What Is CCFS-2026 and Why Did MCA Introduce It?
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs rolled out the Companies Compliance Facilitation Scheme, 2026 (CCFS-2026) through General Circular No. 01/2026 dated 24 February 2026. The scheme draws its authority from Sections 460 and 403 of the Companies Act, 2013, and it exists to solve one specific, widespread problem.
Across the country, thousands of companies — many of them MSMEs, One Person Companies and startups that quietly stopped operating — had stopped filing their annual returns. Each unfiled form kept adding ₹100 per day in additional fees, and for companies that had defaulted over several years, that figure had climbed into lakhs of rupees, far beyond what a small business could realistically clear.
MCA's intent with CCFS-2026 is straightforward: clean up the corporate registry, give genuine defaulters a dignified and affordable way back to compliance, and reduce the backlog sitting with Registrars of Companies across India.
The scheme was originally meant to run from 15 April to 15 July 2026. It was extended to 31 August 2026 via General Circular No. 03/2026 dated 8 July 2026, after a fire at the MCA data centre on 5 June 2026 disrupted portal access during the peak filing period. By 13 July 2026, over 92,859 companies had already availed the scheme — a clear sign of how badly this relief was needed.
Three Pathways Under CCFS-2026 — Choose the Right One for Your Company
CCFS-2026 does not force every defaulting company down the same road. Depending on whether your company wants to stay active, pause operations, or shut down entirely, there are three distinct routes available.
Pathway 1 — Clear Pending Annual Filings (90% Fee Waiver)
This covers MGT-7, MGT-7A, AOC-4, AOC-4 XBRL, AOC-4 CFS, ADT-1, FC-3, FC-4, and legacy 1956 Act forms such as Form 20B, 21A, 23AC, 23ACA and Form 66.
Instead of paying the full additional fee of ₹100/day per form (capped at ₹5 lakh per form), companies pay the normal filing fee plus only 10% of whatever additional fee has accumulated. There is no separate application — the concession applies automatically the moment you file on the MCA V3 portal during the scheme window.
Where MGT-7/7A and AOC-4 are filed before an adjudication notice is issued, immunity from penalty applies under Sections 92 and 137.
Pathway 2 — Apply for Dormant Company Status (MSC-1) — 50% Off
Suited to companies that are not currently operating but still want to hold on to their registered name, intellectual property or land assets. File e-Form MSC-1 under Section 455, at half the standard fee. This works well for companies with a valuable trademark or brand name they may want to revive later.
Pathway 3 — Strike Off / Wind Up the Company (STK-2) — Pay Only ₹2,500
For companies that genuinely serve no purpose anymore, this is the cleanest exit. File e-Form STK-2 — the fee drops from ₹10,000 to ₹2,500, a 75% saving. This closes the company for good and removes all future compliance obligations and director liability tied to it.
| Option | Form | Best For | Fee Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Pending Filings | MGT-7, AOC-4, ADT-1 | Companies wanting to stay active | 90% off additional fees |
| Go Dormant | MSC-1 | Companies pausing operations | 50% off filing fee |
| Strike Off | STK-2 | Defunct / inactive companies | 75% off — only ₹2,500 |
📋 Need help with CCFS-2026 filing?
Our CA checks your company's MCA status for free and handles the full filing.
Who Is Eligible — And Who Is Not
Eligible companies include:
- Private Limited Companies with pending MGT-7 or AOC-4 for any financial year
- One Person Companies (OPCs) with overdue annual returns
- Public Limited Companies with defaulting annual filings
- Foreign companies with pending FC-3 or FC-4
- Startups that stopped operations but are still registered
- MSMEs with accumulated additional fees running into lakhs
Not eligible:
- Companies against which a final strike-off notice under Section 248(1) has already been issued by ROC
- Companies that have already applied for strike-off or already been granted dormant status
- Companies dissolved by an order of amalgamation or demerger
- Companies with unresolved adjudication notices
Important: LLPs are not covered — this scheme applies only to companies registered under the Companies Act, 2013.
