Compliance Calendar

Compliance Calendar: Every GST, TDS, PF/ESI, and MCA Deadline Your Business Must Hit in FY 2026-27

A compliance calendar is not an administrative nicety — it is a cash-flow planning tool. In FY 2026-27, Indian businesses face overlapping monthly deadlines across five regulatory frameworks: GST, income tax (TDS/advance tax), PF/ESI, MCA/ROC, and SEBI/LODR for listed entities. Miss one deadline and you pay interest; miss a cluster and you trigger notices, DIN deactivations, and ITC reversals that cost multiples of the original tax. November is the single most consequential month because it permanently closes the GST window for the prior financial year.

Why the Compliance Calendar Is a Cash-Flow Tool, Not Just a To-Do List

Every deadline on a compliance calendar has a direct rupee consequence. Interest under section 50 of the CGST Act accrues at 18% per annum from the day after the due date. TDS deposited late attracts interest at 1.5% per month from the date of deduction, not the due date — a subtle distinction that inflates the liability faster than most teams expect. PF damages can reach 25% of the arrears for delays exceeding six months.

The second cost is opportunity cost. A GST portal that has locked your GSTR-3B for a prior period forces you to pay tax and lose the Input Tax Credit (ITC), effectively paying tax twice on the same input. That is not recoverable.

The third cost is notice management time. A late TDS return under section 234E attracts a fee of Rs. 200 per day. On a 60-day delay for a company with a modest TDS liability, that is Rs. 12,000 in fees before you even begin responding to the intimation. At 100 employees with similar delays across multiple quarters, the number compounds quickly.

Build the calendar so your team sees upcoming deadlines at least seven days in advance with the estimated outflow attached. That transforms it from a deadline tracker into a working capital schedule.

The Monthly Recurring Deadlines: A Date-by-Date Reference

These dates repeat every month unless superseded by a CBIC/CBDT circular extending them. Note them by the date, not the return name.

7th of every month

• TDS and TCS deposit for the previous month under section 200 of the Income-tax Act 1961. Exception: TDS deducted/TCS collected in March must be deposited by 30 April.
• Portal: TRACES → Challan 281 on the e-filing portal (www.incometax.gov.in).

10th of every month

• GSTR-7: Return for persons deducting TDS under section 51 of the CGST Act (government entities, PSUs, specified bodies).
• GSTR-8: Statement-cum-challan by e-commerce operators collecting TCS under section 52.

11th of every month

• GSTR-1 for monthly filers: outward supply statement on the GST portal (www.gst.gov.in). Accurate GSTR-1 is the foundation of your counterparty's ITC eligibility, so timing matters beyond your own liability.

13th of every month

• Invoice Furnishing Facility (IFF) for QRMP (Quarterly Return Monthly Payment) filers: optional upload of B2B invoices in months 1 and 2 of each quarter so recipients can claim ITC without waiting for the quarterly GSTR-1.

15th of every month

• PF contribution deposit for the previous month via the EPFO Unified Portal.
• ESI contribution deposit for the previous month via the ESIC portal (www.esic.gov.in).
• Quarterly: Advance tax instalments fall on 15 June (≥15%), 15 September (≥45%), 15 December (≥75%), and 15 March (100%).

20th of every month

• GSTR-3B for monthly filers: summary return and tax payment. This is the return that triggers ITC matching and the section 16(4) clock.

22nd / 24th of every month following a quarter

• GSTR-3B for QRMP filers: 22nd for Category I states/UTs (generally north and east), 24th for Category II (generally south and west). Confirm your state's category on the GST portal.

25th of every month

• PF return filing (Electronic Challan cum Return, or ECR) for the previous month via the EPFO Unified Portal.

Last day of every month

• Issue of TDS certificates (Form 16A/16B/16C/16D) — the due date for issuing certificates is 15 days after the due date of the quarterly TDS return, but monthly challan acknowledgements should be archived on the last working day of each month.

