MGT-7
What MGT-7 means, how it works, a worked example, the mistakes we see and the questions founders ask.
DefinitionMGT-7 is the annual return a company files with the MCA within 60 days of its AGM, listing shareholders, directors, share capital, meetings and changes during the year; small companies file MGT-7A instead.
The annual return is the public snapshot of who owns and runs a company. MGT-7 records the registered office, principal business, shareholding pattern, transfers, indebtedness, directors and key managerial personnel, board and general meetings held, and penalties or compounding during the year. It is due within 60 days of the AGM, so 29 November for an AGM on 30 September, and companies with paid-up capital of ₹10 crore or turnover of ₹50 crore or more need certification by a practising company secretary in MGT-8. You meet it every year once your company is no longer a small company. What it means for you: late filing costs ₹100 per day with no cap, and the data here is what investors, lenders and acquirers pull from the MCA to verify your cap table.
How MGT-7 works
The annual return is the company's yearly snapshot for the public register: registered office, principal business, shareholding pattern, changes in directors and key managerial personnel, meetings held, remuneration, penalties and the indebtedness of the company. It is filed within 60 days of the AGM, so by 29 November for a 30 September AGM, in Form MGT-7 or, for small companies and OPCs, the abridged MGT-7A.
A listed company, or one with paid-up capital of ₹10 crore or more or turnover of ₹50 crore or more, must have the return certified by a company secretary in practice on Form MGT-8. Every company must sign the return by a director and the company secretary, or where there is no secretary, a practising company secretary.
Like AOC-4, the additional fee is ₹100 per day without a cap, and two consecutive missed years disqualify the directors. The annual return must also be placed on the company's website if it has one, with the link disclosed in the board's report.
A Pune services company with ₹2 crore paid-up capital and ₹18 crore turnover is a small company, so it files MGT-7A within 60 days of its 26 September AGM, listing its three shareholders, the one director who joined in May and the four board meetings held. No MGT-8 certificate is needed because it is below the thresholds.
Mistakes we see with MGT-7
- Filing MGT-7 when the company qualifies for MGT-7A, or the reverse; the portal accepts both, but the wrong one draws a query and a resubmission.
- Reporting shareholding from memory rather than the register of members, so the return disagrees with the share certificates and the PAS-3 filings.
- Forgetting that a director who resigned mid-year still appears in the return for the period they served.
Last updated 19 October 2026. Checked against the MCA, GST, Income-tax and Trade Marks rules in force for October 2026.
Where you will meet this term
Questions founders ask about MGT-7
What is the difference between MGT-7 and MGT-7A?
MGT-7A is the shorter annual return for small companies (paid-up capital up to ₹4 crore and turnover up to ₹40 crore) and One Person Companies. Larger companies file the full MGT-7, and the biggest also attach the MGT-8 certificate.
When is the annual return due?
Within 60 days of the AGM. If the AGM was on 30 September, the return is due by 29 November. An OPC counts 60 days from the date its financial statements are adopted.
Does the annual return need a company secretary?
Only for certification: MGT-8 is required above ₹10 crore paid-up capital or ₹50 crore turnover. A company without a secretary signs the return through a director and a practising company secretary.