Due diligence glossary: Indian forms and filings

Company law and the ROC

• ROC: the Registrar of Companies, where company filings are made through the MCA portal.
• CIN: the Corporate Identity Number every company gets on incorporation.
• DIN: the Director Identification Number every director holds.
• MOA and AOA: the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the company's constitution.
• AOC-4: the form for filing annual financial statements with the ROC, due within 30 days of the AGM.
• MGT-7: the annual return, due within 60 days of the AGM.
• MGT-14: the form for filing certain board and shareholder resolutions, within 30 days of passing them.
• PAS-3: the return of allotment, filed after the company issues shares.
• SH-4: the share transfer deed, which must be stamped.
• SH-7: notice to the ROC of a change in share capital, such as an increase in authorised capital.
• CHG-1: the form for registering a charge (security) created for a loan, within 30 days of creating it.
• DIR-3 KYC: the KYC each director with a DIN files with the MCA.
• MSME-1: a half-yearly return of amounts owed to micro and small suppliers for more than 45 days.
• DPT-3: an annual return of deposits and of money received that is not a deposit.
• CARO: the Companies (Auditor's Report) Order, extra reporting by the auditor for companies it applies to. Small companies are exempt.
• Small company: a private company with paid-up capital up to ₹10 crore and turnover up to ₹100 crore (limits revised on 1 December 2025), with lighter compliance.

Tax

• PAN and TAN: the income tax identity and the tax deduction account number.
• ITR: the income tax return.
• Tax audit: an audit of accounts for tax purposes once turnover crosses the threshold. Section 63 of the Income-tax Act 2025 from tax year 2026-27; section 44AB of the 1961 Act before that.
• TDS: tax deducted at source, deposited with the government and reported in quarterly returns (24Q for salaries, 26Q for other payments).
• Form 26AS and AIS: statements of tax credits and financial information the tax department holds against a PAN, used to reconcile income.

GST

• GSTIN: the GST registration number, one per state of registration.
• GSTR-1: the return of outward supplies (sales).
• GSTR-3B: the summary return on which tax is paid.
• GSTR-2B: the auto-drafted statement of input tax credit available from suppliers' filings.
• GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C: the annual return, and the reconciliation statement that goes with it above ₹5 crore turnover.
• QRMP: the scheme that lets smaller taxpayers file returns quarterly while paying tax monthly.

People

• PF and ESI: the provident fund and employees' state insurance, now under the Code on Social Security 2020. PF generally applies from 20 employees; ESI from 10 in notified areas.
• PoSH Internal Committee: the committee a workplace with ten or more employees must constitute under the sexual harassment law.
• Gratuity: a statutory payment to employees on leaving, usually after five years of service (one year for fixed-term employees under the Code on Social Security), valued as a liability in the accounts.

Shares and instruments

• Cap table: the list of who owns what, fully diluted for convertibles and options.
• CCPS: compulsorily convertible preference shares, the usual instrument for investment rounds in India.
• CCD: compulsorily convertible debentures.
• OCRPS: optionally convertible redeemable preference shares.
• iSAFE: an Indian adaptation of the simple agreement for future equity, usually structured as a CCPS.
• ESOP: an employee stock option plan and the options granted under it.
• FC-GPR and FC-TRS: reports to the RBI under FEMA. FC-GPR reports shares issued to a non-resident; FC-TRS reports a transfer between a resident and a non-resident.

Lending

• CMA data: past and projected financials in the format banks use to assess working capital limits.
• Stock statement: a periodic statement of stock and debtors that sets how much of a working capital limit can be drawn.
• Sanction letter: the bank's approval of a loan with its terms.
• CGTMSE: a guarantee scheme that supports collateral-free credit to micro and small enterprises.
• Udyam: the MSME registration. It is free, made on the government's Udyam Registration portal with PAN and Aadhaar details, and identified by a Udyam Registration Number. Lenders and MSME schemes ask for it, and it is how a business shows it is a micro, small or medium enterprise.

Deal terms

• Term sheet: the non-binding summary of an investment's key terms.
• Request list: the counterparty's list of documents and questions for diligence.
• Data room: where the documents are shared with the counterparty.
• Red flag: a finding serious enough to affect the deal.
• SHA, SSA and SPA: the shareholders' agreement, the share subscription agreement (new shares) and the share purchase agreement (existing shares).
• Conditions precedent: things that must happen before closing.
• Conditions subsequent: things promised for after closing.
• Warranties and indemnities: promises about the company, and compensation if they turn out to be untrue.
• Disclosure letter: the seller's list of exceptions to the warranties.
• Escrow: part of the price held back by a third party against future claims.

Official sources

The rules this guide describes come from these. Check the current text there, or ask your CA or CS.

• Ministry of Corporate Affairs: company filings, charges and the Companies Act 2013
• Income Tax Department: the Income-tax Act 2025 and returns
• TRACES: TDS returns and Form 26AS
• GST portal: registrations, returns and GSTR-9C
• EPFO and ESIC: provident fund and employees' state insurance
• Code on Social Security 2020: PF, ESI and gratuity thresholds
• Udyam Registration: MSME registration
• Reserve Bank of India: FEMA rules on foreign investment, and MSME lending
• FIRMS portal: FC-GPR and FC-TRS reporting
• IBBI: registered valuers