Company Registration in India at ₹999 or ₹9,999? Why It’s a MYTH

Company Registration in India at ₹999 or ₹9,999? It’s a MYTH. Know the real costs, hidden charges and yearly compliance. Think First. Register Later.

Low prices for Company Registration and LLP Registration are everywhere. The number is real, but it is rarely the whole cost. It usually covers only part of the work to register, and it says nothing about what the Company or LLP will cost every year after. This guide explains why a ₹999 or ₹9,999 registration is a myth, what the real cost is made of, and what to ask before you pay anyone.

Why is ₹999 or ₹9,999 Company Registration a myth?

There are three reasons.

1. The advertised price covers only part of the registration. Government fees, state stamp duty, Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs) and the steps after incorporation are often listed as “extra” or “at actuals”.
2. Registration is a one-time cost; compliance is every year. From the first year, a Private Limited Company or OPC needs accounts, an audit, annual MCA filings and an income tax return. These are not part of any registration price.
3. Some costs continue even with zero business. A Company that earns nothing still has to file. Missing those filings brings late fees, penalties and, eventually, disqualification of its directors.

Think of it like a holiday. The ₹999 is the price of the flight ticket. The hotel, food, local travel and the trip back are not in that number. Nobody plans a foreign holiday on the ticket price alone, yet many founders plan a Company that way.

What does a complete registration actually include?

Registration properly done is not one certificate. For a Private Limited Company or a One Person Company (OPC), it ends with 18 documents and Registrations: DSCs, DIN, name approval, MoA, AoA, the Certificate of Incorporation, PAN, TAN, EPFO, ESIC, GST, PTEC, PTRC, the first auditor’s appointment, bank account documents, Form INC-20A, stamp duty on share certificates and the share certificates themselves. An LLP has its own list, including the LLP Agreement and its filing in Form 3.

Each item is explained in Private Limited Company Registration: the 18 documents and Registrations explained, OPC Registration: the 18 documents and Registrations explained and LLP Registration: documents and filings explained.

What are the “hidden charges” in a low-price registration?

They are not always hidden on purpose. Often they are simply not in the headline price. These are the items most often left out:

Often left out	Why it matters
Government fees and state stamp duty “at actuals”	Stamp duty on the MoA and AoA depends on the state and often on capital. In Maharashtra, for example, the AoA attracts (0.3%) of share capital, subject to a maximum of ₹1 crore.
Digital Signature Certificates	Every director and subscriber needs one. They are charged by the Certifying Authority and expire, usually after one to three years.
Professional tax (PTEC and PTRC)	Required in states such as Maharashtra, with a fixed yearly payment for the Company.
First auditor’s appointment	Must be done by the board within 30 days of incorporation.
Share certificates and stamp duty on them	Share certificates must be issued within 2 months of incorporation.
Form INC-20A	Must be filed within 180 days. The Company should not start business or borrow before filing it.
LLP Agreement drafting and Form 3	For an LLP, the agreement must be filed within 30 days of incorporation.

The work after incorporation is where the deadlines and penalties sit, and it is the part most often missing from a low-price offer.

Which costs can no one waive?

Some costs are set by law and are the same whoever files your forms:

• MCA fee for SPICe+: nil when authorised capital is up to ₹15 lakh; higher above that.
• Name reservation: ₹1,000 when SPICe+ Part A is filed separately.
• State stamp duty on the MoA and AoA, which differs from state to state.
• DSCs for each signatory, and small charges for PAN and TAN.

The full statutory list is in the Company Registration government fees chart. Read Is free Company Registration really free? for what “zero fee” offers include and exclude.

What will the Company cost every year?

This is the number that matters most, and it is never in the registration price. Business or no business, compliance is mandatory.

Structure	Every year, even with no sales
Private Limited Company	Bookkeeping, statutory audit by a Chartered Accountant (whatever the turnover), board meetings and AGM, AOC-4 and MGT-7 or MGT-7A, income tax return; DIR-3 KYC for each director once every three years
One Person Company	Bookkeeping, statutory audit every year, AOC-4, MGT-7A and income tax return (no AGM required)
LLP	Form 11 by 30 May, Form 8 by 30 October and the income tax return; audit when turnover exceeds ₹40 lakh or contribution exceeds ₹25 lakh
Any of them, once GST-registered	Monthly or quarterly GST returns, even for months with zero sales

So before asking how much registration costs, ask how much the Company will cost every year. Read Annual compliance cost of a Private Limited Company and LLP and see every due date in the Compliance Calendar.

What happens if the yearly filings are missed?

A cheap registration becomes expensive when compliance is ignored:

• Late fees on MCA forms: annual forms such as AOC-4 and MGT-7 for companies, and Form 8 and Form 11 for LLPs, attract an additional fee of ₹100 for every day of delay.
• Form INC-20A: if it is not filed within 180 days, the Company can be fined ₹50,000 and each officer in default ₹1,000 a day, up to ₹1 lakh, and the Registrar may begin action to strike off the Company.
• Director disqualification: if a Company does not file its financial statements or annual returns for three continuous years, its directors become ineligible to be directors of any company for five years under Section 164(2).
• GST: late fees and interest apply when returns are filed late, including nil returns.

None of these come from the registration price. They come from what happens after it.

Why do low-price offers exist at all?

A low price is not wrong in itself. It may be the professional fee only, with government charges billed separately. It may be an entry price, with the cost recovered through a yearly compliance package. What matters is that you see the full picture in writing before you decide. A true and fair quotation shows:

• what is included, what is excluded and what is charged “at actuals”;
• the state stamp duty for your registered office and capital;
• which of the 18 items (or the LLP items) will be completed, and by when;
• an estimate of the yearly compliance cost, with its assumptions.

Read Company Registration services and packages: what to check for a fuller checklist.

Who is advising you: a qualified professional or a salesperson?

SPICe+ must be certified by a practising Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary or Cost Accountant. Ask who will assess your structure, explain your obligations and handle the professional work. If someone says they are a practising CA or CS, verify their membership and Certificate of Practice with the relevant institute. A salesperson can explain a package; that is not the same as professional advice. Read CA or CS: who does what for your company?

Think First. Register Later.

1. Think before you register. Choose the structure that suits your ownership, funding and budget. Compare PVT. LTD., LLP and OPC.
2. Comply after you register. Business or no business, compliance is mandatory. Read Registration is the start. Compliance is the journey.
3. Close if it doesn’t work. If the business does not take off, close the Company or LLP legally instead of abandoning it. Read how to close a Company or LLP properly.

Key takeaways

• A ₹999 or ₹9,999 price is usually part of the registration, not the whole of it, and never the yearly cost.
• A complete Private Limited Company or OPC registration ends with 18 documents and Registrations; the steps after incorporation are the ones most often left out.
• Government fees, state stamp duty and DSCs are set outside any package and differ by state.
• Every Company has an audit and annual filings from year one, even with no sales; missed filings bring daily late fees and can disqualify directors.
• Ask for a written quotation covering registration and the yearly compliance cost before you pay. Think First. Register Later.