All Forms Covered Under CCFS-2026
| Form | Purpose | Applicable Section |
|---|---|---|
| MGT-7 | Annual Return (companies other than small/OPC) | Section 92 |
| MGT-7A | Annual Return (small companies & OPCs) | Section 92 |
| AOC-4 | Financial Statements | Section 137 |
| AOC-4 XBRL | Financial Statements (XBRL format) | Section 137 |
| AOC-4 CFS | Consolidated Financial Statements | Section 137 |
| ADT-1 | Auditor Appointment | Section 139 |
| FC-3 | Annual Accounts (Foreign Companies) | Section 381 |
| FC-4 | Annual Return (Foreign Companies) | Section 384 |
| Form 20B | Annual Return (Companies Act, 1956) | Legacy |
| Form 21A | Annual Return (Companies Act, 1956) | Legacy |
| Form 23AC / 23ACA | Balance Sheet (Companies Act, 1956) | Legacy |
| Form 66 | Compliance Certificate (Companies Act, 1956) | Legacy |
Some sources also reference DIR-3 KYC, MGT-14 and INC-22 in connection with this scheme. We recommend verifying the latest MCA FAQs, or speaking with a CA, before you file.
How Much Will You Actually Save? A Real-World Example
Under normal rules, every pending form attracts ₹100/day in additional fees, with no upper limit until the CCFS cap applies. For a company with three or four years of pending MGT-7 and AOC-4 filings, this adds up fast — often to a figure the business never expected to owe.
Use the estimator below to get a rough sense of what you could save under CCFS-2026. This is an indicative figure only — get an exact quote from our CA before filing.
CCFS-2026 Fee Estimator
Plus normal filing fees apply. Get an exact quote from our CA.
WhatsApp for Exact Quote →How to File Under CCFS-2026 — Step by Step
Log into mca.gov.in, check your company's filing history, and identify all overdue forms and financial years.
Ensure the company is not under final strike-off notice or already granted dormant status. LLPs are not covered.
Check that the authorised director's Digital Signature Certificate is valid and DIN is not disqualified or deactivated.
Get your CA to prepare Books of Accounts, Board-approved Financial Statements and draft MGT-7 / AOC-4 for each pending year.
Always file AOC-4 and MGT-7 for the oldest pending year first, then move forward year by year in sequence.
Confirm the challan shows only 10% of the additional fee. If full late fee is shown, recheck eligibility or contact the ROC helpdesk.
Download and preserve the SRN and challan as proof of CCFS-2026 compliance.
📋 Need help with CCFS-2026 filing?
Our CA checks your company's MCA status for free and handles the full filing.
What Happens If You Miss the 31 August 2026 Deadline?
CCFS-2026 closes. Full additional fees resume — ₹100/day per form, no waiver.
ROC launches systematic enforcement. Adjudication proceedings initiated under the Companies Act, 2013.
Non-filing triggers Section 164(2) — directors are disqualified from being appointed in any company for 5 years. DINs are deactivated.
Section 92 and 137 non-compliance can lead to criminal prosecution of the company and every officer in default.
Companies with continuous non-filing can be struck off under Section 248 — without the 75% fee concession that CCFS offered.
Struck-off company bank accounts can be frozen by authorities.
How SVT & Associates Can File CCFS-2026 for Your Company
We start every CCFS-2026 engagement with a free MCA status check, so you know exactly which forms and years are pending before we discuss anything else. From there, we hand you a simple document checklist, prepare every form, and submit directly on the ROC portal on your behalf.
CA Shraddha Tawade personally reviews every MCA compliance filing that goes out of our office — she carries ICAI Membership No. 184675 and has guided over 1,000 clients through their statutory filings. We have been handling CCFS-2026 filings since the scheme opened in April 2026, across pending annual returns, dormant status applications and strike-offs.
Once your filing is accepted, you receive the SRN and challan as proof of compliance, along with our team's continued support if the ROC raises any query afterward.
| DIY Filing | Portal Aggregator | SVT & Associates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA reviews filing | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Eligibility check before filing | ✗ | Sometimes | ✓ Always |
| Handles multi-year backlog | Risky | Sometimes | ✓ |
| Post-filing support | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | Low | Low-medium | Transparent fixed fee |
Frequently Asked Questions on CCFS-2026
📋 Need help with CCFS-2026 filing?
Our CA checks your company's MCA status for free and handles the full filing.
Final Word — Don't Let 31 August 2026 Pass You By
Amnesty windows like CCFS-2026 don't come around often. MCA has offered similar relief in the past, but there's no promise this will repeat, and the current deadline carries no signal of a further extension.
If your company has years of pending filings sitting on record, CCFS-2026 is, quite simply, the cheapest legal route back to compliance you're likely to see. And for companies that have already gone quiet, ₹2,500 to strike off is a small price against years of director liability sitting in the background.
The deadline is final. The cost of waiting — director disqualification, prosecution risk, frozen bank accounts — is far higher than the cost of acting now.