Monthly Recurring Filings (Year-Round)
GSTR-3B: Due by the 20th of the following month for entities with aggregate annual turnover above INR 5 crore (or by 22nd/24th for lower-turnover entities under the staggered system). For GCCs that export services (zero-rated), the return still must be filed even if no GST is collected. GSTR-1 (outward supply details) is due by the 11th of the following month for monthly filers.
EPFO ECR (Electronic Challan cum Return): Employer's Provident Fund contributions (12% employee + 12% employer on basic wages) must be remitted and the ECR filed by the 15th of the following month. Late payment attracts interest at 12% per annum plus damages under Section 14B of the EPF Act at 5-25% of arrears depending on delay period.
ESIC: Contributions (employee 0.75% of gross wages, employer 3.25% of gross wages) due by the 21st of the following month. Applies to establishments with 10 or more employees where any employee earns below INR 21,000 per month.
TDS remittance: Tax deducted from salaries (Section 192) and from vendor payments must be remitted by the 7th of the following month (or 30 April for March deductions). Late remittance attracts 1.5% per month interest under Section 201A of the Income Tax Act.
Monthly compliance deadlines
| Filing | Due Date | Authority | Penalty for Late Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSTR-1 (outward supplies) | 11th of following month | GST | INR 50/day (min INR 50, max INR 10,000) |
| GSTR-3B (summary return) | 20th of following month | GST | INR 50/day + 18% p.a. interest on tax due |
| EPFO ECR | 15th of following month | EPFO | 12% p.a. interest + damages |
| ESIC contribution | 21st of following month | ESIC | Simple interest + damages |
| TDS remittance | 7th of following month | Income Tax Dept. | 1.5% per month interest |
Quarterly Filings
Form 24Q (TDS on salaries, Section 192): Due by 15 July (Q1: Apr-Jun), 15 October (Q2: Jul-Sep), 15 January (Q3: Oct-Dec), and 15 May (Q4: Jan-Mar, with extended deadline). Late filing fee: INR 200 per day under Section 234E, limited to the amount of TDS.
Form 26Q (TDS on other payments - professional fees, rent, technical services): Same quarterly deadlines as Form 24Q.
Advance tax: Due quarterly at 15 June (15%), 15 September (45%), 15 December (75%), and 15 March (100%) of estimated annual tax liability. If the India GCC is profitable, advance tax prevents a large one-time payment at year-end and avoids interest under Section 234B/234C.
Annual Filings: The Critical Dates
15 July: FLA return on FLAIR portal (RBI). Mandatory for every company that has received FDI or made overseas investment. Missing this is the single most commonly overlooked annual compliance by GCCs. RBI has issued show-cause notices and compounding proceedings against entities that missed multiple years of FLA returns.
31 October: Income tax return for companies with international transactions (with Form 3CEB). For companies without international transactions, the income tax return deadline is 31 October as well (for companies subject to audit, which includes all companies above a certain turnover threshold - effectively all GCCs).
30 September: Annual AGM must be held within 6 months of the end of the financial year. For a company with April-March financial year, the AGM deadline is 30 September. AOC-4 (financial statements) and MGT-7 (annual return) are both due within 60 days of the AGM - typically by late November or early December.
15 January: Form 15CA/15CB for remittances above INR 5 lakh per transaction (or USD 5,000) - these are filed transaction by transaction, not annually, but January is when many GCCs make year-end remittances for bonuses or dividends.
FLA return is not optional and is frequently missed
RBI has been actively enforcing FLA return compliance since 2022. Companies with FDI that have never filed an FLA return should proactively approach RBI for compounding before a notice arrives - voluntary compounding is cheaper and faster than responding to a notice. The compounding amount is calculated on the FDI outstanding multiplied by the contravention period.