Services for clients across India. Applicable state, sector and professional requirements are assessed before an engagement.
An NGO’s privileges — tax exemption, donor deductions, CSR money, foreign funds — are all licences with conditions. 12A keeps the entity exempt, 80G keeps donors motivated, CSR-1 opens corporate funding, FCRA governs foreign receipts, and each has renewals, returns and traps. This engagement runs the whole layer as one calendar.
When this service is typically required
- Fresh registrations after setup — how 12A/80G work now
- Provisional approvals need conversion to regular within their windows
- CSR funding requires CSR-1 and the reporting that follows
- Foreign donations are on the horizon — FCRA routes compared
- Annual returns (ITR-7, Form 10B/10BB audit reports, FC-4) are due or overdue
Indicative scope
- Form 10A/10AB filings: provisional, regular and renewal cycles for 12A and 80G
- CSR-1 registration and CSR-linked reporting
- FCRA strategy (prior permission vs registration), application and FC-4 annual returns
- ITR-7 with the correct audit report (10B/10BB) and books discipline behind it
- Donation receipts, 80G certificates (Form 10BD/10BE) done properly
Key points at a glance
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| 12A/80G | Approval-based with defined validity — renewals are diarised, not remembered |
| Form 10BD/10BE | Donor-wise annual reporting; donors’ deductions depend on it |
| CSR-1 | Mandatory gateway for receiving corporate CSR funds |
| FCRA | Foreign receipts without the right FCRA status are a serious contravention |
Deliverables
Filed applications and returns with acknowledgements, the approvals register with validity dates, donor-reporting files, and the unified NGO compliance calendar.
Information and documents generally required
Constitution documents and registration certificates, activity and financial records, donor lists, prior approvals, and bank details (including the FCRA-designated account where applicable).
Engagement process
Client responsibilities, assumptions and reliance
Programme records and fund-utilisation truthfulness are the NGO’s; approvals and their timing rest with the authorities. Object-clause drift (spending outside stated objects) is flagged early because it endangers everything.
Scope exclusions
FCRA compounding/litigation, fund-raising services, and statutory audit itself (coordinated with the auditor).
Its post-incorporation life has its own calendar — licence conditions, 12A/80G, CSR-1, annual filings. This guide maps it end to end:
Section 8 Company After Incorporation: Compliance Checklist →Frequently asked questions
Our 80G shows provisional. What happens if we miss the conversion window?
Lapses are costly and cures are narrow — the status audit exists precisely to catch windows early. Where one has already slipped, the honest options and their odds are laid out before any filing.
Can we take CSR money with just 12A?
CSR-1 registration is the additional gateway — without it, corporate CSR cannot flow to you regardless of 12A/80G status.
A foreign well-wisher wants to donate $5,000. Simple?
Not without FCRA standing — prior permission or registration must exist first, with the designated account. The routes comparison answers which fits your stage.
Is the exemption ever at risk from business-like income?
Incidental activity rules and limits apply — the annual cycle monitors the ratios so the exemption is defended by design, though no outcome before an authority is ever assured.
The applicable scope, documentation, professional responsibilities and timelines are agreed in an engagement letter before commencement.
Trust/Society SetupITR-7 & ExemptionsNGO Books & UtilisationRequest a Scope DiscussionThis page describes the service in general terms as on 6 August 2026 and is not professional advice or an assurance of any outcome. Registrations, filings, refunds and departmental outcomes depend on facts and the concerned authority. Figures and due dates change; verify current positions before acting.