You’ve incorporated. Now what? A first-year compliance roadmap for Indian startups
The certificate of incorporation arrives, the team celebrates, and then a quiet question follows: now what? Nobody hands a founder the manual. And the first year is precisely when compliance is easiest to get right — the transactions are few, the books are empty, the habits are unformed. Companies rarely become non-compliant in year five. They become non-compliant in month two, and discover it in year five.
The first sixty days
- Open the company bank account and deposit the subscription money — the share capital your MOA promised. This isn’t a formality; it gates your ability to commence business.
- File the declaration of commencement of business (INC-20A) within the statutory window. Miss it and penalties accrue against both company and directors.
- Appoint your first auditor — the board must do this within 30 days of incorporation.
- Issue share certificates to subscribers within the prescribed period, with stamp duty paid.
The registrations that depend on your business
- GST — mandatory past the turnover thresholds, or immediately for inter-state supply and e-commerce; often worth taking voluntarily so customers get your ITC.
- TAN — you will need it the moment you pay a salary, rent, or professional fee above TDS thresholds. Which is soon.
- Professional tax, Shops & Establishments, EPF/ESI — state- and headcount-dependent; check applicability rather than assuming.
- Startup India / DPIIT recognition — worth evaluating early for the tax and regulatory benefits it can unlock.
The rhythm that keeps year one clean
- Monthly: books updated, TDS deposited, GST returns filed.
- Quarterly: board meetings held and minuted, TDS returns filed, a thirty-minute compliance review.
- Annually: statutory audit, AGM, AOC-4 and MGT-7/7A to the ROC, the income tax return, and DIR-3 KYC for every director.
Founder’s shortcut: you don’t need to memorise any of this. You need one accountable owner for the merged calendar — internal or external — from month one. Everything else follows.
We onboard newly incorporated companies end to end: the sixty-day checklist, the registrations, and the ongoing rhythm — so founders can go back to building.
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We'll run your sixty-day checklist and set up the compliance rhythm — usually within a week.
WhatsApp us Call +91 98915 26796This article is general information, not professional advice. Provisions, thresholds, and due dates are amended from time to time — please confirm the current position or consult us before acting. © 2026 R Khurana & Associates, Chartered Accountants, Delhi.