At the end of each financial year, companies are required to file their annual returns with Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). Failure to meet this filing requirement can lead to substantial penalties for both the company as well as all its defaulting officers. While businesses typically focus on submitting their forms by the due deadlines, they often overlook a really important step, i.e., verifying whether their filings have been accurately recorded and updated in MCA records. MCA annual filing pertains to mandatory submission of a company's financial statements and annual returns to MCA at the close of each financial year.
Checking MCA filing annual status is of utmost important for ensuring that company's submissions have been properly recorded. For MCA annual return filing status check, you can visit the official MCA portal. In this blog post, we will explain the necessary steps you need to follow to verify the annual filing status through the said portal easily.
MCA annual return is a mandatory statement that registered companies have to submit to MCA every year. It contains important details about company like its management, shareholding, registered office, business activities and other information related to previous financial year.
MCA annual filing is a yearly compliance process where a company submits its annual return and financial statements to MCA via MCA portal. These filings help government keep an updated record of company's financial and other important details.
An MCA annual return includes information related to previous financial year. Section 92 of Companies Act, 2013 specifies particulars that an annual return is required to contain, such as:
| Details Contained in MCA Annual Return | Information |
|---|---|
| Registered Office Information | The return must include information like address and details about principal business activities of company along with information about holding, subsidiary and associate companies. |
| Shareholding Information | Details regarding shares, debentures and other securities, including shareholding pattern. |
| Members and Debenture-Holders | Information about members and debenture-holders along with any changes since the close of previous financial year. |
| Promoters and Directors | Details of promoters, directors and key managerial personnel, including any changes since close of previous financial year. |
| Meetings | Information about meetings of members or classes of members, as well as Board meetings and committee meetings, including attendance records. |
| Remuneration | For limited companies, remuneration of directors and key managerial personnel must be included in annual return. |
| Penalties and Punishments | Details of any penalties or punishments imposed on company, its directors or officers along with information about any compounding of offences and appeals related to such penalties/punishments. |
| Compliance Certification | Information related to certification of compliances and any prescribed disclosures. |
| Foreign Institutional Investors | Details of shares held by/on behalf of Foreign Institutional Investors. |
| Other Prescribed Matters | Any additional matters as may be prescribed. |
Many companies happen to make an assumption that their compliance is complete once they upload a form on MCA portal within prescribed period. But, simply uploading a form does not always mean that filing has been successfully completed. After a form gets submitted, it may face rejection, get sent back for correction or remain under processing. If company does not check MCA annual filing status, it may not get to know that there is an issue. This can result in the company missing the required action and eventually facing a compliance default.
This is why companies should check their MCA filing status on a regular basis. If there is any problem with a filing, checking the status helps the company identify it at an early stage and take corrective action. This is particularly important because, for some defaults, additional fees or penalties may continue to increase with time. Finding the issue early can therefore help company avoid paying for unnecessary costs.
Keeping track of filings is also important for company directors. Such executives are responsible for ensuring the company meets its filing requirements within prescribed timelines. In certain cases, failure to file annual returns for required consecutive financial years can result in disqualification of directors for a period of five years. This affects their ability to continue/take up directorships in other MCA-registered companies.
Checking MCA filing status can also be relevant when a company is dealing with another business. For example, during due diligence, a company may check MCA annual filing status of a vendor, business partner or company it is considering investing in. This can help identify any past/pending compliance issues.
Therefore, checking MCA filing status is a simple step but it can be really helpful as it allows a company to identify problems at an early stage, complete any pending requirements and avoid unnecessary compliance issues and costs at a later stage.
To check the status of MCA annual filing, you need to complete the steps given below:-
Step 1:- Visit the official MCA website.
Step 2:- Once you are on the homepage, go to ‘MCA services’ and then choose ‘FO Services’. After that, click on ‘Check Annual Filing Status’.
Step 3:- Then, in the search field, you must enter Company Name or CIN.
Step 4:- Thereafter, enter the Captcha correctly and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
Step 5:- Finally, the details of the filings made by the company will appear on the screen along with the Service Request Number (SRN), form name and date of filing.
Checking the annual filing status of a company is extremely important to ensure that its filings have been properly recorded with MCA. Through the official MCA website, you can easily check MCA / ROC annual filing status and identify whether required forms have been filed within prescribed time. By regularly checking the filing status, companies can identify any pending/rejected filings at an early stage and then they can take necessary corrective action.
If you need assistance in filing MCA/ROC forms within the prescribed time or managing other company-related compliance requirements, you can get in touch with Registrationwala's business compliance consultants.
Q1. Is it possible to check company annual filing status?
A. Yes. It is completely possible to check the company annual filing status. For doing this, you need to visit the official MCA website and follow the instructions we provided in this blog post. For further assistance, you can get in touch with our team.
Q2. Can a director be disqualified if the company’s annual returns are not filed on time?
A. Yes. If the company’s annual returns are not filed for three consecutive financial years, then the company director can be disqualified u/s 164(2) of the Companies Act, 2013.
Q3. Can Registrationwala help me in filing annual returns with the ROC?
A. Yes. Our experienced consultants can totally help you in filing annual returns with the ROC. Connect with us for more information.
Q4. Does MCA charge a late filing fee for filing annual returns after the due date?
A. Yes. The MCA charges an additional late filing fee of Rs. 100 per day for delays in filing annual returns such as Form MGT-7/7A and financial statements in Form AOC-4.
Sunny Goel is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and the Senior Finance & Regulatory Consultant at Registrationwala. He has expertise in accounting, taxation, finance, regulatory compliance, and insurance compliance. He writes simple and easy-to-understand content to help businesses understand financial rules, tax laws, insurance regulations, compliance requirements, and other regulatory matters.
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