The Post-Incorporation Compliance Map: Month-by-Month for an Indian Pvt Ltd

A newly incorporated Indian private limited company owes a predictable sequence of compliances — starting with INC-20A within 180 days, the first board meeting within 30 days, GST and TDS once thresholds hit, PF/ESI on hiring, and the annual ROC cycle every year after. Here's the map, laid out by when each obligation fires, so a young startup tracks the right thing at the right time instead of discovering it late.

First 30–180 days after incorporation

• First board meeting — within 30 days of incorporation; minimum four board meetings a year thereafter.
• Auditor appointment (ADT-1) — appoint the first statutory auditor within 30 days; notify the ROC.
• INC-20A (commencement of business) — file within 180 days of incorporation before you operate or borrow. Missing it is a common early slip.
• Bank account, capital infusion, and — if foreign money is involved — the FEMA filings (FC-GPR within 30 days of allotment).
• DPIIT recognition if eligible (unlocks benefits — see the compliance side of DPIIT).

As you cross thresholds

• GST registration — on crossing turnover thresholds or on inter-state/e-commerce supply; then monthly/quarterly returns (GST late fees).
• TDS — once you make payments requiring deduction; monthly deposit + quarterly returns (the three TDS penalties).
• PF / ESI — on hiring (ESI at 10 employees, PF at 20) — applicability and due dates.
• Professional tax / Shops & Establishment — per state, soon after you start operating in each (state-wise PT).

Every year, ongoing

• ROC annuals — AOC-4, MGT-7, DIR-3 KYC (by 30 Sep), DPT-3 (by 30 Jun) — the full ROC calendar.
• Income-tax return and tax audit (if applicable), advance tax in instalments.
• FLA Return (by 15 Jul) if you have foreign investment.
• Statutory registers maintained throughout (why they matter).

On a funding round (whenever it happens)

A raise triggers its own cluster — PAS-3, MGT-14, valuation, share certificates, FC-GPR — on a 30-day clock from allotment.

The point: it's a timeline, not a list

Compliance for a new startup isn't a flat checklist — it's a sequence that unfolds as you cross milestones (incorporate, hire, cross turnover, raise). Tracking it by when each fires is what keeps a young company clean and diligence-ready from the start.

Get your timeline generated automatically

ComplianceStack builds your applicable timeline from your company profile — what's due now, what fires as you grow, who owns it, and the evidence — so a new Pvt Ltd never discovers an obligation late. Get your free compliance health check.

General information, not legal advice. Timelines depend on your specifics and change by notification — confirm with your CA/CS.