Annual ROC compliance is treated by many founders as a once-a-year chore handled by the chartered accountant. The result: penalties, director disqualification risks, scrambles in October, and — for the unlucky — defunct status on the Registrar's records.
Below is a working calendar of the seven dates every private limited company director must mark — and the consequences of missing each one.
March 31 · End of Financial Year
Not a filing date, but the date from which most subsequent deadlines run. Books must close, inventory must be physically verified, debtor confirmations sent, accruals computed. Companies that close late deliver late.
May 30 · DIR-3 KYC
Every director (whether active or not) must file Form DIR-3 KYC annually. Missing this deactivates the DIN, freezing the director's ability to sign any company document. Reactivation requires a ₹5,000 penalty plus reapplication. Trivial filing, catastrophic if missed.
July 31 / October 31 · Income Tax Return
Companies (and partnerships, including LLPs requiring audit) file by October 31. Companies not requiring audit and individuals by July 31. Late filing attracts penalty of ₹5,000 (₹10,000 after December 31) and forfeits the right to carry forward business losses.
September 30 · Statutory Audit Completion
Mandatory for private limited companies regardless of turnover. The audit report must be signed and the financials adopted by the board before the AGM — practically meaning audit work must be substantially complete by mid-September.
The most expensive compliance error is treating ROC and tax deadlines as the chartered accountant's problem. They are the director's problem — and the director's liability.
September 30 · Annual General Meeting
Must be held within six months of FY-end. Notice must go out 21 clear days in advance. Minutes, attendance, and resolutions must be recorded. We see founders skip the AGM entirely, treating it as paperwork — until they need a fresh share allotment and discover that years of un-passed resolutions have created a compliance hole.
October 30 · AOC-4 · Financial Statements
Filed within 30 days of the AGM. Includes the balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow, and director's report. Penalty for late filing: ₹100 per day, no cap. We have seen ₹50,000+ penalties accrue from missed October deadlines.
November 29 · MGT-7 · Annual Return
Filed within 60 days of the AGM. Discloses shareholding, indebtedness, charges, and board composition. The form is more substantive than AOC-4 and requires careful preparation. Missing it has the same ₹100/day penalty.
The Compliance Discipline
Set calendar reminders 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before each date. Maintain a shared compliance tracker. Engage your CA / CS in February, not September. And treat board minutes as legally significant documents — because they are.
Our retainer clients receive automated reminders ahead of every statutory deadline, and our partners review their calendar monthly. The discipline is not difficult — it simply must be installed.