From your first board meeting to ROC filings — the compliance calendar every new company should follow.
Incorporating a private limited company in India is now genuinely fast — in most cases, three to five working days from DSC application to certificate of incorporation. What catches most founders off guard is the compliance calendar that begins ticking the moment the CIN is issued.
Within 30 days of incorporation
- Hold the first Board of Directors meeting (mandatory within 30 days — penalty ₹25,000 per officer in default)
- Appoint a statutory auditor (Form ADT-1) within 30 days; auditor holds office until the first AGM
- Open a current account in the company's name and deposit the subscribed share capital
- Issue share certificates to all subscribers within 60 days
Within 180 days of incorporation
- File commencement of business declaration (Form INC-20A) — mandatory for companies that have received share capital; no operations until this is filed
- Register for GST if turnover threshold is met or if you are doing interstate supply
- Register for Professional Tax in states where applicable
"INC-20A is the most commonly missed filing in the first year. Failing to file it within 180 days attracts ₹50,000 penalty and can lead to the ROC striking off the company."
Ongoing annual obligations
- Hold at least four Board meetings per year (no two consecutive meetings more than 120 days apart)
- Hold an AGM within 9 months of the financial year end (i.e., by 31 December for companies following April–March year)
- File AOC-4 (financial statements) within 30 days of AGM
- File MGT-7A (annual return for small companies) within 60 days of AGM
- File DIR-3 KYC for every director by 30 September each year
The penalties for ROC filing defaults compound quickly — ₹100 per day per form, with no upper cap for most forms. A company that misses its AOC-4 and MGT-7 for two years can accumulate six figures in penalties before it realises the problem. The calendar is simple to maintain; the cost of not maintaining it is not.
