Compliance guides
What to file, by when, and what you need before you start. Each guide shows when its figures were last reviewed.
- Advance tax: who pays, when, and how much10 Oct 20263 min read. Who has to pay advance tax, the four instalment dates and percentages, how to estimate the amount, and the interest you pay if you fall short.
- How to file a nil GST return by SMS: GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B10 Oct 20262 min read. Step-by-step guide to filing a nil GSTR-1 or GSTR-3B by SMS to 14409: the message format, the confirmation code, the conditions, and when you must use the portal instead.
- GSTR-1 vs GSTR-3B: what each GST return reports and how they connect10 Oct 20263 min read. The difference between GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, which one carries tax payment, how input tax credit flows from your supplier's return to yours, and why mismatches trigger notices.
- How to verify a GSTIN and track your GST application status10 Oct 20262 min read. How to check whether a GSTIN is valid and active, how to read the structure of a GSTIN, and how to track a GST registration application with its ARN.
- Trademark registration in India: process, classes and what to expect10 Oct 20263 min read. How trademark registration works in India: search, classes, the application, examination, publication, opposition and registration, and what protection you get along the way.
- Which ITR form should you file? ITR-1 to ITR-7 explained10 Oct 20263 min read. How to pick the right income tax return form: ITR-1 to ITR-7, who each one is for, and the situations that push you from a simple form to a longer one.
- How to file GST returns online yourself: GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B step by step10 Oct 20263 min read. A practical walk through filing GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B on the GST portal yourself: what to prepare, the order of steps, late fees, and when handing it to an expert makes sense.
- How to register a private limited company in India: documents, steps and timeline10 Oct 20263 min read. A founder's guide to private limited company registration through the MCA portal: requirements, documents, the SPICe+ form, what you receive, and what to do in the first 180 days.
- OPC vs LLP vs Pvt Ltd: which business structure should you choose?10 Oct 20263 min read. A side-by-side comparison of a One Person Company, an LLP and a private limited company in India: ownership, liability, compliance, funding, audit and conversion.
- TDS return filing due dates: 24Q, 26Q, 27Q, deposit dates and late fees10 Oct 20263 min read. When TDS must be deposited and when quarterly TDS returns are due, which form covers which payment, and what late filing costs under sections 234E and 271H.
- GST registration online: who needs it, documents and the step-by-step process10 Oct 20263 min read. Who must register for GST, the documents you need, how the online application works on the GST portal, and what happens after you get your GSTIN.
- ITR filing last date: due dates by taxpayer, late fees and what to do if you miss it10 Oct 20263 min read. How the income tax return due date depends on who you are, what a late return costs, and how to file a belated return if you miss the date.
- Annual ROC compliance for a private limited company: forms, due dates and penalties10 Oct 20263 min read. The yearly filings a private limited company owes the Registrar of Companies: AGM, AOC-4, MGT-7, ADT-1 and DIR-3 KYC, how their due dates connect, and what a delay costs.
- Startup India DPIIT recognition: eligibility, documents and the application process10 Oct 20262 min read. Who qualifies as a startup under the DPIIT definition, the documents to keep ready, how the application works on the Startup India portal, and what recognition does and does not give you.