The Annual Compliance Calendar for a Private Limited Company
Company compliance is unforgiving — MCA late fees accrue daily with no cap. Here is everything a private limited company owes each year, and roughly when.
Founders often register a private limited company for the credibility, then discover it carries an annual compliance load that a proprietorship does not. None of it is difficult, but the penalties for missing it are unusually harsh: MCA additional fees accrue for every day of delay with no upper limit.
Through the year
- Board meetings — a private limited company must hold at least four in a year, with a gap of no more than 120 days between them, and keep proper minutes
- Statutory registers — members, directors, charges, and related party contracts, kept current rather than reconstructed later
- TDS returns — quarterly, if the company deducts tax at source
- GST returns — monthly or quarterly, if registered
- Advance tax — payable in instalments across the year
After the financial year ends
The financial year closes on 31st March, and the sequence that follows is fixed: the accounts are finalised, then audited, then adopted at the annual general meeting, and only then filed. Each step depends on the one before it, which is why starting late compounds.
- Statutory audit — mandatory for every company regardless of turnover
- Annual General Meeting — generally held by 30th September for the year ended 31st March
- Form AOC-4 — financial statements filed with the MCA, typically within 30 days of the AGM
- Form MGT-7 or MGT-7A — the annual return, typically within 60 days of the AGM
- Income tax return — normally 31st October where audit applies
- DIR-3 KYC — for every director holding a DIN, usually by 30th September
Event-based filings
Separately from the annual cycle, certain events trigger their own filings with their own short deadlines — appointing or resigning a director, changing the registered office, altering share capital, creating or satisfying a charge, or auditor appointment and resignation. These are easy to overlook because they do not appear on any calendar until the event happens.
What it costs to fall behind
Additional fees on late MCA filings accumulate per day and, unlike most tax penalties, are not capped. A company that has not filed for two or three years can face a bill running into lakhs, plus the risk of director disqualification and the company being struck off. If you are behind, the first step is an assessment of the total exposure — not a filing spree.
A simpler approach
Most of this is predictable and can be scheduled. We maintain a compliance calendar for each company we act for, prepare the documentation ahead of each due date, and file on time. If your company has a backlog, we will quantify the exposure before doing anything, so there are no surprises.
This article is general information, not advice on your specific situation, and tax rules change frequently. Confirm the current position before acting — see our full disclaimer.