Migration of annual filing forms in mca v3 portal

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has implemented a significant transition from the MCA V2 to the MCA V3 Portal for annual compliance filings under the Companies Act, 2013. This includes migration of important e-forms like AOC-4, MGT-7, and MGT-7A, now available in web-based format with improved functionality, validation, and linkage to related disclosures.

KEY MIGRATION DETAILS

Form Availability on V3 – Web-based Filing

All annual return and financial statement forms have migrated to MCA V3 and are now interactive web-based.

Login Requirement

• MCA V3 login is mandatory.
• Stakeholders must register or migrate to the new V3 profile.
• Authorized representative roles (Business User, Professional User, etc.) must be updated.

Form Filling Process

• Forms are now web-based (interactive online forms).
• Drafts are saved in user profiles for up to 15 days.
• DSC (Digital Signature Certificate) is mandatory.

Supporting Documentation

• Attachments (e.g., Board Report, Auditor Report, Resolutions) to be submitted in PDF format (max 10MB total).
• Specific formats must be adhered to, as per MCA guidance.

Validation & Pre-scrutiny

• In V3, real-time validation occurs.
• No separate pre-scrutiny via MCA tools like earlier.

FORM AOC-4: KEY CHANGES

Linked Forms

Following documents, earlier filed as attachments, are now mandatory linked forms:

• Board’s Report
• Auditor’s Report (Standalone/Consolidated)
• AOC-1
• AOC-2

Which were previously submitted only as attachments to Form AOC-4 in V2 portal, will now be filed as linked forms integrated within the main e-form. Additionally, signed copies of these reports/documents must still be attached as part of the submission.

Prefilled Previous Financial Year figures

The columns requiring figures from the previous financial year will be pre-filled automatically based on earlier filings. However, these fields will remain editable to allow corrections or updates, if necessary.

In cases where the pre-filled figures are modified, the user will be required to provide a valid reason for the changes before submission.

Absolute figures

Figures in New annual filing forms to be provided in absolute figures in Rupees instead of Round off figures.

Filing in Online or Offline mode

Form AOC-4 may be filed through both online and offline modes under the MCA V3 portal. For filing in offline mode, the user is required to initially fill in the basic information in the main e-form and click on the ‘Save and Submit’ button. Upon doing so, all applicable linked forms will be automatically enabled.

The user must then provide the basic required information in each of the linked forms. Upon clicking the ‘Proceed’ button, an Excel utility will be generated, and a prompt to download the same shall be displayed. A ZIP file containing the Excel sheets for the main form and all applicable linked forms will be downloaded.

The user is then required to fill in the necessary details in each of the Excel files and subsequently upload them individually through the V3 portal for validation and final submission.

Secretarial Auditor Observations

A new table has been added to capture secretarial auditor qualifications or observations, enhancing transparency on secretarial compliance.

GNL-1 SRN Tracking

A field is now available to enter the SRN of Form GNL-1 (e.g., AGM extension filings), improving linkage and regulatory traceability.

CSR Disclosure Removed from AOC-4

The CSR section has been removed; CSR details are now captured via CSR-2 or Board’s Report extracts (linked forms).

Intelligent Data Validation

The portal performs cross-validation of financial year dates with ADT-1 (auditor appointment SRN), preventing mismatched filings.

Dual Filing Modes & File Attachments

AOC-4 supports both web and offline Excel utilities, with increased overall attachment limit of 10 MB (no individual 2 MB cap).

CIRP / Liquidation Compatibility

Companies under Corporate Insolvency Resolution or liquidation can now file AOC-4 using DSC of IRP/RP/liquidator.

Signed XBRL Filing Requirement

For AOC-4 XBRL, signed financials must accompany the XML, maintaining prior taxonomy compliance.

Prefilled Data with Editable Justification

Previous year’s Balance Sheet & P&L figures are auto-populated; edits require mandatory justification.

FORM MGT-7 / MGT-7A: KEY ADDITIONS

Attachments in Excel Template

• List of Shareholders and Debenture holders along with Gender-wise details of shareholders.
• Meetings held during the year (Board/Committee/General)
• Particulars of Holding, Subsidiary and Associate Companies (Including Joint Ventures)

Gender-Wise Shareholder Disclosure

Company must capture gender data of shareholders—Male, Female, Transgender.

Address & Name as of Financial Year-End

A specific column will record the registered office’s address and company name as on FY-end.

Beneficial Ownership / Designated Person Table

New table introduced to capture details of persons responsible for beneficial ownership disclosures.

Integrated MGT-8 Linked Form

No longer separate; merged within MGT-7 form.

PDF Output Privacy

Shareholders’ list will not appear in the downloadable PDF, in line with PAS-3 practices.

Other new Disclosure

• Latitude and Longitude of registered office
• Requires both interior and exterior photos of the registered office, showing the name board clearly

Support for CIRP / Liquidation Companies

MGT-7 is now available even for companies under Corporate Insolvency or liquidation.

Enhanced Financial & Debt Disclosures

New summary of debentures and shareholding by category (promoter, institutional, etc.).

Updating of Email ID of the Company

Functionality of changing email Id of the company is not available through eforms in V3 system. Presently, stakeholders can change the email ID of the Company/LLP by creating a Company/LLP business user and updating the email ID through the ‘Profile update’ page. Once the email ID is updated, it will automatically be reflected in the Company master.

AMENDMENTS TO BOARD REPORT

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued the Companies (Accounts) Second Amendment Rules, 2025, introducing key revisions to the disclosure requirements in the Board’s Report.

Companies must include a detailed statement in their Board’s Report confirming compliance under:

Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH Act) Compliance

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 along with:

• Number of complaints of sexual harassment received in the year
• Number of complaints disposed off during the year
• Number of cases pending for more than 90 days

Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 Compliance

A statement by the company with respect to the compliance of the provisions relating to the Maternity Benefit Act 1961 along with details on paid leave, medical bonus, nursing breaks and crèche facilities, where applicable.

SOME IMPORTANT KEY FACTORS

Impact on Filing Timelines and Version Control

• Once a web-based form is initiated, it must be submitted within 15 days. After that, the draft will expire.
• Partial filing or submission of only main form without linked forms is not accepted. All linked forms must be filed together.
• If any linked form is not applicable, the system allows declaring non-applicability before submission.

Role of Business User & Associate User in V3

Tip: Filing can only be done if the Business User is properly linked to the company on MCA V3 portal.

Linked Forms Cannot Be Filed Later

Unlike V2 where Board’s Report, Auditor’s Report, AOC-1, AOC-2 were optional attachments, in V3 they are compulsory linked forms and must be submitted simultaneously.

Uploading signed PDFs is still mandatory even after entering summary in web-based form.

CSR Reporting (CSR-2) Integration

• For companies covered under Section 135, CSR-2 is now filed as part of linked forms with AOC-4.
• CSR-2 must be selected at the start if applicable. Missing it may lead to technical errors later during upload.

PAN-Based Authentication for Email and Contact Update

• Contact details of companies can be updated only through Business User login via PAN-based verification.
• This avoids email mismatches and OTP issues during filings.

Revision and Resubmission in V3 Portal

• Resubmission window for defective forms has been shortened in some cases (e.g. 15 days).
• Ensure to check error logs and download filed PDFs immediately post submission.
• In revision cases (e.g., Revised AOC-4), linked forms may also require resubmission.

Security & Session Timeout in V3

• V3 has auto-logout after 10–15 minutes of inactivity. Save your drafts frequently.
• Avoid multi-tab browsing for the same company – it can lead to data overwrite issues.