Annual Compliance Cost Estimator — FY 2026-27 Itemised CA Fees
This estimator generates a line-by-line FY 2026-27 compliance fee for your Pvt Ltd / LLP / OPC / Section 8 entity — ROC compliance, statutory audit, tax audit, ITR, GST returns, TDS, DIR-3 KYC, DPT-3, first-year setup. Typical total: ₹30,000 to ₹65,000 depending on entity type and transaction volume. Commodity providers quote ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 — this tool shows you exactly what they don't include (notice handling, year-round CA access, tax planning, FCA-level review). Estimate is indicative; binding fixed-fee quote follows a free 15-min discovery call.
Compliance Cost Estimator
Pick your entity type and key parameters. Estimate updates instantly with itemised breakdown.
| Compliance Item | Fee (₹) |
|---|---|
| Total Annual Compliance (Patron) | ₹— |
💡 Patron vs Commodity Provider — Side-by-Side
Patron Full-ServiceRecommended
- Year-round CA (FCA) access — WhatsApp / phone
- Free handling of ANY tax notice received in year
- Quarterly tax planning calls
- Annual financial review with founder
- Free re-work for portal errors / rejections
- Compliance calendar + WhatsApp deadline reminders
- 7-year document archival
- Unlimited 15-min consultations
Commodity Provider
- Year-round CA access (article clerks; 3-4 day response)
- Notice handling (charged ₹15,000-30,000 separately)
- Quarterly tax planning
- Annual review meeting
- Free re-work for portal errors
- Deadline reminders
- Document archival
- Free consultations beyond filing scope
What This Estimate Assumes
- All prior years up-to-date — past defaults are quoted separately
- Standard industry overlay — manufacturing, ecommerce, export-import, real estate may have additional compliance fees
- Single state operations — multi-state GST adds ₹500-1,000 per state per month
- Team size up to 20 — PF/ESI compliance is separate and depends on actual payroll
- Indian-resident promoters only — NRI / foreign director compliance overlays separate
How This Estimator Works
- Pick your entity type. Pvt Ltd, OPC, LLP, and Section 8 have substantially different compliance burdens — the dropdown auto-adjusts forms and audit applicability.
- Select turnover band. Statutory audit and tax audit fees scale with turnover; large taxpayers also have CARO 2020 reporting overlays.
- Pick transaction volume. Drives the GST monthly fee — high-volume businesses generate more invoices that need reconciliation and IRN handling.
- Enter director / designated partner count. Each director needs an annual DIR-3 KYC (₹500 each) — missing this deactivates DIN.
- Tick the compliance triggers. GST registered means monthly returns; audit-applicable adds statutory + tax audit fees; first-year adds books-setup overhead.
- Get the itemised estimate. Each line item shows the specific compliance and its fee. Patron vs commodity-provider comparison panel shows what you save vs spend.
- Download as PDF. Click Print / Save as PDF to keep the estimate for budgeting or comparison.
- Book a free discovery call. The estimate is indicative — the binding fixed-fee quote takes 15 minutes to lock in.
Important: Estimate covers ongoing compliance only — past defaults, one-time setup, and irregular events (share allotments, director changes, loans, charges) are quoted separately. Government fees (stamp duty, additional MCA fees, ROC fees on forms) are excluded.
What's Included in the Estimate — Cost Breakdown
1. ROC Compliance (MCA Filings)
Annual filings under the Companies Act / LLP Act:
- Pvt Ltd: AOC-4 (financial statements), MGT-7 (annual return), ADT-1 (auditor appointment), Director's Report, Auditor's Report —
₹15,000 - OPC: AOC-4, MGT-7A (simplified), ADT-1, Director's Report —
₹12,000 - LLP: Form 8 (Statement of Account & Solvency), Form 11 (Annual Return) —
₹8,000 - Section 8: AOC-4, MGT-7, ADT-1 + activity report —
₹18,000
2. Statutory Audit (where applicable)
Audit fees scale with turnover band:
| Turnover Band | Statutory Audit Fee | Tax Audit (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹1 Crore | ₹12,000 | Not applicable (below threshold) |
| ₹1 Cr – ₹5 Cr | ₹18,000 | ₹8,000 |
| ₹5 Cr – ₹20 Cr | ₹25,000 | ₹12,000 |
| ₹20 Cr – ₹100 Cr | ₹35,000 | ₹15,000 |
| Above ₹100 Cr | ₹50,000+ | ₹15,000+ |
3. Income Tax Return Filing
ITR-6 for Pvt Ltd / OPC; ITR-5 for LLP; ITR-7 for Section 8. Fee scales with complexity — ₹4,000 to ₹8,000.
