Form INC-20A filing in Satna
- Governing lawSection 10A, Companies Act
- Filed withRoC, Madhya Pradesh
- Deadline180 days from CoI
- Penalty₹50,000 + ₹1,000/day
Form INC-20A is the declaration a director files with the Registrar of Companies confirming that every subscriber to the memorandum has paid the value of the shares agreed to be taken. It is prescribed by Section 10A of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 23A of the Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014, and applies to every company with share capital incorporated on or after 2 November 2018, including those registered in Satna. This page covers who must file, the 180-day deadline, the penalty and strike-off consequences, MCA fees by capital slab, late-filing multipliers, required documents, and the filing process.
The provision exists to stop shell incorporations. Section 10A(1) bars a company from commencing any business or exercising any borrowing powers until the declaration is filed. Section 10A(3) goes further: where no declaration arrives within 180 days and the Registrar has reasonable cause to believe the company is not carrying on business, the Registrar of Companies, Madhya Pradesh may initiate removal of the company's name from the register under Section 248. In our incorporation practice, a missed INC-20A is the single most common reason a first-year company faces strike-off proceedings.
The deadline is counted from the date on the Certificate of Incorporation, not from the date the bank account opened or the first invoice was raised. That distinction matters, because corporate account opening in Satna frequently slips by 4 to 8 weeks after incorporation while the 180 days keep running. You can confirm your company's filing status on the MCA Company Master Data service. Read the full INC-20A filing guide or explore all corporate compliance services.
180-day deadline The filing that switches the company on
Until INC-20A is filed, the company legally exists but cannot trade or borrow. It is the last step of incorporation rather than the first step of compliance, and it is the one founders most often postpone.
- Bars commencement of business under Section 10A(1)(a)
- Bars exercise of borrowing powers under Section 10A(1)(b)
- Opens strike-off exposure under Section 10A(3) after day 180
Legal framework
Governing law: Section 10A, Companies Act, 2013 | Rules: Rule 23A, Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014 | Regulator:Ministry of Corporate Affairs | Filed with: Registrar of Companies, Madhya Pradesh | Applies from: companies incorporated on or after 2 November 2018 | Deadline: 180 days from incorporation
Which companies in Satna must file INC-20A?
Two tests decide it: incorporation date and whether the company has share capital. Both must be satisfied for Section 10A to apply.
| Entity | Has share capital? | INC-20A required? |
|---|---|---|
| Private Limited Company | Yes | Yes, if incorporated on or after 2 Nov 2018 |
| Public Limited Company | Yes | Yes, if incorporated on or after 2 Nov 2018 |
| One Person Company | Yes | Yes, if incorporated on or after 2 Nov 2018 |
| Nidhi Company | Yes | Yes, if incorporated on or after 2 Nov 2018 |
| Section 8 Company with share capital | Yes | Yes |
| Section 8 Company limited by guarantee | No | No, outside Section 10A |
| Company incorporated before 2 Nov 2018 | Yes | No, Section 10A does not apply retrospectively |
| LLP registered in Madhya Pradesh | Not applicable | No, LLP Act applies (Form 11 and Form 8) |
| Partnership firm or proprietorship | Not applicable | No, outside the Companies Act |
The declaration is about payment, not trading
A company in Satna with no revenue, no customers and no operations still files INC-20A within 180 days, because the declaration is about subscribers having paid for their shares. Waiting until the business "actually starts" is the single most common misreading of Section 10A, and it is what turns a ₹200 filing into a ₹50,000 penalty.
What non-filing actually costs
Three separate consequences stack: the statutory penalty, the escalating MCA fee, and the strike-off exposure. They are cumulative, not alternatives.
| Consequence | Provision | Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty on the company | Section 10A(2) | ₹50,000 |
| Penalty on every officer in default | Section 10A(2) | ₹1,000 per day, capped at ₹1,00,000 per officer |
| Additional MCA filing fee | Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014 | Up to 12 times the normal fee |
| Bar on commencing business | Section 10A(1)(a) | Trading before filing is a contravention |
| Bar on exercising borrowing powers | Section 10A(1)(b) | Loans and charges taken before filing are defective |
| Strike-off proceedings | Section 10A(3) read with Section 248 | RoC, Madhya Pradesh may remove the company from the register |
| Diligence and funding impact | Commercial | Investors and lenders treat it as a compliance red flag |
The arithmetic is unforgiving. A 2-director company in Satna that files 200 days late faces ₹50,000 on the company, ₹1,00,000 on each director because the ₹1,000 daily penalty reaches its cap in 100 days, and an MCA fee at 12 times the normal slab. Against a filing that would have cost ₹200 to ₹600 in government fee, the exposure runs past ₹2.5 lakh. Restoration of a struck-off company, if it comes to that, requires an application to the National Company Law Tribunal and costs considerably more again.