GST Deadlines in Detail: Monthly Filers vs QRMP Scheme

Monthly Filers

If your aggregate annual turnover in FY 2025-26 exceeded Rs. 5 crore, you file GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B monthly. Your cycle each month is:

1. Compile all outward invoices and upload to GSTR-1 by the 11th.
2. Verify GSTR-2B (auto-populated ITC statement) — available by the 14th.
3. Reconcile GSTR-2B with your purchase register and books before the 20th.
4. File GSTR-3B and pay net tax liability by the 20th.
5. If there is a cash liability after ITC, fund your Electronic Cash Ledger before the 20th to avoid interest.

A common error is treating GSTR-2B as gospel without cross-checking the purchase register. Suppliers who file GSTR-1 late will appear in the following month's GSTR-2B, meaning you may provisionally claim ITC in GSTR-3B under the proviso to Rule 36(4) — but you must monitor and reverse if the supplier doesn't regularise within the prescribed period.

QRMP Scheme (Turnover up to Rs. 5 Crore)

QRMP filers have a compressed annual burden but a trickier cash-flow rhythm:

• Months 1 and 2 of each quarter: Pay tax via the Fixed Sum Method (35% of the last quarterly return's tax paid in cash) or a self-assessed challan by the 25th.
• Month 3: File quarterly GSTR-1 by the 13th and quarterly GSTR-3B by the 22nd/24th.
• Use IFF by the 13th of months 1 and 2 to pass ITC to your B2B recipients without delay.

The QRMP scheme benefits businesses with stable, predictable turnover. If your composition or turnover dips significantly mid-year, evaluate whether the Fixed Sum Method overpays and switch to the self-assessment challan route.

The Annual GST Returns

• GSTR-9 (Annual Return): due 31 December 2027 for FY 2026-27.
• GSTR-9C (Self-certified Reconciliation Statement): mandatory for taxpayers with aggregate annual turnover above Rs. 5 crore; due alongside GSTR-9.

TDS and TCS: Deposit, Return, and Certificate Windows

Quarterly TDS Return Calendar for FY 2026-27

Form 16 (salary TDS certificate) is issued by 15 June 2027 for the full year — it is not issued quarterly.

Key Traps in TDS

Interest calculation starts from deduction, not the 7th. If you deduct TDS on 15 May 2026 and deposit it on 10 June 2026, interest at 1.5% per month runs from 15 May to 10 June — approximately 26 days. Most teams calculate from the due date (7 June) and understate the liability.

Section 194Q vs 206C(1H) overlap. For transactions above Rs. 50 lakh in a financial year with a single buyer/seller, TDS under 194Q and TCS under 206C(1H) can both theoretically apply. The rule is that TDS under 194Q takes precedence — the seller is relieved of TCS if the buyer deducts. Mishandling this creates double compliance or a gap.

Form 15CA/15CB for foreign remittances. Every remittance above Rs. 5 lakh (or even lower amounts for certain categories) requires Form 15CA before the bank will process the SWIFT transfer. Form 15CB from a CA is needed when the remittance is covered by a tax treaty or the nature of income is ambiguous. These filings sit on the e-filing portal and must be done before remittance — retroactive filing is not accepted.

PF and ESI: What You File and When

Provident Fund

• Deposit: 15th of the following month via the EPFO Unified Portal (unifiedportal-emp.epfindia.gov.in). ECR (Electronic Challan cum Return) is generated and approved before payment.
• Return (ECR filing): 25th of the following month.
• Employee contribution: 12% of basic wages + DA + retaining allowance, matched by employer at 12% (split across EPF, EPS, EDLI).

Penalties for delayed PF deposit are severe: interest at 12% per annum under para 76 of the EPF Scheme, plus damages from 5% to 25% of arrears depending on delay period under para 76B. A 6-month delay triggers damages at 25% — on a monthly PF outflow of Rs. 1,00,000, that is Rs. 25,000 in damages alone, on top of 12% interest.

ESI

• Deposit: 15th of the following month.
• Half-yearly returns: due 12 May (for October–March) and 11 November (for April–September).
• Applicable to employees earning up to Rs. 21,000 per month (Rs. 25,000 for persons with disability).
• Employer contribution: 3.25%; employee contribution: 0.75% of wages.