4. GST Compliance (if registered)
Monthly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, plus annual GSTR-9. Fee scales with transaction volume:
- Low (under 50 invoices/month): ₹500/month × 12 =
₹6,000+ GSTR-9 ₹3,500 - Mid (50-200 invoices/month): ₹1,000/month × 12 =
₹12,000+ GSTR-9 ₹3,500 - High (200+ invoices/month): ₹2,000/month × 12 =
₹24,000+ GSTR-9 ₹3,500
5. TDS Quarterly Returns
Form 24Q (salary TDS) + Form 26Q (other TDS) × 4 quarters = ₹4,000 annually.
6. DIR-3 KYC
Annual KYC for every director — ₹500 per director. Mandatory by 30 September each year. Missing this deactivates DIN.
7. DPT-3 Return of Deposits
Annual filing for Pvt Ltd / OPC / Section 8 (LLP exempt) — ₹1,000. Filed by 30 June for FY ended 31 March.
8. Section 8 Additional Compliance
- 12A renewal (every 5 years):
₹2,500when due - 80G renewal (every 5 years):
₹2,500when due - Form 10BD (donor statement): Quoted separately based on donor count
9. First-Year Setup
Books opening, accounting policy framework, INC-20A Commencement of Business — ₹5,000 one-time. PAN/TAN/MSME/GSTIN registrations are separate.
Entity-Type Compliance Notes
Private Limited Company
Most extensive compliance — statutory audit always mandatory (no turnover threshold), 4 board meetings minimum per year (2 for small companies), AGM within 6 months of FY end, AOC-4 + MGT-7 + ADT-1 filings, annual DIR-3 KYC for every director, DPT-3 for deposits, CSR if applicable (₹500 Cr net worth or ₹1,000 Cr turnover or ₹5 Cr profit). Patron's Pvt Ltd package is the most popular — typically ₹45,000 to ₹65,000 annually for ₹1-5 Cr turnover.
See: Annual Compliance — Private Limited service page for full scope.
One Person Company (OPC)
Similar to Pvt Ltd with simplifications — only 2 board meetings required, AGM not mandatory (if single member), MGT-7A instead of MGT-7. Mandatory conversion to Pvt Ltd when turnover exceeds ₹2 Crore or paid-up capital exceeds ₹50 Lakh — Patron handles the conversion. Typical compliance cost: ₹35,000 to ₹50,000 annually.
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
Lighter compliance — only Form 8 + Form 11 + DPIN KYC + ITR-5. Statutory audit threshold: turnover above ₹40 Lakh OR capital above ₹25 Lakh. Tax audit applies separately at ₹1 Crore turnover. Typical compliance cost: ₹25,000 to ₹40,000 annually — the cheapest option for service businesses without complex investor structures.
See: Annual Compliance — LLP service page.
Section 8 (Not-for-Profit) Company
Most compliance-heavy due to public interest oversight — same as Pvt Ltd PLUS 12A/80G renewals every 5 years, Form 10BD donor statement annually, Form 10B audit report, CSR-2 disclosures, ITR-7 (more complex than ITR-6), Foreign Contribution (FCRA) returns if FCRA registered. Typical compliance cost: ₹50,000 to ₹75,000 annually.
Comparison guide: Use our Small vs Startup vs OPC compliance comparison to decide which structure fits your stage. For pricing transparency, see Cheap vs Quality CA Comparison.
Free 15-Min Discovery Call
Lock a fixed-fee compliance quote for 12 months. We assess your past defaults, transaction volume, industry overlays, then issue a binding quote. Quarterly invoicing.
Why Patron Costs More Than ₹15-25K Commodity Quotes
Commodity CA providers quote ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 for annual compliance. The actual hour count for bare-bones compliance is similar — but Patron's pricing includes value worth ₹40,000 to ₹60,000 that commodity providers either don't include or charge separately when the need arises.