If you have already crossed 180 days
File immediately rather than waiting. The daily officer penalty keeps accruing until the cap, and the strike-off exposure under Section 10A(3) grows with every month of silence. A company that files voluntarily before any Registrar notice is in a materially better position at adjudication than one that files after proceedings begin.
Documents required in Satna
The attachment set is short, but the bank evidence has to be exact. Every subscriber credit must be identifiable and must match the MoA.
| Category | Document | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of subscription | Company bank statement | Shows each subscriber credit with name and amount, in the company account |
| Bank advices or deposit slips | Alternative or supporting evidence for each subscriber payment | |
| MoA subscriber page | Reference document; credits must match the shares agreed to be taken | |
| Registered office | Registered office proof in Satna | Required where the office was not verified at incorporation |
| Utility bill and NOC | Supporting the registered office address, not older than 2 months | |
| Regulated sectors | Sector regulator approval | RBI, SEBI or IRDAI registration certificate where the objects require it |
| Signing | Class 3 DSC of a director | Registered on the MCA portal in the director name |
| Director details | DIN and particulars of the signing director | |
| Certification | Professional certification | Rule 23A verification by a professional in whole-time practice |
Pro tip: make every credit traceable
Each subscriber should transfer their subscription amount from their own bank account, in one clean transaction, with a narration that identifies them. Pooled transfers from one founder's account covering everyone's shares, or cash deposits with no source trail, are what turn a routine filing into a query from RoC, Madhya Pradesh. Match each credit line to the MoA subscriber page before you submit.
How to file Form INC-20A from Satna
Ten steps, 1 working day once the bank evidence exists. Most of the elapsed time sits before the filing, in account opening and subscriber payments.
Compute the 180-day deadline
Count 180 days from the date on the Certificate of Incorporation, not from bank account opening or first invoice. Diarise day 150 as an internal trigger so subscriber payment delays can still be fixed inside the statutory window.
Open the corporate current account
Account opening is initiated through AGILE-PRO-S at incorporation. Complete the bank KYC at your branch in Satna promptly. This is where most of the 180 days is actually lost.
Collect subscription money from every subscriber
Each subscriber transfers the value of shares agreed to be taken, from their own account into the company account. Amounts must reconcile to the share commitments on the MoA subscriber page.
Download the bank statement as proof of receipt
Obtain a statement or bank advices showing every subscriber credit, identifiable by name and amount. This is the primary attachment and the document the Registrar actually examines.
Arrange registered office proof if needed
Where the registered office in Satna was not verified at incorporation, attach proof of the office. Keep the address consistent with any separate INC-22 filing.
Collect sector regulator approvals where applicable
If the objects require approval from the RBI, SEBI, IRDAI or another sector regulator, attach the registration or approval certificate. Filing without it where required leads to resubmission.
Compute the MCA fee for your capital slab
₹200 below ₹1 lakh, ₹300 for ₹1 lakh to ₹4,99,999, ₹400 for ₹5 lakh to ₹24,99,999, ₹500 for ₹25 lakh to ₹99,99,999 and ₹600 for ₹1 crore or more. Add the additional fee multiplier if already late. Check with the MCA fee calculator.
Prepare and sign Form INC-20A
A director signs the declaration with a valid Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate registered on the MCA portal, confirming that all subscribers have paid for their shares.
Obtain Rule 23A professional certification
The form is digitally verified by a professional in whole-time practice, as Rule 23A requires. Certification is a condition of the filing. Included in the IncorpX ₹999 fee.
Submit and record the SRN
Pay the MCA fee and submit. The portal generates a Service Request Number for tracking and routes the filing to RoC, Madhya Pradesh. Keep the approved form and SRN with the Certificate of Incorporation.
Common mistake
Declaring receipt of subscription money that has not actually been credited. The declaration is a statement of fact by a named director, and a false statement carries exposure under Sections 447 and 448. If subscribers cannot fund by day 180, restructure the shareholding rather than sign a declaration that the bank statement does not support.
Let an expert file your INC-20A in Satna
A ₹999 professional fee for end-to-end assistance, with Rule 23A certification included and filing with RoC in 1 working day. MCA fees from ₹200 billed at actuals.
