What does a private limited company file each year?
A working corporate compliance calendar for a private limited company: the recurring MCA, income-tax, TDS, and GST due dates through the year, who owns each one, and how to confirm a date on official sources before you rely on it.
In this guide
A corporate compliance calendar for a private limited company tracks the recurring filings the company owes each year across MCA, income tax, TDS, and GST. The anchor dates are the AGM-linked ROC filings (AOC-4 and MGT-7A), the annual DIR-3 KYC window, monthly and quarterly TDS and GST obligations, and the income-tax return and tax-audit dates. Exact dates depend on the company's AGM date and turnover, so confirm each one on the MCA and income-tax portals.
What does a corporate compliance calendar track?
A private limited company owes filings to more than one authority through the year. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs wants annual accounts and returns. The income-tax department wants a return, and a tax audit where turnover is high enough. TDS and GST run on their own monthly and quarterly clocks. A corporate compliance calendar is simply the list of those recurring obligations, arranged by when they fall due and who inside the company has to file them.
The dates below are the recurring statutory rules that repeat every year. Two of them, the ROC filings, are not fixed calendar dates: they are counted from your annual general meeting, so a company that holds its AGM early has earlier ROC deadlines than one that uses the full window. Treat the calendar as your baseline, then confirm the exact date for your company on the official portals.
When are AOC-4 and MGT-7A due?
These are the filings a private limited company sends to the Registrar of Companies each year. The financial-statement and annual-return dates are measured from the AGM, not from a fixed day in the calendar.
| Filing | What it covers | Usual due date |
|---|---|---|
| AGM | Annual general meeting | Within 6 months of financial year end (30 September for a 31 March year) |
| AOC-4 | Financial statements filed with ROC | Within 30 days of the AGM |
| MGT-7A | Annual return (small companies and OPCs) | Within 60 days of the AGM |
| DIR-3 KYC | Annual KYC for each director holding a DIN | Usually by 30 September |
| DPT-3 | Return of deposits and money not treated as deposits | Usually by 30 June for the year ended 31 March |
| MSME-1 | Half-yearly return of dues to MSME suppliers | By 30 April and 31 October |
What is the late fee for a delayed AOC-4?
An additional fee of 100 rupees per day per form runs from the day after the AOC-4 or MGT-7A due date, with no upper cap. That is set by the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014. A filing three months late therefore carries roughly 9,000 rupees of additional fee per form, on top of the normal fee slab based on paid-up capital.
Form ADT-1 for auditor appointment is filed within 15 days of the AGM that appoints or reappoints the auditor, so it appears in the years an appointment happens rather than every single year. If your company took deposits or has changed its facts, check whether extra event-based forms apply.
What are the company income-tax and TDS dates?
The tax side has an annual return and a monthly deduction rhythm. The return date depends on whether the company needs a tax audit.
| Obligation | Usual due date |
|---|---|
| Advance tax instalments | 15 June, 15 September, 15 December, 15 March |
| TDS deposit (non-March deduction) | 7th of the next month |
| TDS deposit (March deduction) | 30 April |
| Quarterly TDS returns (24Q, 26Q) | 31 July, 31 October, 31 January, 31 May |
| Tax audit report (where audit applies) | Usually 30 September of the assessment year |
| Income-tax return (company) | Usually 31 October of the assessment year |
A company that must get its accounts audited files its return by the later company date, not the July date that individuals use. Settle the audit question early, because it moves both the audit report date and the return date.
What interest applies to a late TDS deposit?
Interest runs at 1.5 percent per month or part of a month under section 201(1A) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 where tax was deducted but deposited late, counted from the date of deduction to the date of payment. Failure to deduct at all carries 1 percent per month. Part of a month counts as a full month, so a deposit one day past the 7th costs a full month of interest.
When are GSTR-1, GSTR-3B and GSTR-9 due?
If the company is registered under GST, add the return cycle. The exact pattern depends on whether the company files monthly or under the QRMP scheme.
| Return | Usual due date |
|---|---|
| GSTR-1 (monthly filer) | 11th of the next month |
| GSTR-3B (monthly filer) | 20th of the next month |
| GSTR-9 annual return | Usually 31 December of the next financial year |
QRMP filers report GSTR-1 and pay tax on a quarterly cadence with monthly payment challans, so the dates shift. Confirm which scheme your registration uses before you lock the GST rows.
Who files each ROC and tax form?
A calendar only works when each row has a named owner. In a small company one person often wears several hats, but the responsibilities still separate cleanly.
