a live engagement.

Where TatvaBooks fits

No SA changes what the underlying books look like — but cleaner books mean less substantive testing before you get anywhere near an opinion. TatvaBooks gives your audit clients GST-correct books, an append-only activity log, and Schedule III-ready financial statements, which shortens the SA 500-series evidence-gathering work on a routine audit. See what a CA practice gets on the for Chartered Accountants page.

Frequently asked questions

What are Standards on Auditing (SA) and who issues them?

Standards on Auditing are the authoritative statements issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), through its Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, that prescribe the principles and procedures a Chartered Accountant must follow when conducting a statutory audit under the Companies Act, 2013 and other applicable law. India's SAs are converged with the International Standards on Auditing (ISA) issued by the IAASB, with local numbering and, in places, India-specific requirements layered on.

How many Standards on Auditing are there in total?

The SAs are numbered 200 to 810 in blocks by subject (200s general principles, 300s risk assessment, 500s audit evidence, 600s using others' work, 700s conclusions and reporting, 800s specialised engagements), but the numbers are not sequential within each block — several numbers are reserved or withdrawn. The exact current count and status of each standard changes as ICAI issues revisions, so verify the live list on the ICAI website rather than relying on a fixed total.

Which SA governs the format of the audit report?

SA 700 (Forming an Opinion and Reporting on Financial Statements) governs the core structure and wording of the auditor's report. SA 701 (Key Audit Matters), SA 705 (Modifications to the Opinion) and SA 706 (Emphasis of Matter and Other Matter paragraphs) modify or extend that base format depending on the engagement. See our dedicated page on the SA 700 audit report format for a worked example.

Are Standards on Auditing mandatory for all audits in India?

SAs are mandatory for audits of financial statements under the Companies Act, 2013 and are treated as the benchmark of due professional care in other audit and assurance engagements a Chartered Accountant undertakes. Departure from an SA must be justified and documented — ICAI disciplinary and peer review processes treat unjustified non-compliance as a professional lapse. Confirm applicability to a specific non-company engagement (e.g. a trust or society audit) against the terms of that engagement and any sector regulator's requirements.

What is the difference between SA 230 and SA 700?

SA 230 governs audit documentation — what working papers must contain and when the final file must be assembled — which is an internal working requirement. SA 700 governs the auditor's report — the external deliverable communicating the opinion to shareholders and other users. Good SA 230 documentation is what lets you support the conclusions you state under SA 700 if the file is later reviewed.

Keep going.

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