Article · 15 min read

Annual Compliance Checklist for Startups

ClearTax Free Beginner India

This is the single checklist that tells a first-time founder every recurring ROC and MCA filing a Pvt Ltd owes each year and in what order: auditor appointment within 30 days, then ADT-1, AOC-4 (financials, within 30 days of the AGM), MGT-7/7A (annual return, within 60 days), and DIR-3 KYC. It maps each form to its trigger so you can see why missing one cascades into others going overdue. This is the artifact you hand your CA or CS to confirm nothing is being dropped.

  • The core annual stack is ADT-1, AOC-4, MGT-7/7A and DIR-3 KYC, plus one-time INC-20A (commencement of business) within 180 days of incorporation.
  • Deadlines chain off the AGM (by 30 September), so a late AGM instantly makes AOC-4 and MGT-7 overdue too, which is how founders rack up per-day penalties.
  • Non-compliance is not a slap on the wrist: sustained ROC default leads to DIN deactivation, director disqualification, and eventual company strike-off.
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The question it answers

  1. Do I really need a company secretary, a CA, and an auditor for a Pvt Ltd, and when?

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