INCORPORATION OF SECTION 8 COMPANY

A section 8 company is essentially a charitable and non-profit entity that functions on the central government’s license which allows the company to not have to use ‘public/private limited’ in its name. The incorporation process of this company is similar to that of an NGO or a trust, differing only in the license obtaining procedure.

Benefits of Section 8 Company Registration:

• Exemption from Stamp Duty.
• Tax deductions to the donors of the Company u/s. 80G of the Income Tax Act.
• Section 8 Companies can be formed with or without share capital, in case they are formed without capital, the necessary funds for carrying the business are brought in form of donations, subscriptions from members and general public.
• Section 8 Companies are not required to add the suffix Limited or Private Limited at the end of their name. A Section 8 Company has more credibility as compared to any other Non-profit organization structure like Trust or Society.

What is the eligibility criteria to be a Section 8 Company?

• All profits or income must be furthered for such non-profit objectives.
• There must be no intention of sharing dividends with the members.
• The registration is to be done under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the license shall be applied to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• A minimum of 2 directors for a private limited and 3 directors for a public limited company are essential and at least one of the directors needs to be an Indian resident.
• The MOA of the company must have 2 subscribers in the case of a private limited company and 3 subscribers in the case of a public limited company.
• The name, objectives, registered office address, number of directors and promoters, number of their shares, and authorized capital must be determined before applying to the Office of Registrar.
• The initial capital decided must be invested within 2 months. Annual compliances, including the filing of accounts returns and statements, must be done with the ROC.
• All directors must have their Director’s Identification Number (DIN) and Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).

What are the required Documents?

• Directors and shareholders must have a PAN card, Aadhaar Card, address proof, and 2 passport-sized photographs at hand.
• Ownership proof for the registered office
• Utility bill
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) (if the office is on rented premises)
• Memorandum of Association (MOA)
• Articles of Association (AOA)
• DSC, DIN

What is the Procedure of registering section 8 company:

1. Application for name availability in form RUN

Application for name availability must be made in “RUN” facility. The name of Section 8 Company shall include the words Foundation, Forum, Association, Federation, Chambers, Confederation, Council, Electoral Trust, and the like etc. One can propose maximum 2 names at a time and 1 resubmission is allowed in RUN facility. Fees for RUN is Rs. 1000/-. It is advisable to attach the object clause of the proposed company. Name once approved is valid for 20 days.

2. Getting Digital Signatures of First Directors

The next step is to get class 3 digital signatures of first subscribers and directors which are required for filing incorporation form with the ROC.

3. Preparation of Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association and other documents

MOA is the charter of the company and defines the scope of its activities. An AOA is a document which regulates the internal management of the company. MOA of Section 8 Company must be in form INC-13 while there is no format prescribed for AOA for Section 8 Company. One can adopt table F provisions. MOA & AOA of the company shall be signed by each subscriber who shall mention his name, address, description and occupation in the presence of at least one witness who shall attest the signature and shall likewise sign and add his name, address, description and occupation.

4. Filing of SPICe 32 Form

After getting proposed name approval, one may go ahead with filing of form SPICe 32.

The following are the documents which are required to be attached with the SPICe form for incorporation of Section 8 Company.

1. Memorandum of Association in Form INC-13;

2. Articles of Association; (No Specified format)

3. Declaration in Form INC-14 by CS/CA/CWA in practice, that the draft MOA & AOA have been drawn up in conformity with the provisions of Section 8 and rules made thereunder and that all the requirements of the Act and the rules made thereunder relating to registration of the company under Section 8 and matters incidental or supplemental thereto have been complied with;

4. Declaration by each of the persons making the application in Form INC-15;

5. An estimate of the future annual income and expenditure of the company for next three years;

6. Name Approval Letter received from CRC;

7. Consent and Declaration by first Directors in Form DIR-2;

8. Self-declaration by first subscribers in Form INC-9;

9. PAN card of first directors and subscribers;

10. Aadhar card of first directors and subscribers;

11. Proof of Registered office like Sale Deed/Lease Deed/Rent Agreement etc;

12. Latest Utility Bill of Registered office like Electricity Bill;

13. NOC of owner if registered office is taken on rent/lease. SPICe 33 and 34 i.e e-MOA and e-AOA can’t be used for Section 8 Company. Section 8 companies are mandatorily required to file MOA and AOA as pdf attachments to SPICe-32.

SPICe 33 and 34 i.e e-MOA and e-AOA can’t be used for Section 8 Company. Section 8 companies are mandatorily required to file MOA and AOA as pdf attachments to SPICe-32.

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