Compliance Checklist — Monthly & Annual for Your Business

Generate your exact compliance checklist in seconds — pick your entity type and the AI lists every monthly and annual filing, deadline and obligation you can't miss. Free for any Indian business.

Open Compliance Checklist — free →

What you can do here

Entity-specific checklists: Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC, proprietorship, startup
Monthly: GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, TDS challan, EPF/ESI
Quarterly: advance tax, TDS returns (24Q/26Q)
Annual: ITR, GST annual return, ROC filings, DIN KYC
Penalty flags for commonly missed deadlines

Your obligations follow your registrations, not your revenue

The most useful way to build a checklist is to list what you are registered for, because each registration carries its own cycle regardless of turnover. GST registration means returns every month or quarter even at zero sales. A company means annual ROC filings and audit even when dormant. A TAN means quarterly TDS returns for any quarter in which you deducted. Professional-tax registration means periodic payment in that state. Revenue changes the amounts; registrations decide the calendar.

Where each entity type differs

A proprietorship is the lightest — an income-tax return, plus GST and TDS if registered. An LLP adds Form 11 by 30 May and Form 8 by 30 October, with audit only above prescribed thresholds. A private limited company or OPC adds AOC-4, MGT-7 or MGT-7A, ADT-1 for auditor appointment, DIR-3 KYC for every director by 30 September, board and general meetings, and a statutory audit with no turnover threshold at all. That last point is the one that surprises new founders.

The filings that exist only to be forgotten

Some obligations have no monthly rhythm to remind you. DIR-3 KYC is annual and silent until the DIN deactivates. A newly incorporated company must file INC-20A within 180 days before it may lawfully commence business. LUT for zero-rated exports must be renewed each financial year. Auditor appointment and any change of registered address require their own forms. None of these produce an invoice or a payment, so they slip through processes built around money moving.

Match your checklist to what the departments already see

Your compliance is checked against third-party data, so build reconciliation into the list rather than treating it as optional. GSTR-2B against the purchase register before claiming credit. GSTR-1 against GSTR-3B, because the difference between them is a standard query. AIS and Form 26AS against your books before filing the return. E-invoice and e-way bill data against reported sales. A mismatch found by you in the same month is trivial; found by the department a year later it is a notice.

Assign each item an owner and a date

Checklists fail for organisational reasons more than technical ones — everyone assumes the accountant has it. Put a named person and a reminder date against each item, set the reminder several working days before the deadline so there is time to prepare, and keep portal credentials under the business's control rather than an individual consultant's. The compliance calendar has the statutory dates to build those reminders from.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Private Limited Company need to file annually?

AOC-4 (financial statements), MGT-7/7A (annual return), ADT-1 (auditor appointment), DIN KYC, income tax return (ITR-6) and GST annual return (GSTR-9, if applicable).

Is there a checklist for a new startup?

Yes — after incorporation, a startup needs to file INC-20A, appoint an auditor, open a bank account, register for GST and MSME (if eligible), and begin monthly statutory filings.