Chartered Accountant · ICAI M.No. 153926 · FRN 136869W
The annual checklist
- Board meetings + AGM
- Statutory audit of accounts
- ROC filings: AOC-4 (financials) and MGT-7 (annual return)
- Income-tax return
- Director KYC (DIR-3 KYC)
What missing them costs
ROC late fees run at ₹100 per day per form with no cap, directors’ DINs get deactivated, and persistent default can lead to strike-off. Our startup compliance service keeps you on schedule.
The first-year extras, and a calendar
A funded startup’s compliance is heavier than a dormant company’s, and the first year carries extras worth flagging. Soon after incorporation come the one-time steps: appoint the first auditor within 30 days (ADT-1), issue share certificates with stamp duty within 60 days, and file INC-20A to commence business within 180 days after the founders pay in their capital. Then the recurring annual cycle: at least four board meetings, an AGM, the statutory audit, AOC-4 within 30 days and MGT-7 within 60 days of the AGM, the income-tax return, and DIR-3 KYC for each director by 30 September. A startup that has raised foreign money adds the FLA return and any FC-GPR or FC-TRS filings; one that has issued ESOPs or fresh shares files the related forms (PAS-3, and MGT-14 where needed). DPT-3 and MSME-1 can apply too. Because ROC late fees run at ₹100 per day per form with no cap, and persistent default deactivates DINs and risks strike-off, a dated compliance calendar mapping each form to its trigger and due date is what keeps a fast-moving startup clean. Many founders outsource this so the team can focus on building. Confirm the forms that apply to your specific funding and cap-table events.