Bank concurrent audit empanelment is the process by which a practising Chartered Accountant firm gets appointed to conduct the concurrent audit of a bank’s branches or centralised processing units. It is not a one-time registration: each bank runs its own empanelment cycle, on its own portal, on its own annual calendar, drawing from firms that hold a valid Unique Code Number (UCN) and meet that bank’s eligibility criteria.
Three pieces get conflated in every search for “RBI concurrent audit empanelment”:
So the winning routine is: keep the UCN and MEF profile current, complete the ICAI Certificate Course on Concurrent Audit of Bank Branches, and watch each target bank's portal in the February–July stretch.
Windows are short and move every year — treat these as the pattern, and verify on the bank's own portal before applying.
Where the cycle stands as of 18 August 2026: most public-sector bank windows for the 2026-27 term ran between February and July and have now closed. If you are reading this in the second half of the year, the realistic move is to prepare for the next cycle rather than chase a closed one — get the UCN current, complete the ICAI Certificate Course on Concurrent Audit of Bank Branches if no partner holds it, and set portal alerts now, because the February–April announcements give very little notice.
| Bank | 2026-27 window | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Maharashtra | 16 Feb – 02 Mar 2026 | Online portal; window closed for 2026-27 |
| Canara Bank | 25 Apr – 09 May 2026 | Annual online empanelment |
| Bank of India | Applications until 15 Jul 2026 | Term typically Jul 2026 – Jun 2027 |
| Union Bank of India | Portal-based (eremit portal) | Watch the auditor-empanelment portal |
| Central Bank of India | Online empanelment, announced yearly | FY-wise notification |
| State Bank of India | Announced on bank website / PDC | Largest concurrent panel in the system |
Keep ready before any window opens:
Applications are marked, not first-come — experience, certifications and proximity decide the panel. Allotment letters typically follow within the quarter; acceptance usually requires taking charge at the branch within a stated window.
The concurrent checklist covers the 2019-circular scope areas; the LFAR and branch-statutory formats are there for when the statutory season lands on top of the concurrent term.
Running the firm's statutory audits alongside the bank season? Your first audit on CORAA is free.
It is the process by which a practising CA firm gets appointed to conduct concurrent audit of a bank's branches or centralised processing centres. Each bank runs its own empanelment — its own portal, application form, eligibility criteria, and annual window — rather than there being one national panel. A firm typically needs a valid Unique Code Number (UCN) and, for most public-sector banks, at least one partner who has completed the ICAI Certificate Course on Concurrent Audit of Bank Branches.
No — and this is the most common confusion. RBI prescribes the concurrent audit framework (circular RBI/2019-20/64 of 18 September 2019: risk-based coverage, ACB/LMC-approved scope, coverage of centralised processing centres), but each bank runs its own empanelment of CA firms, on its own portal, on its own calendar. What firms call the "RBI number" is the Unique Code Number (UCN) allotted through the RBI/ICAI bank-audit empanelment machinery — most banks ask for it in the concurrent application.
The common pattern across public-sector banks: a practising CA firm (proprietorship or partnership) with a valid UCN; the proprietor or a partner having completed the ICAI Certificate Course on Concurrent Audit of Bank Branches; DISA/CISA qualification weighted or preferred; and a cooling-off — a firm that was the same bank’s statutory auditor in the preceding two years is typically not considered. Individual banks add local criteria (staff strength, office location near the branch, prior bank-audit experience).
There is no single national window — each bank announces its own, usually between February and July for a term running July to June. In 2026, Bank of Maharashtra ran 16 Feb–2 Mar, Canara Bank 25 Apr–9 May, and Bank of India accepted applications to 15 July. Watch the bank websites, the ICAI PDC opportunities page, and regional-council announcements; the windows are short and strictly portal-based.
No. The Multipurpose Empanelment Form (MEF, meficai.org — ICAI’s Professional Development Committee) is the route to the bank-branch STATUTORY audit panel, normally opening around August–September each year. Concurrent audit panels are separate, bank-run processes — though several banks ask for your MEF number or draw from statutory panels, and the UCN travels across both.
The RBI circular makes coverage risk-based rather than a fixed checklist: the bank’s Audit Committee of the Board (or Local Management Committee) approves the scope; risk-sensitive areas per the bank’s business model must be covered; large-sample random transaction testing applies where required; and centralised processing centres for business origination and monitoring must be within scope. In practice: advances (sanction powers, security creation, end-use, excess drawings), deposits, KYC/AML, forex, treasury, and revenue leakage.
Fees are set by the bank, not RBI — the 2019 circular tells banks to fix remuneration commensurate with the scope and coverage of the audit and the auditor’s time. In practice fees vary widely by branch size and bank; the empanelment notification usually states the slab.
