Compliance and Regulatory Framework for Business
ROC and board filings
The compliance framework is calendar-driven. AOC-4, the financial statements, is filed within 30 days of the AGM. MGT-7, the annual return, is filed within 60 days of the AGM. DIR-3 KYC is filed by every director who holds a DIN by 30 September each year. DPT-3 covers deposits and exempt deposits; MSME-1 reports outstanding dues to micro and small enterprises; BEN-2 reports significant beneficial ownership. Secretarial audit under section 204 applies to listed companies and prescribed classes.
Other regulators
GST registration thresholds differ for goods and services; returns and e-invoicing depend on turnover. PF and ESI apply above prescribed thresholds. FEMA governs foreign investment, SEBI governs listed companies, and the Competition Act governs combinations and anti-competitive conduct.
Worked example
An AGM is held on 30 September. AOC-4 is due by 30 October, 30 days later. MGT-7 is due by 29 November, 60 days later. If the company files MGT-7 on 30 November, it is one day late and attracts additional fees. The two forms do not share a due date, even though both follow the AGM.
Traps that cost marks
Do not file MGT-7 within 30 days; that is AOC-4. DIR-3 KYC is a director-level filing, not the company's annual return. Small-company exemptions are not a blanket exemption from all filings. GST thresholds for goods and services are not identical. A secretarial audit is not the same as a statutory audit.