National Treasury Chartered Accountants Academy 2027

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The National Treasury’s Chartered Accountants Academy (CAA) takes on CTA graduates as trainee accountants for three years of full-time training towards the CA(SA) designation, with the training done inside government rather than at an audit firm. The intake for 2027 was listed on Treasury’s e-Recruitment system on 4 September 2026 under reference CAA – 2027. It closes on Friday, 2 October 2026 at 12:00 midday.

The CTA requirement and the January 2027 IAC

The only essential requirement in the 2027 CAA advert is a Certificate in the Theory of Accounting (CTA), or an equivalent qualification, that meets the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants’ (SAICA) requirements for writing the Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC) in January 2027. In practice, that means applicants should be finishing or have finished their CTA year and be eligible for the next IAC sitting. The advert sets no age limit, average mark or field restriction beyond this, and it does not mention a bursary or study support for the CTA itself.

Treasury also asks for a South African ID with the application, and it states that it is an equal opportunity employer that encourages applications from people living with disabilities, noting that its buildings are accessible.

Training in the public sector, in four cities

Treasury describes the CAA as a way to develop the Professional Values, Attitudes and Acumens (PVAAs) that SAICA’s CA(SA) route requires, while exposing trainees to the public sector to help close its skills shortage. Trainees are meant to work on financial management reform and take part in policy development alongside their technical training. The e-Recruitment listing says the specific learning areas will be set by the Treasury units where each trainee is placed.

Successful candidates are allocated to participating offices in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The advert does not let applicants choose a city, so anyone who can only work in one of the four should expect that Treasury may place them elsewhere.

Salary level 8 on the e-Recruitment listing

The PDF advert gives no pay figure, but the CAA listing on Treasury’s e-Recruitment system shows public service salary level 8, R413,001 to R486,501 a year, excluding benefits. Treasury has not published a separate trainee pay scale, so the final offer may differ; confirm it at appointment.

Uploading your application before midday on 2 October

Treasury only accepts applications through e-Recruitment. Its careers page says it no longer takes applications by email, post or hand delivery, and that the system removes each advert from public view at 12:00 on the closing date, after which there is no way to apply. Register a profile, find the Chartered Accountants Academy (CAA) 2027 listing under Browse Jobs, and attach:

• a CV;
• your Grade 12 certificate;
• tertiary certificates, if already issued;
• your South African ID;
• the application form;
• your full official academic record.

The careers page adds that certified documents such as the ID and qualifications must carry a certification date no older than six months. The advert does not say which application form it means. Questions about the advert or technical problems with e-Recruitment go to the recruitment support team at Recruitment.Enquiries@treasury.gov.za. Applicants who hear nothing by early January 2027, three months after the deadline, should regard their application as unsuccessful.

Students who have not yet reached CTA can compare funding for the earlier years on our chartered accountant bursaries list, including the SAICA Thuthuka bursary. SAICA’s own programmes are on the SAICA provider profile.

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