What it costs to run a company in India.

The government charges little to keep a company on the register. The cost of running one in India is the volume of filings: company law, income tax, GST and payroll each have their own calendar, and a foreign-owned company adds reporting to the Reserve Bank. State rules here are Karnataka's, for an office in Bengaluru. Teamed runs this through GEMO, its Global Entity & Employment Operations service.

The registrar's fee, the filing cycle and the labour rules below are the government's own published figures, read through copies of the official texts, so we are waiting on direct confirmation from the live government services before we treat them as settled.

People expect one annual bill and one annual form. An Indian company answers to the registrar, the income tax department, the GST network and the labour bodies, each on its own rhythm, and late filing fees run by the day.

The table shows what falls due, to whom and how often. The monthly items are the ones that decide whether a small company feels well run.

India does not fix one calendar date for everyone. The rule runs from the annual general meeting. The Companies Act sets a deadline for holding the AGM after the financial year ends, then a period after the meeting for the financial statements and a longer one for the annual return. For most companies the financial year ends in March, so the meeting and both filings fall in the second half of the calendar year. A company that holds its meeting early files early.

The official fees are small. The annual return costs INR 300 at the usual small authorised capital, on the registrar's fee table, and the financial statements carry a fee on the same scale. Late filing adds a fee for every day, which is how a forgotten form turns expensive.

Every company also has its accounts audited by a chartered accountant before the meeting, whatever its size. The audit and the accountant who prepares the statements are where the yearly money goes.

The government's share is small. Where Teamed runs the company, each government fee passes through at cost, so you can check it against the published schedule. The real cost is professional work, and it grows with the number of invoices and payslips rather than with the company's size on paper. Firms that price in rupees for a small team sit at the lower end of the range below. Firms that price in dollars for foreign parents sit at the top.

A company that opts for the concessional regime pays an effective 25.168%, including surcharge and cess, under section 200 of the Income-tax Act 2025. The option gives up most other deductions and cannot be reversed, so decide it with your adviser before the first return.

Once you employ anyone, the monthly rhythm takes over. Income tax is deducted from salaries and paid each month, and reported in a quarterly statement under the company's TAN. Professional tax is deducted and paid in Karnataka.

Provident fund applies once the company employs 20 or more people, and the state health insurance scheme from a lower headcount, under the Code on Social Security. Below those numbers a small company can still join provident fund by agreement, which is how teams keep people in a scheme they already have. The Bengaluru office itself registers under the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act within 30 days of starting work.

The directors. Indian company law makes them responsible for proper books and timely filings, and a director of a company that keeps missing them can be disqualified from other boards too. An accountant can do the work, but the duty stays with the board.

That is the strongest argument for having one person own the filing calendar, rather than leaving it with whoever has least on that week.

The routes that register a company can also run it, and the choice matters more here because it repeats every month.

You can run it yourself with accounting software, a company secretary for the registrar's forms and a chartered accountant for the audit. It suits a founder with no staff and few transactions.

A compliance firm suits a company with no employees yet. It keeps the books and files the company, GST and TDS returns, and payroll is usually an extra.

A law firm or corporate-services firm suits a group with several entities, transfer pricing questions or tax planning across borders. You pay for the advice as well as the filing.

For companies that will employ people in India, Teamed is the best choice. Teamed gives you real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters, pricing with no hidden costs, and payroll, provident fund and filings on one platform. Teamed's Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and manages entities in 100+ countries, and moves your people across from its EOR when you're ready. Teamed already owns an entity in India.

If you are a founder on your own with nobody to pay, the first two routes will cost you less, and we would tell you so.