Companies can file FY26 financial statements without additional fees until 31 December 2026, while annual returns have a 31 January 2027 deadline after persistent MCA-21 portal problems.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has given Indian companies more time to complete their annual compliance work for financial year 2025-26, waiving extra fees for filings made within the new deadline. In a circular dated October 24, the ministry said companies may submit financial statements, including consolidated accounts, XBRL filings and relevant non-banking finance company forms, by December 31, 2026 without additional charges. Annual returns filed through Forms MGT-7 and MGT-7A will now be accepted until January 31, 2027. According to Business Standard, the move follows representations from company secretaries and other professionals who said technical problems on the MCA-21 Version 3 portal were making filings difficult.
The extension covers the main annual filing forms used under the Companies Act. Form AOC-4 is the standard return for financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies, while MGT-7 records a company’s annual return and MGT-7A applies to one-person and small companies. The MCA’s decision appears aimed at giving companies breathing room as they work through a revised compliance system and updated filing requirements, particularly where digital reporting formats are involved.
Pawan G Chandak, president of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, told Business Standard that technical and operational issues can prevent otherwise compliant companies from meeting deadlines. The institute’s October 9 representation cited repeated portal downtime, sluggish response times, session timeouts, automatic logouts, login and access problems, errors in pre-filled data, difficulties linking digital signature certificates and form validation failures. It also said users had struggled to view, download and track filed forms and approvals.
The ministry’s relief does not, however, alter the legal timetable for holding annual general meetings. That point is significant because companies still need to meet shareholder meeting obligations even as they benefit from later filing dates. The latest move also follows earlier extensions for FY 2024-25, when the MCA issued similar relief through circulars dated October 17, 2025, and December 30, 2025. Separate professional guidance had recently noted that no new extension had yet been announced for FY 2025-26, underscoring how quickly the situation changed once the ministry issued its October 24 circular.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
