The true cost of registering a Private Limited company in 2026
What the ₹999 headlines actually turn into, every real cost line, and what the government itself charges (spoiler: often nothing).
The government's own charges
MCA filing fees for SPICe+ incorporation are ₹0 for companies with authorised capital up to ₹15 lakh. That is not a discount — it is government policy to encourage incorporation. What remains is state stamp duty on the MOA/AOA (₹500–₹10,000 depending on state and capital; around ₹1,300 in most common cases), PAN/TAN issuance (~₹170), and Digital Signature Certificates — one per director, and each DSC is really two costs: a ₹500 USB token plus the certifying authority's fee (about ₹1,000 with SignX, ₹1,500 with eMudhra), so ₹1,500–₹2,000 per DSC.
So for a typical two-director company: roughly ₹4,400–₹5,500 in unavoidable third-party and government costs. Everything above that is professional fees — which are legitimate, but should be stated as one clear number. Anyone quoting '2 DSCs included' inside a sub-₹2,000 all-in price is either absorbing a loss or planning to bill you later.
How a ₹999 headline becomes ₹6,000–₹30,000
The pattern across major platforms: the headline covers 'application filing' only, excludes 18% GST (added at checkout), excludes both DSCs, excludes stamp duty, and defers 'name approval', 'MOA drafting beyond template', and 'post-incorporation compliance' to add-ons. One large platform's own FAQ admits its ₹2,899 headline realistically lands between ₹6,000 and ₹30,000.
None of this is illegal. It is drip pricing — and the way to defend yourself is to demand a single written all-in figure that names the stamp-duty state before you pay anything.
What actually takes time
Name approval: 1–3 working days if the name is genuinely available (run a real search first — including trademark classes, not just MCA). Incorporation processing after SPICe+ submission: typically 3–7 working days. The slow parts are document collection and resubmissions caused by sloppy drafting, which is why who prepares your MOA matters more than who has the cheapest headline.
After incorporation — the part nobody mentions at checkout
INC-20A (declaration of commencement) is due within 180 days, an auditor must be appointed within 30 days, and the annual AOC-4/MGT-7A cycle starts from year one with ₹100/day late fees that never stop accruing. If the platform that incorporated you doesn't put these dates on a calendar you can see, you are the calendar.
If you want it handled
Every Finotrix service shows its complete price — professional fee + government fee — before you sign up, and you pay by milestone with filing proof on each one.
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