The First-Year Compliance Checklist Every Indian Startup Needs
Just incorporated? Here's exactly what your company must file in its first year — and the deadlines that catch founders off guard.
CA Rahul Verma
Senior Manager — Corporate Compliance · · 3 min read
Incorporation feels like the finish line, but for compliance it's the starting gun. Here's what a newly registered private limited company must handle in year one.
Within 30 days
- Appoint your first auditor (Form ADT-1)
- Open a current account and deposit subscription capital
- Apply for GST registration if applicable
Within 180 days
- File the commencement of business declaration (Form INC-20A)
- Ensure subscription money is fully paid in
Ongoing and annual
Beyond one-time items, your company runs on a recurring calendar: board meetings each quarter, TDS and GST filings monthly or quarterly, and annual ROC filings (AOC-4 and MGT-7) plus your income tax return.
The costliest mistake founders make isn't a wrong filing — it's not knowing a filing was due at all.
Don't forget DPIIT recognition
If you qualify, DPIIT recognition under Startup India unlocks angel-tax exemption and a three-year tax holiday under Section 80-IAC. It's one of the highest-value things you can do in year one — and it's easy to overlook.
