Every Indian SME faces a fragmented compliance calendar: ROC filings under the Companies Act, GST returns and audit deadlines, income-tax assessments, labour law submissions, and state-specific obligations. Miss a single ROC deadline and the company risks administrative suspension; file GST late and interest accrues at 18% per annum on unpaid tax.
Worse, as a director or authorised signatory, you expose yourself to officer-in-default liability—personal penalties up to ₹1 lakh per violation under the Companies Act. This article maps the real deadlines, shows you how to diagnose calendar gaps, and gives you a practitioner's checklist to build a system that survives staff turnover.
Advisory
A private company must file Form AOC-4 (annual accounts) and Form MGT-7 (annual return) within 30 days of the AGM; the AGM itself must be held within 6 months of financial year-end (Section 96, Companies Act 2013). File late and the Registrar of Companies initiates a strike-off notice under Section 248. In practice, a 45-day delay from the statutory deadline often triggers warning letters; a 90-day delay triggers suspension of the company's ability to file further documents or raise credit. During suspension, the company cannot operate bank accounts, issue share certificates, or file GST. Recovery takes 2–3 months and costs ₹5,000–₹15,000 in compliance backlog fees and professional intervention.
GSTR-1 (outward supplies) and GSTR-3B (summary return) are due by the 20th of the following month; GSTR-2A (inbound credit) is auto-populated by the 12th. File GSTR-3B late and you lose ITC eligibility for that month (Section 37, CGST Rules 2017), plus interest at 18% per annum on unpaid tax for the delay period. Simultaneously, late filing flags the account in GST's AI audit system—₹2–₹5 lakh of unexplained turnover discrepancies now trigger departmental notices. The downstream cost: you must file Form DRC-03 (reply) within 7 days and may need to reverse claims, pay tax plus interest, and incur ₹20,000–₹50,000 in advisory time.
Provident Fund deposits (PF/EPF) are due on the 15th of the following month under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952; ESIC contributions are due monthly; and wage registers must be submitted to the labour commissioner within 30 days of any payroll cycle change (Building and Other Construction Workers Act, if applicable). Additionally, most states require annual returns under the Shops and Establishments Act by December–January. Miss a PF deposit deadline and the department issues a show-cause notice; personal liability attaches to the director under Section 217. A single ₹50,000-payroll delay can incur ₹8,000–₹12,000 in penalties, plus recovery orders against personal bank accounts.
An SME without a compliance calendar typically faces ₹2–₹10 lakh in aggregate penalty exposure annually across ROC, GST, tax and labour domains. Administrative suspension—even temporary—freezes cash, breaks credit lines, and forces emergency restructuring. Officer-in-default liability is personal and not covered by business insurance; directors have paid ₹50,000–₹2,00,000 in personal penalties for repeat violations. Vinayak
Frequently asked questions
Missing ROC deadlines triggers a strike-off notice under Section 248 of the Companies Act. A 90-day delay can suspend the company's ability to operate bank accounts, file GST, or raise credit, with recovery costing ₹5,000–₹15,000.
Directors and authorised signatories face personal penalties up to ₹1 lakh per violation under the Companies Act for missed compliance deadlines, exposing them to individual financial and legal consequences.
Filing GSTR-3B late causes loss of ITC eligibility for that month plus interest at 18% per annum on unpaid tax, compounding compliance costs significantly.