Expert Guide
A complete walkthrough — Pvt Limited Registration
Reading this guide locally — Across Ambattur Korattur Road, on the Ambattur-Korattur corridor that passes through Ambattur Korattur Road.
What Private Limited incorporation means under Indian company law
Limited liability and separate legal personality
The foundational doctrine of Private Limited incorporation is separate legal personality, articulated by the House of Lords in Salomon v A Salomon and Co Ltd [1897] and adopted by Indian jurisprudence in Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co Ltd v State of Bihar [1965 SCR 391]. The company is a distinct legal person from its members and directors, capable of holding property, suing and being sued in its own name. Liability of members under Section 2(22) is limited to the amount unpaid on the shares held. The corporate veil can be lifted only in narrow circumstances — fraud, sham, evasion of statutory obligation — as elaborated in Vodafone International Holdings BV v Union of India [2012 6 SCC 613]. The limited-liability shield is the principal commercial advantage of Private Limited over proprietorship and partnership, and is the reason promoters of consequence almost invariably elect the Private Limited form for ventures with external counterparties.
Constitutional documents — MOA and AOA
The Memorandum of Association under Section 4 is the foundational charter that defines the company's name, registered office State, objects, liability and capital. The MOA must be in one of the Tables A to E of Schedule I, depending on whether the company is limited by shares, limited by guarantee or unlimited. The Articles of Association under Section 5 contain the regulations for management of the company, covering board composition, meetings, share transfer, dividend declaration, and members' rights. Section 6 establishes the supremacy of the Act over any conflicting MOA / AOA provision. Section 13 governs alteration of MOA (special resolution plus Central Government approval for object-clause changes affecting registered office State), Section 14 governs alteration of AOA (special resolution plus filing of MGT-14 within thirty days). The MOA and AOA filed with SPICe+ Part B become the binding constitutional documents on incorporation.
Statutory framework under Section 7
Private Limited incorporation in India is governed by Section 7 of the Companies Act 2013 read with the Companies (Incorporation) Rules 2014. Section 7(1) requires the subscribers to the memorandum to file an application with the Registrar within whose jurisdiction the registered office of the company is to be situated, accompanied by the MOA and AOA duly signed by the subscribers, a declaration by a professional that the requirements of the Act and Rules have been complied with, a declaration from each subscriber and first director in Form INC-9, the address for correspondence till the registered office is established, the particulars of subscribers and first directors with proof of identity, and the particulars of first directors with their DIN and consent in Form DIR-2. Section 7(2) provides that the Registrar shall on the basis of the documents filed register the memorandum and articles and issue a Certificate of Incorporation in Form INC-11 with a Corporate Identity Number. The CIN under Section 7(3) is the company's unique identifier for all subsequent statutory filings.
Stamp duty on incorporation by State
Tamil Nadu duty structure
In Tamil Nadu, the Indian Stamp Act 1899 as amended by the Tamil Nadu Government applies. The stamp duty on Memorandum of Association under Article 39 of Schedule I to the Indian Stamp Act (Tamil Nadu) is ₹200. The stamp duty on Articles of Association under Article 10 is 0.5% of authorised share capital subject to a maximum of ₹5,00,000. For incorporation with authorised capital of ₹1 lakh, the total stamp duty is approximately ₹700; for authorised capital of ₹10 lakh, approximately ₹5,200; for authorised capital of ₹1 crore, approximately ₹50,200. The duty is paid through the SPICe+ integrated module to the Tamil Nadu Treasury. Where additional places of business are in Tamil Nadu, no further State-specific stamp duty is triggered at the incorporation stage — INC-22 changes attract a flat ₹100 duty.
Comparison across major States
Stamp duty rates vary significantly across States. Maharashtra charges 0.2% of authorised capital with a minimum of ₹1,000 (no cap), making it one of the most expensive States for high-authorised-capital incorporations. Karnataka charges ₹500 on MOA and ₹500 on AOA, plus 0.5% on authorised capital subject to ₹1 crore cap. Delhi charges ₹200 on MOA and 0.15% on authorised capital with no cap. Gujarat charges 0.5% with ₹2,000 minimum and ₹50,000 cap on AOA. Kerala charges 0.5% with ₹3,000 minimum. The choice of registered office State affects the stamp-duty cost at incorporation and at every subsequent authorised-capital increase. For high-capital incorporations, the differential can run to lakhs of rupees and is a legitimate consideration in State selection alongside commercial factors.
Post-incorporation stamp duty events
Beyond incorporation, several events trigger State stamp duty: increase in authorised capital under Section 61 (additional duty on the incremental amount, paid with SH-7); issuance of share certificates under Section 56 and Rule 6 of the Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules 2014 (stamp duty under Article 19 of the Stamp Act, typically ₹1 per ₹1,000 of share value, payable within thirty days of issuance); transfer of shares (stamp duty at 0.015% of consideration or value, whichever is higher, under the Indian Stamp (Amendment) Act 2019 read with the Indian Stamp (Collection of Stamp-duty through Stock Exchanges, Clearing Corporations and Depositories) Rules 2019 — applies through the depository for demat shares); issuance of debentures (0.005% of face value); and registration of charges (varies by State).
