Public Limited Company LtdIndia
What it takes to form, own and run a public limited company in India, and how its profit is taxed. Each figure links to the page it was read from.
This company type
At a glance
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“company limited by shares” means a company having the liability of its members limited
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(a) seven or more persons, where the company to be formed is to be a public company;
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Every company shall have a Board of Directors consisting of individuals as directors and shall have—
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The words “of five lakh rupees or such higher paid-up capital,” omitted by Act 21 of 2015
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If opted for Section 115BAA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 22%
Form it
Who registers it
- Registry
- Formed without visiting
- Not in our records
- Formed online
- Not in our records
What it takes to form
- A notary
- Not stated
The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.
- A resident director
- Required
- Paying up the capital
- Not in our records
Own it
Who may own and run it
- Directors
- At least 3 · one must live there · individuals only
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Every company shall have a Board of Directors consisting of individuals as directors and shall have—
- Shareholders
- At least 7 · a company may be one · nominees allowed
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(a) seven or more persons, where the company to be formed is to be a public company;
- Members
- At least 7
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(a) seven or more persons, where the company to be formed is to be a public company;
- A local company secretary
- Not stated
The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.
- A local registered agent
- Not stated
The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.
Each year, at the registry
- Annual registry fee
- Not in our records
- Accounts on the public record
- Yes
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any person may— (a) inspect by electronic means any documents kept by the Registrar in accordance with the rules made
- Audit for a small company
- Required
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every company shall, at the first annual general meeting, appoint an individual or a firm as an auditor
- Audit
- Not in our records
Important dates
When each obligation falls due, as the authority states it.
- Declaration by a director that every subscriber has paid for the shares agreed to be taken
- 180 days after incorporation
With Registrar of Companies
s.10A(1)(a), for a company having a share capital incorporated after the 2019 amendment; also requires verification of the registered office (s.10A(1)(b), s.12(2): within 30 days of incorporation).
- First annual general meeting
- 9 months after the end of the accounting period
Within nine months from the closing of the first financial year (s.96(1) first proviso); no AGM is needed in the year of incorporation if this one is held.
- Annual general meeting
- 6 months after the end of the accounting period
Within six months from the closing of the financial year, and not more than fifteen months between meetings (s.96(1)); the Registrar may extend by up to three months for a special reason.
- Return to the Registrar of the directors and key managerial personnel on appointment and o
- 30 days after change of officers
With Registrar of Companies
Companies Act 2013 s.170(2): within thirty days of the appointment and within thirty days of any change.
What is public
- Directors
- Public
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any person may— (a) inspect by electronic means any documents kept by the Registrar in accordance with the rules made
- Shareholders
- Public
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any person may— (a) inspect by electronic means any documents kept by the Registrar in accordance with the rules made
Tax
Tax on profit
How this company type is taxed, which can differ from its place’s headline rate.
Varies · 15–30%+6 regimes
A domestic company is taxed at 30% unless it opts for a concessional regime: 22% under Section 115BAA (Form 10-IC); 15% on business income and 22% on other income under Section 115BAB for new manufacturing companies. Surcharge and cess are extra.
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If opted for Section 115BAA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 22%
Special regimes that may apply
- Tonnage tax scheme tonnage
Shipping companies opting into the tonnage tax scheme Income-tax Act, 2025, section 226 - Special provisions in respect of newly established Units in Special Economic Zones free zone
Newly established units in Special Economic Zones Income-tax Act, 2025, section 144 - Deduction in respect of royalty on patents ip box
Persons in receipt of royalty on patents Income-tax Act, 2025, section 152 - Deduction in respect of certain inter-corporate dividends holding
Companies receiving dividends from other companies Income-tax Act, 2025, section 148 - Special provision in respect of specified business other
Eligible start-ups and other specified businesses Income-tax Act, 2025, section 140 - Deductions for income of Offshore Banking Units and Units of International Financial Services Centre other
Offshore Banking Units and units of an International Financial Services Centre Income-tax Act, 2025, section 147
Whether a company qualifies depends on its activity and conditions set in each statute.
- CFC rules in India
- Not in our records
Close it
Closing it
The other end, which most guides leave out.
- Route
- Removal of the company's name from the register by the Registrar (s.248): on application after extinguishing all liabilities, by special resolution or consent of 75% of members by paid-up capital, or on the Registrar's own motion for a company carrying on no business.
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a company may, after extinguishing all its liabilities, by a special resolution or consent of seventy-five per cent. members in terms of paid-up share capital, file an application in the prescribed manner to the Registrar
- Statutory fee
- Not in our records
Every business in India
GST
- The tax
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
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Streamlined Rate Structure: The tax structure has primarily moved to two slabs - 5% and 18%.
- Standard rate
- 18%
Since 22 September 2025 the structure has primarily two slabs, 5% and 18%, with a 40% rate on luxury and sin goods; the 12% and 28% slabs were discontinued.
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Streamlined Rate Structure: The tax structure has primarily moved to two slabs - 5% and 18%.
- Other rates
- 5% The merit rate on essential goods and specified services (for example leather, footwear up to ₹2,500 a pair, textiles, packaged food)
- 40% Luxury and sin goods: lottery and online gaming, tobacco, aerated drinks, high-end cars, yachts and private aircraft
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A 40% rate on luxury and sin goods has been introduced to help maintain revenue balance while ensuring a fairer tax structure . This includes lottery/ online gaming, tobacco, aerated drinks, high-end cars, yachts and private aircrafts.
- Registration threshold
- INR 4,000,000 · about €37,691
aggregate turnover: ₹40 lakh for a supplier of goods; ₹20 lakh for a supplier of services (₹10 lakh in special category states); financial year
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Higher Exemptions: Effective from April 2019, the GST registration limit for goods suppliers was increased from ₹20 lakh to ₹40 lakh
- Voluntary registration
- Yes
A person not liable to be registered under section 22 or 24 of the CGST Act may register voluntarily, and all provisions applying to a registered person then apply.
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Section 25(3) of the CGST Act, 2017 states that “a person, though not liable to be registered under section 22 or section 24 of the CGST Act, 2017 may get himself registered voluntarily
- A foreign company
- Registers from its first taxable supply
CGST Act s.24(v): non-resident taxable persons making taxable supply must be registered notwithstanding the s.22(1) turnover threshold, and under s.25(1) a non-resident taxable person applies at least five days before commencing business and (s.27) makes an advance deposit of the estimated tax. Whether a resident representative is required is not stated in the Act sections read (CBIC's 'Updated 30.09.2020' text); it is a matter of the CGST Rules.
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Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) of section 22, the following categories of persons shall be required to be registered under this Act
- Returns filed
- Depends on the business
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Simpler Return Filings: The quarterly return filing and monthly payment (QRMP) scheme has been introduced in 2020 to allow for quarterly filing of returns . It covers taxpayers with annual turnover of up to ₹5 crore.
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-25
Payment and banking services
3 services name India on their own list: Paysera, Airwallex, Stripe. Each provider, and what a listing means.
Reference
Its name and code
- Kind
- Public limited companyDerived our grouping, the same words in every country
- Name in law
- Public Limited Company (Ltd)
- ISO 20275 code
- DDKQSecondary GLEIF, Entity Legal Forms code list