MCA Filings: AOC-4, MGT-7, and the Director KYC Trap

Annual Filings Tied to the AGM

For a company that held its AGM on 30 September 2026 (the standard last date for non-OPC companies):

Late fee for AOC-4 and MGT-7 on MCA V3 (www.mca.gov.in): Rs. 100 per day per form, with no upper cap for listed companies. For a 60-day delay on both forms, a private limited company pays Rs. 12,000 in late fees before penalties.

DIR-3 KYC: The Silent DIN Killer

Every director holding a Director Identification Number (DIN) must file DIR-3 KYC by 30 September of each year. For FY 2026-27, that deadline is 30 September 2026.

Miss it, and:

1. Your DIN status changes to "Deactivated" on MCA V3 on 1 October.
2. Reactivation requires Form DIR-3 KYC with a late fee of Rs. 5,000 per DIN.
3. You cannot sign or certify any MCA form until the DIN is reactivated — meaning all other filings are blocked too.

November's Make-or-Break Deadlines: The GST Section 16(4) Cut-off

November is the single most consequential month for GST compliance, and the reason is section 16(4) of the CGST Act 2017 as amended by the Finance Act 2022.

What section 16(4) says (post-amendment): A registered person cannot avail ITC on any invoice or debit note pertaining to FY 2025-26 after 30 November 2026 OR the date of filing the annual return for FY 2025-26 (GSTR-9, due 31 December 2026), whichever is earlier. Since GSTR-9 is almost always filed after November 30, the 30 November 2026 date is the operative cut-off for virtually all taxpayers.

What this means in practice: By 30 November 2026, you must have:

• Filed GSTR-3B for periods up to October 2026, capturing all pending ITC for invoices dated in FY 2025-26.
• Reconciled your purchase register against GSTR-2A/2B for FY 2025-26 and chased all defaulting suppliers to file their GSTR-1.
• Declared all credit notes received from suppliers (section 34(2)) and any amendments to your own GSTR-1 (section 37(3)).

November also brings:

• Form 16A (Q2 TDS certificates) must be issued by 15 November 2026 — download from TRACES and share with payees.
• ESI half-yearly return for April–September 2026 due 11 November 2026.
• MGT-7/MGT-7A due 29 November 2026 if AGM was held on 30 September 2026.
• For audit cases under section 44AB, the ITR for AY 2026-27 (FY 2025-26) was due 31 October 2026 — if you filed on extension, ensure the AIS/TIS (Annual Information Statement / Taxpayer Information Summary) on the e-filing portal is reconciled before any revised return.

Worked Example: What Three Missed Deadlines Cost a Mid-Sized Private Limited

Company profile: Private limited company, 3 directors, 85 employees, monthly PF outflow Rs. 1,20,000, GST ITC for FY 2025-26 of Rs. 4,80,000 unclaimed, aggregate annual turnover Rs. 8 crore (monthly GSTR filer).

Scenario: Finance team goes on leave in October 2026 and misses three filings:

1. GSTR-3B for October 2026 (due 20 November 2026) filed 35 days late on 25 December 2026.

• Late fee: Rs. 50/day × 35 days = Rs. 1,750 (CGST Rs. 875 + SGST Rs. 875)
• Interest on outstanding tax of Rs. 3,00,000: 18% p.a. × (35/365) × Rs. 3,00,000 = Rs. 5,178
• Worse: Because GSTR-3B for October was not filed by 30 November 2026, the Rs. 4,80,000 ITC for FY 2025-26 is permanently barred under section 16(4). That is a Rs. 4,80,000 loss — real money forfeited, not just a penalty.

2. PF deposit for October 2026 (due 15 November 2026) paid 45 days late on 31 December 2026.

• Interest: 12% p.a. × (45/365) × Rs. 1,20,000 = Rs. 1,774
• Damages at 10% (delay 2–4 months): 10% × Rs. 1,20,000 = Rs. 12,000

3. MGT-7 (due 29 November 2026 for 30 Sep AGM) filed 40 days late.

• Late fee: Rs. 100/day × 40 days = Rs. 4,000

Total quantifiable cost: Rs. 5,04,702 — of which Rs. 4,80,000 is the ITC forfeiture, an irreversible loss that no rectification application can undo.

The lesson: the late fee on GSTR-3B was trivial. The ITC barred under 16(4) was catastrophic. The calendar date that matters most is not the one with the highest visible penalty — it is the one with the most irreversible consequence.

