Registering a company in India does not have one universal price. The total depends on the structure you choose (a Private Limited Company, a Limited Liability Partnership or a One Person Company), the capital or contribution you declare, the state where your registered office will be, and how much professional help you need.
The cost comprises two things: statutory charges set by law, and professional charges set by your service provider. Founders are often surprised to learn that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) charges no incorporation fee for a company with an authorised capital of up to ₹15 lakh. That does not make incorporation free. State stamp duty, name reservation, digital signatures and professional fees still apply, and LLPs follow a different fee schedule altogether.
This guide breaks down each cost component, shows which amounts can be verified from official sources and explains how to compare quotations. It deliberately avoids a single "total", because no honest total exists until your structure, capital and state are known.
What does company registration cost in India?
The cost has six parts, and only some are paid to the government.
| Component | What it covers | Mandatory or conditional | What affects the amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCA fees | Government filing fee for incorporation and name reservation | Mandatory; nil for companies up to ₹15 lakh authorised capital | Entity type; authorised capital (company) or contribution (LLP) |
| State stamp duty | Duty on the MoA and AoA (company) or the LLP agreement | Mandatory | State of registered office; capital or contribution |
| Digital signature certificates (DSCs) | Signing the electronic forms | Mandatory for signatories | Number of signatories; validity; issuer |
| Professional fees | Drafting, filing, follow-up with the Registrar | Optional, but common | Scope and complexity |
| Tax on professional fees | GST on services | Conditional | How the service is classified and who pays |
| Optional services | GST registration, trademark, founder agreements, registered-office address | Optional | What you ask for |
Statutory charges are the same regardless of who files the application. Professional fees are a commercial decision, which is why they vary widely among providers.
Private Limited Company registration cost
A private company is incorporated online through the MCA's integrated SPICe+ form (INC-32), filed with the electronic Memorandum and Articles of Association. This is a company law process; LLPs use a different one, which is covered below.
MCA fees and name reservation
- Incorporation fee: No fee for authorised capital up to ₹15 lakh. Beyond that, the slab of your authorised capital decides the fee. Authorised capital is not money you must deposit, but the ceiling on the number of shares the company may issue. Increasing it later means further filing fees and stamp duty.
- Name reservation: MCA's SPICe+ guidance lists a ₹1,000 fee for name reservation. Check the portal's challan to see how it applies when Parts A and B are filed together.
- PAN, TAN and DIN are issued through the same form. The consolidated SPICe+ challan includes the applicable form, MoA, AoA, PAN and TAN amounts.
Stamp duty on the MoA and AoA
Stamp duty is a state levy, paid electronically through the SPICe+ challan; the Memorandum attracts a fixed amount. In Gujarat, the Articles are charged at 50 paise per ₹100 of authorised capital, subject to a ceiling of ₹15 lakh. Different states use different formulas, so the same company can pay different duty in different states.
DSCs, professional fees and tax
Signatories need a Class 3 DSC from a licensed Certifying Authority. The issuer sets the price, which varies with validity and whether a USB token is supplied. Professional fees cover drafting the Articles, preparing and filing the application, and answering the Registrar's queries. GST is generally levied at 18% on professional services, but who pays it can vary: legal services supplied by advocates to business entities, for example, can be subject to reverse charge. Ask how GST appears in your quotation.
Illustrative breakdown
Assumptions: Private Limited Company, registered office in Gujarat, ₹1,00,000 authorised capital, name reserved through SPICe+ Part A, no optional services.
| Item | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| MCA incorporation fee | ₹0 | Authorised capital up to ₹15 lakh |
| Name reservation | ₹1,000 | SPICe+ Part A fee |
| AoA stamp duty (Gujarat) | ₹500 | 50 paise per ₹100 of ₹1,00,000 |
| MoA stamp duty, form duty, PAN and TAN | As shown on the SPICe+ challan | Not added here |
| DSCs, professional fees, GST | As per the provider's quotation | Set by the market |
These lines are not added up into a single figure because several are fixed by the portal's challan or by the provider, rather than by a published rate.
LLP registration fees in India
An LLP is incorporated under the LLP Act, 2008 through Form FiLLiP, which can also carry name reservation and DPIN allotment. The zero-fee relief does not apply to LLPs, and neither does SPICe+. The incorporation fee depends on the partners' total contribution. The MCA's FiLLiP instruction kit lists these slabs:
| Total contribution | FiLLiP fee |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹1 lakh | ₹500 |
| Above ₹1 lakh, up to ₹5 lakh | ₹2,000 |
| Above ₹5 lakh, up to ₹10 lakh | ₹4,000 |
| Above ₹10 lakh, up to ₹25 lakh | ₹5,000 |
| Above ₹25 lakh, up to ₹1 crore | ₹10,000 |
| Above ₹1 crore | ₹25,000 |
Other costs depend on the facts of the case:
- Name reservation: ₹200 when reserved separately through RUN-LLP.