Year-Round CA Access
Patron clients have direct WhatsApp and phone access to senior CAs — typical response time is under 4 hours. Commodity providers route queries through article clerks; responses take 3-4 days and complex queries get bounced back with "we'll check and revert" — which often means never.
Notice Handling Included
Roughly 1 in 3 small businesses receives at least one tax notice in a given year — Section 142(1), 143(2), ASMT-10, DRC-01A, etc. Commodity providers charge ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 separately for notice handling. Patron includes unlimited notice handling in the annual fee for routine notices — saving you the lottery-style risk of a sudden bill.
Quarterly Tax Planning Calls
Pre-March tax planning saves typically 5-15% on tax outflow through correct salary structuring, capex timing, depreciation choices, advance tax planning, and Section 80 deduction optimisation. Commodity providers do filing-only; tax planning is an extra engagement (₹5,000 to ₹15,000 per call).
FCA-Level Review
All Patron filings are reviewed by a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) before submission — catching errors that lead to scrutiny notices, mismatches, and rectification cycles. Commodity providers typically have article clerks doing the work with light partner supervision; error rates are 3-5× higher.
What You Save by Avoiding Errors
| Error Type | Typical Cost to Fix |
|---|---|
| AOC-4 / MGT-7 filing error → Re-filing | ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 + additional MCA fees |
| GST 2A/2B mismatch → ASMT-10 / DRC-01A | ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 for response + tax demand |
| ITR error → Notice + rectification | ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 + interest |
| DIN deactivation due to missed KYC | ₹5,000 reactivation + 6-week director paralysis |
| DPT-3 default → Penalty | ₹100/day per company; minimum ₹10,000 |
The math: Patron at ₹50,000 versus commodity at ₹20,000 looks like ₹30,000 extra. But the average client avoids ₹35,000-₹70,000 in errors, notices, and emergency consultations across a year — making Patron net cheaper for ~80% of small businesses.
What's NOT in This Estimate
The estimate covers annual recurring compliance only. The following are separately quoted based on actual scope:
One-Time / Event-Based Filings
- Director appointment / resignation — DIR-12, ₹1,500 per event
- Share allotment / transfer — PAS-3, MBP-1, ₹2,500 to ₹5,000 per event
- Charge creation / modification / satisfaction — CHG-1, CHG-4, ₹2,000 per event
- Auditor change — ADT-3, casual vacancy filling, ₹2,000
- Capital increase / share buyback — SH-7, INC-23, ₹5,000 to ₹15,000
- Object clause change — Special resolution + MOA amendment, ₹5,000 to ₹10,000
- Conversion (LLP to Pvt Ltd, OPC to Pvt Ltd, etc.) — Quoted based on scope
Past-Default Cleanup
- Pending AOC-4 / MGT-7 from previous years: ₹15,000 per year of pendency plus additional MCA fees
- Pending ITR: ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 per AY plus late filing fee under Section 234F
- Pending GST returns: ₹500 per return plus late fee plus interest
- Striking-off / revival of struck-off companies: ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 plus NCLT fees
Industry-Specific Overlays
- Manufacturing: Pollution Control Board, Factory License, MSME, BIS — typical add-on ₹10,000 to ₹25,000
- Export-Import: IEC, AD Bank reporting, EDPMS / IDPMS reconciliation, FEMA / RBI returns
- E-commerce: TDS under Section 194-O, GST under Section 9(5), TCS reconciliations
- Healthcare / Pharma: Drug license compliance, biomedical waste, NMC reporting
- Financial services (NBFC / IMF / ISP): RBI / SEBI / IRDAI quarterly reporting
Government Fees & Levies
- Stamp duty on agreements, share certificates, charge documents
- MCA additional fees (₹100/day on late filings)
- ROC filing fees (₹300 to ₹600 per form)
- Income Tax late filing fees (Section 234F)
- GST late filing fees (₹50/day per return)
Notices & Litigation: The Patron annual fee includes routine notice handling (Section 142(1) information notices, ASMT-10 scrutiny). Substantive scrutiny (Section 143(2)), reassessment (Section 148), GST DRC-01 demands, and appeals to CIT(A) / GSTAT are scoped and quoted separately. See Notice Section Identifier to understand the scope of any notice you receive.