Post-incorporation compliance — PAN TAN GST
PAN and TAN through SPICe+
PAN under Section 139A of the Income Tax Act 1961 and TAN under Section 203A are allotted automatically along with the Certificate of Incorporation through the SPICe+ integration with the Income Tax Department's PAN / TAN systems. The PAN is the company's identifier for all income-tax filings, including ITR-6 annual returns, advance tax instalments under Section 211, TDS deduction obligations, and assessment proceedings. The TAN is required for deducting tax at source under Chapter XVII-B, filing quarterly TDS returns (Form 24Q for salaries, 26Q for non-salary domestic, 27Q for non-resident, 27EQ for TCS), and issuing TDS certificates (Form 16 / 16A). PAN and TAN are typically generated within forty-eight hours of the Certificate of Incorporation issuance.
GSTIN allotment timeline and obligations
Where GSTIN is opted-in through AGILE-PRO-S, the GSTIN is allotted by GSTN within three to fifteen working days. From the date of GSTIN allotment, the company is liable to file monthly returns — GSTR-1 by the eleventh of the following month (or quarterly under QRMP scheme if turnover under ₹5 crore), GSTR-3B by the twentieth of the following month, and the annual return GSTR-9 by 31 December of the following financial year (where turnover exceeds ₹2 crore, with reconciliation statement GSTR-9C signed by a CA / CMA where turnover exceeds ₹5 crore). The first invoice must be issued only after the GSTIN is allotted; pre-GSTIN invoices cannot bear a GSTIN and ITC pass-through is broken. Companies opting out of GSTIN at AGILE stage can apply separately when needed.
Section 10A commencement declaration
Section 10A inserted by the Companies (Amendment) Act 2019 requires every company incorporated after 2 November 2018 having a share capital to file a declaration of commencement of business in Form INC-20A within 180 days of incorporation. The declaration is filed by a director and certified by a practising professional confirming that every subscriber to the memorandum has paid the value of shares agreed to be taken by him on the date of making of such declaration, and that the company has filed with the Registrar verification of its registered office in INC-22. Non-filing attracts a penalty of ₹50,000 on the company and ₹1,000 per day on every officer in default up to ₹1 lakh. The Registrar can also strike off the company under Section 248(1)(b) for non-filing.
Annual return AOC-4 and MGT-7
Late-filing additional fees
Late filing of AOC-4 and MGT-7 attracts additional fees under the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules 2014 at ₹100 per day of delay, with no maximum cap — the additional fee accumulates indefinitely until the form is filed. The Companies (Amendment) Act 2020 also empowers the Registrar to initiate adjudication proceedings under Section 454 for non-filing, with penalty under Section 92(5) on the company at ₹10,000 plus ₹100 per day up to ₹5 lakh, and on every officer in default at ₹10,000 plus ₹100 per day up to ₹2 lakh. Persistent non-filing for two consecutive years triggers Section 248(1)(c) strike-off proceedings and Section 164(2) director disqualification for five years. Late-filing additional fees and Section 454 adjudication are independent — both can apply concurrently.
AOC-4 financial statement filing
Section 137(1) read with Rule 12 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules 2014 requires every company to file a copy of the financial statements (including consolidated financial statements where applicable), along with the documents required to be annexed (auditor's report, board's report under Section 134, statement of subsidiaries / associates / joint ventures in AOC-1), in Form AOC-4 within thirty days of the date of the annual general meeting. Companies using XBRL taxonomy file Form AOC-4 XBRL (mandatory for listed companies, public companies with paid-up capital ≥ ₹5 crore or turnover ≥ ₹100 crore, and Ind-AS adopters). The financial statements must be signed by the Chairperson or two directors (one of whom is the Managing Director) and by the Company Secretary and CFO where appointed. Late filing attracts additional fees scaling with delay.
MGT-7 / MGT-7A annual return
Section 92(1) read with Rule 11 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules 2014 requires every company to prepare a return called the annual return in Form MGT-7 (MGT-7A for OPCs and small companies under the 2021 amendment) containing the particulars as on the close of the financial year — registered office, principal business activities, particulars of holding / subsidiary / associate companies, shares / debentures / other securities and shareholding pattern, indebtedness, members and debenture holders, promoters / directors / KMP and changes therein, meetings of members / board / committees and attendance, remuneration of directors and KMP, penalty / punishment / compounding of offences, certification of compliances, and shareholding pattern. The return must be filed within sixty days of the AGM. Certification by a Company Secretary is required for listed companies and companies with paid-up capital ≥ ₹10 crore or turnover ≥ ₹50 crore.
What Ambattur Korattur Road clients usually ask next: On the ground in Ambattur Korattur Road, for Ambattur Korattur Road units balancing production cycles with monthly GST and quarterly TDS compliance.