- Company secretary or compliance owner: the ROC pack (AOC-4, MGT-7A, ADT-1, DIR-3 KYC, DPT-3, MSME-1) and the board and AGM calendar behind it.
- Finance or accounts: TDS deposits and returns, advance tax, and the books that feed the financial statements.
- GST owner: monthly or quarterly GST returns and the annual return where it applies.
- Auditor and tax advisor: the statutory audit, the tax audit where turnover crosses the threshold, and the income-tax return.
How do I confirm a company filing date?
- Open the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal for ROC forms, filing status, and any MCA circular on due dates.
- Use the income-tax e-Filing portal for the tax calendar and CBDT notices on return or audit dates.
- Use the GST portal for return dates and CBIC notifications that change them.
- For the statute behind a filing, read the Companies Act, 2013 rather than relying on a summary.
An extension is only real when you can open an official circular or notification and read which forms and period it covers. If you cannot find that document, do not move the date.
Why do private company ROC filings slip?
- Treating AOC-4 and MGT-7A as fixed dates instead of counting them from the actual AGM date.
- Leaving DIR-3 KYC off the company calendar because it is a director-level filing, then losing a DIN to deactivation.
- Using the individual 31 July return date for a company that files by the later company date.
- Forgetting the half-yearly MSME-1 return where the company owes money to MSME suppliers.
- Building the calendar once and never re-checking it against official portals when a date is extended.
Where are MCA due-date changes published?
MCA publishes due-date changes as numbered general circulars and notifications, CBDT as orders under section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, and CBIC as numbered central tax notifications. Complied AI keeps those in one feed with the source document behind each change, so the monthly review starts from what moved. When the rule itself is the question, read section 137 next to the update rather than only the headline date. The compliance calendar holds every recurring corporate filing date with the rule and the provision behind it, so the schedule stays in one place as the dates move.
Practical checks
Common questions
What are the main annual compliances for a private limited company?
The core annual filings are the ROC financial statements in Form AOC-4 and the annual return in Form MGT-7A, both tied to the AGM date, plus DIR-3 KYC for directors, the income-tax return, and a tax audit report where turnover crosses the audit threshold. Monthly and quarterly TDS and GST obligations run alongside these.
When is the AGM due for a private limited company?
Under the Companies Act, 2013, a company must hold its annual general meeting within six months from the end of the financial year, so 30 September for a year ending 31 March, and the gap between two AGMs cannot exceed fifteen months. A first AGM has a longer window. The AOC-4 and MGT-7A due dates are counted from the actual AGM date.
Is DIR-3 KYC part of the company compliance calendar?
Yes. Every director holding a DIN must complete DIR-3 KYC each year within the MCA window, usually by 30 September. Missing it deactivates the DIN and attracts a reactivation fee, so it belongs on the company calendar even though it is a director-level filing.
How do I know if a due date has been extended?
An extension is reliable only when the MCA general circular or CBDT order carries a number, a date, and a stated list of forms and periods covered. CBDT extends return dates by order under section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961. Open the PDF on the regulator's own site and read the covered class before moving any calendar row.
Our AGM was on 25 September. When are AOC-4 and MGT-7A due?
An AGM held on 25 September puts AOC-4 at 25 October, thirty days after the meeting under section 137 of the Companies Act, 2013, and MGT-7A at 24 November, sixty days after the meeting under section 92(4). ADT-1 falls on 10 October, fifteen days after the AGM, in a year where the auditor is appointed or reappointed.
We are a small private company. Do we file MGT-7 or MGT-7A?
A small company and a one person company file the abridged annual return in Form MGT-7A, not MGT-7, under rule 11 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014. Both are due within sixty days of the AGM under section 92(4) of the Companies Act, 2013. Small-company status is tested on paid-up capital and turnover under section 2(85).
We had no transactions all year. Do we still file AOC-4 and MGT-7A?
Yes. A dormant or zero-transaction private limited company still files AOC-4 and MGT-7A. Section 137 of the Companies Act, 2013 requires the financial statements within thirty days of the AGM regardless of activity, and section 92(4) requires the annual return within sixty days. Additional fee of 100 rupees per day per form runs from the due date with no cap.
Publication method
How this guide was prepared
This guide is published by the Complied AI research desk. Its source list and stated position were checked against the official records shown below on 10 August 2026.
Automation, including AI, may assist research, drafting and structure. It does not replace the official record or amount to an independent professional review. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.
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