- LLP agreement: it must be filed in Form 3 within 30 days of incorporation, with a modest fee that also rises with contribution. Stamp duty on the agreement is governed by state law; in Gujarat, it is linked to the partners' contributions.
- Non-cash contributions: property or services contributed in place of money must be valued by a practising chartered accountant, cost accountant or approved valuer.
- Conversions: converting an existing firm or private company into an LLP involves additional forms.
- DSCs and professional charges: as for a company.
One Person Company registration fees
An OPC is a company, so it follows the same SPICe+ route and the same fee logic as a private company: nil MCA fee up to ₹15 lakh authorised capital, name reservation, state stamp duty and DSCs.
The legal differences lie elsewhere. An OPC has a single member, who must be a natural person and an Indian citizen, and a nominee. Since April 2021, the residency test is 120 days in India in the preceding year; non-resident Indians can form an OPC, and no paid-up capital or turnover ceiling forces conversion.
Is an OPC cheaper? Not on statutory charges, which follow the same structure. Any savings usually come from fewer signatories (and thus fewer DSCs) and simpler documentation, and professional fees depend on the provider. A private company needs at least two directors and two members; an OPC needs one of each.
Pvt Ltd vs LLP vs OPC: registration cost comparison
| Business structure | Main government-fee components | Other common costs | Factors affecting total cost | Ongoing compliance considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Limited Company | SPICe+ filing fee (nil up to ₹15 lakh authorised capital; slab-based above); name reservation; PAN and TAN as per challan | MoA and AoA stamp duty; DSCs; professional fees and GST | Authorised capital; state; number of directors and subscribers; complexity of Articles | Annual financial statements and return; statutory audit; first auditor and commencement declaration; registers and board meetings |
| LLP | FiLLiP fee (₹500 to ₹25,000 by contribution); ₹200 if name reserved separately; Form 3 fee | LLP agreement stamp duty; DSCs; valuation of non-cash contributions; professional fees and GST | Contribution; state; number of partners; complexity of the LLP agreement | Annual Form 8 and Form 11; audit once prescribed thresholds are crossed; income-tax return |
| One Person Company | Same as a private company | Same as a private company, often with fewer DSCs | Authorised capital; state; nominee arrangements | Company-law compliance as for a private company; conversion rules if the business outgrows one owner |
Totals are not shown because they depend on state, capital or contribution, and the provider.
What factors affect company registration cost?
- Business structure. It determines the form, the fee schedule and later compliance.
- Authorised capital or contribution. Companies pay no MCA fee up to ₹15 lakh. Still, state stamp duty can rise with authorised capital, and LLP fees rise with contribution. Choose a realistic figure, since increasing it later costs more.
- State of the registered office. MCA fees are the same nationwide; stamp duty is not.
- Number of DSCs. Each signatory needs one, so more directors, subscribers or partners mean more certificates.
- Document complexity. Standard Articles cost less to prepare than bespoke Articles built around investor rights or founder arrangements.
- Scope of professional services. A filing-only quotation differs from one that includes agreements, registers and first-year compliance.
- Eligibility for concessions. The nil fee depends on the authorised capital limit and applies to companies, not LLPs. It does not cover stamp duty, name reservation or DSCs.
Costs after company registration
Incorporation is a one-time expense; compliance recurs. For companies, early obligations include appointing the first auditor within 30 days of incorporation and, for companies with share capital, filing a declaration of commencement of business within 180 days of incorporation. Each year then brings financial statements, an annual return, a statutory audit, director KYC, statutory registers and board meetings, as well as income-tax and any GST returns. Registrar filings carry fees that follow authorised capital, and additional fees apply if you file late.
LLPs file the LLP agreement within 30 days, then an annual Statement of Account and Solvency (Form 8) and an annual return (Form 11). Audits apply once the thresholds in the LLP Rules are crossed.
Obligations vary with entity type and circumstances, so budget for compliance separately from incorporation and ask any provider what its quotation excludes.
How to compare company registration quotations
A transparent quotation separates:
- Government charges: MCA fee, name reservation, PAN and TAN as shown on the challan.
- Stamp duty: the amount for your state and capital, ideally charged at actuals.
- DSCs: how many, for whom, for what validity, and whether a token is included.
- Professional fees: what the work covers, including drafting, filing, Registrar queries and resubmissions.
- Taxes: whether GST is added and how it is treated.
- Optional services: listed separately, not bundled.
- Exclusions: annual compliance, audit, registered-office address and bank-account support.
Also ask what authorised capital or contribution the quotation assumes. A very low headline number with no itemisation, or an "all-inclusive" price that does not list what is included, tells you little. The cheapest quotation is not necessarily the lowest cost once the exclusions are added.
Conclusion
The lowest advertised price is rarely the full cost of incorporation. Separate what is statutory from what is professional, check the state stamp duty and the number of DSCs, and see what a quotation leaves out for the first year of compliance.
For readers weighing a filing with a registered office in Gujarat, the firm's information page on company registration services in Ahmedabad explains how incorporation and later compliance fit together.
Reviewed against official sources as of 31 October 2026.