Common Mistakes That Cause Last-Minute Scrambles

1. Treating GSTR-2B as auto-confirmed ITC. GSTR-2B is auto-populated but not auto-approved. If you claim ITC on invoices that your supplier later amends or cancels, you face a demand under rule 37A. Review before filing, not after.

2. Assuming AGM extensions shift ROC deadlines. An MCA notification extending AGM timelines does not automatically extend AOC-4 or MGT-7 — separate extensions are issued specifically for forms. Always verify the MCA V3 circular, not just the AGM circular.

3. Calculating TDS interest from the 7th, not the deduction date. Section 201(1A) is explicit: interest runs from the date of deduction (or date on which tax was collectible) to the date of deposit. Running the calculator from the 7th understates the liability and creates a mismatch at the time of assessment.

4. Ignoring Form 15CA/15CB until the bank demands it. Banks require Form 15CA at the time of remittance. If you realise on the day of the transfer that the CA hasn't issued Form 15CB, the transfer is held — sometimes for days — and foreign-currency obligations attract penalty from the overseas counterparty.

5. Letting DSC tokens expire. A Director Signature Certificate (DSC) is required for signing MCA forms and income tax returns for companies. Renewal takes 2–3 working days minimum. If a token expires the week of an AOC-4 deadline, you have a problem that no amount of overtime solves.

6. Filing GSTR-1 without verifying the HSN summary. HSN-level summary in GSTR-1 is mandatory above certain turnover thresholds. An incomplete HSN summary makes GSTR-1 technically deficient and can trigger notice.

How to Build a Compliance Calendar That Actually Works

A spreadsheet that nobody checks is not a compliance calendar — it is a liability. Here is the structure that works in practice:

1. Master sheet columns: Law/act → Form/challan → Due date → Responsible owner (name, not department) → Estimated amount → Portal link → Status (Not started / In progress / Filed / Archived).

1. Automated reminders: Set calendar alerts 10 days before for high-consequence deadlines (section 16(4), advance tax, AOC-4/MGT-7), and 5 days before for routine monthly filings. Use whichever system your team actually checks — Google Calendar, Outlook, or a project tool — not a separate compliance app that the team ignores.

1. Weekly 15-minute review: Every Monday, the finance lead reviews the next 14 days. This is not a full-team meeting — it is a quick check against the master sheet.

1. Cash-flow integration: Map each TDS, GST, PF/ESI, and advance tax outflow to your weekly cash-flow projection so treasury is never surprised. Include estimated amounts, not just "TDS deposit."

1. DSC and portal access audit: Quarterly, verify that every required DSC is valid for at least 90 more days, and that all portal credentials (GST, e-filing, MCA V3, TRACES, EPFO, ESIC) are accessible. A forgotten password on 10 November is not a 10-minute fix.

1. Archive discipline: Save challan acknowledgements, filed return JSON files, and email confirmations in a folder structure by financial year → month → form. Retrieval during assessment is trivial if archiving is consistent; it is a multi-day nightmare if it is not.

Key Takeaways

• 30 November is the hardest deadline of the GST year. After this date, ITC on all FY 2025-26 invoices is permanently barred under section 16(4) — no amendment, no application, no court can reverse it.
• TDS interest starts on the deduction date, not the deposit due date. Always use the correct start date in your interest calculator to avoid understating arrears.
• PF delays compound fast: damages of up to 25% of arrears plus 12% p.a. interest make PF one of the most expensive defaults per rupee of obligation.
• DIR-3 KYC by 30 September is non-negotiable. A deactivated DIN blocks every MCA filing for that director until a Rs. 5,000 fee is paid — and the filing queue does not wait.
• The ITC forfeiture risk from a late GSTR-3B dwarfs its late fee. In the worked example above, a Rs. 1,750 late fee caused a Rs. 4,80,000 ITC loss. Build your compliance rhythm around consequences, not penalty amounts.
• Form 15CA/15CB must be filed before the bank transfer, not after. Build this into your payment approval workflow for every foreign remittance.
• A compliance calendar only works if it has named owners and estimated rupee amounts. Generic due-date lists get deferred; personal accountability with cash-flow impact does not.