Ask Veda
Software and IT-services companies have light licensing but real structure, tax and IP decisions — especially if you bill clients abroad.
What each registration is, who issues it and when it applies to an IT or SaaS company. Rules vary by state and by size — treat this as the map, and ask us about your exact case.
Mandatory for an office · State labour dept
Registers a shop, office, restaurant or other commercial establishment under the state's Shops and Establishments Act. Who must register, and the exemptions, differ from state to state.
Above ₹20 lakh turnover — exports count towards it · CBIC
Required once aggregate turnover crosses the threshold — ₹40 lakh for goods and ₹20 lakh for services in most states — and in some cases from the first sale, such as most inter-state supplies of goods.
Export services without paying IGST
A Letter of Undertaking (Form GST RFD-11) lets exporters of goods and services, and suppliers to SEZs, supply without paying IGST. It is filed for each financial year.
In states that levy it
A state tax on professions, trades and employment, levied in states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. Employers register and deduct it from salaries.
10 / 20+ employees · EPFO, ESIC
Provident fund applies from 20 employees and ESI from 10 (in notified areas). Registration is due once you cross the count, and monthly contributions follow.
Recommended · investors expect it
A separate legal entity with limited liability — the structure investors, banks and larger customers expect, and the only common one that can issue equity and ESOPs.
Recommended · tax and IPR benefits
Free recognition for eligible entities under 10 years old with turnover under ₹100 crore: self-certification under labour and environment laws, cheaper and faster patent and trademark filing, and eligibility to apply for the startup income-tax holiday.
Recommended · product name and logo
Protects your brand name and logo across India, and is what marketplace brand-registry programmes ask for. Filing early fixes your date of priority.
Some registrations need another one first — this is the sequence that avoids rework.
After the registrations come the returns and filings that keep you compliant.
GST returns, bookkeeping, TDS and annual filings — everything a business like yours has to keep doing, in one place.
See the compliance pack →City guides with the local authorities, fees and timelines.
What people starting an IT or SaaS company ask us most.
Registration is needed once aggregate turnover — which includes export income — crosses ₹20 lakh. After registering, file an LUT so exports go out without IGST.
It is free, and brings self-certification under labour and environment laws, cheaper and faster patent and trademark filing, and eligibility to apply for the startup income-tax holiday.
An LLP costs less to run but cannot issue equity or ESOPs. If you plan to raise money or give employees stock, start as a private limited company.
Every sector, with its own checklist.
A CA or CS confirms which of these apply to you, in your state, and handles the ones we cover.