Where INC-20A sits in the first-year calendar
INC-20A is one of five obligations that land in a new company's first 12 months. Missing any of them is avoidable with a diarised calendar.
| Obligation | Deadline | Form | Penalty for default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appoint the first auditor | Within 30 days of incorporation | ADT-1 | ₹300 flat plus ₹100 per day |
| Verify the registered office | Within 30 days of incorporation | INC-22 | Additional fee plus penalty |
| Issue share certificates | Within 60 days of allotment | SH-1 | ₹25,000 to ₹5,00,000 |
| File the commencement declaration | Within 180 days of incorporation | INC-20A | ₹50,000 plus ₹1,000 per day per officer |
| Deposit subscription capital | Before filing INC-20A | Bank credit | Blocks the INC-20A declaration |
| Hold the first AGM | Within 9 months of the first FY close | Not applicable | ₹1,00,000 plus ₹5,000 per day |
| File financial statements | Within 30 days of the AGM | AOC-4 | ₹100 per day, no cap |
| File the annual return | Within 60 days of the AGM | MGT-7 | ₹100 per day, no cap |
| Director KYC | By 30 September each year | DIR-3 KYC | ₹5,000 per director |
The INC-20A deadline interacts with the others. Share certificates cannot sensibly be issued before subscription money is received, and subscription money is exactly what INC-20A declares. Working backwards from day 180: aim to have the bank account in Satna operational by day 45, subscriber transfers completed by day 90, and the declaration filed by day 120. That leaves a 60-day buffer for the delays that actually occur. Ongoing Pvt Ltd annual compliance support keeps the rest of the calendar on track.
Pro tip: file INC-20A and ADT-1 in the same sitting
ADT-1 is due at day 30 and INC-20A at day 180, but both need the same director DSC and the same professional certification workflow. Companies in Satna that batch them once the bank account is live close out two first-year obligations in a single engagement and stop tracking two separate clocks.
The 5 mistakes that cost companies the ₹50,000
Drawn from 1,800+ INC-20A filings. Each of these is visible and fixable well before day 180.
Waiting for the business to actually start
The declaration is about subscribers having paid, not about revenue having arrived. A pre-revenue company in Satna still files within 180 days. This misreading accounts for the majority of defaults we see.
Losing the window to bank account delays
Corporate account opening routinely takes 4 to 8 weeks after incorporation. Founders who begin the process at day 90 discover that KYC, video verification and branch visits consume the remaining window. Start at day 1.
Pooling subscriber payments through one account
One founder transferring the entire subscription amount on behalf of all subscribers breaks the audit trail. Each subscriber must pay from their own account, in an amount matching the MoA subscriber page.
Filing without checking sector regulator approvals
Companies with objects touching finance, insurance or securities need the relevant RBI, SEBI or IRDAI approval attached. Filing without it produces a resubmission, and resubmission cycles eat the remaining days.
Assuming the incorporation package covered it
Most incorporation packages end at the Certificate of Incorporation. INC-20A falls due 180 days later, long after the incorporation engagement closed, which is precisely why it gets forgotten.
INC-20A vs INC-22 vs ADT-1 vs AOC-4
Four filings a new company in Satna confronts in its first year. They are distinct in trigger, deadline and consequence.
| Parameter | INC-20A | INC-22 | ADT-1 | AOC-4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Commencement of business declaration | Registered office notification | Auditor appointment intimation | Filing of financial statements |
| Governing provision | Section 10A | Section 12 | Section 139 | Section 137 |
| Deadline | 180 days from incorporation | 30 days from incorporation | 15 days from the appointment | 30 days from the AGM |
| Frequency | One time | One time or on change | On appointment | Annual |
| Professional certification | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| MCA fee | ₹200 to ₹600 by capital | ₹200 to ₹600 by capital | ₹200 to ₹600 by capital | ₹200 to ₹600 by capital |
| Penalty for default | ₹50,000 plus ₹1,000/day per officer | ₹1,000/day, up to ₹1,00,000 | ₹300 plus ₹100/day | ₹100/day, no cap |
| Strike-off risk | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Explore: ADT-1 filing, ROC annual filing or compliance health check.
FAQs about INC-20A in Satna
Questions sourced from real search queries, the Companies Act, 2013 and our experience filing 1,800+ INC-20A declarations across India.
- Proof of subscription: company bank statement showing each subscriber credit by name and amount.
- Registered office: proof of the office in Satna, where not verified at incorporation.
- Regulated sectors: RBI, SEBI or IRDAI approval where the objects require it.
- Signing: Class 3 DSC of a director registered on the MCA portal.
- Certification: Rule 23A verification by a professional in whole-time practice.
File your INC-20A in Satna before the deadline
Talk to an IncorpX compliance expert for a free consultation. Section 10A declaration prepared, certified and filed with RoC from a ₹999 professional fee, with MCA fees from ₹200 at actuals.
Nebin Binoy 
