

CHENNAI: In a relief to companies and professionals grappling with year-end compliance pressures, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on Tuesday granted a second extension for filing financial statements and annual returns, pushing the deadline by another month to January 31, 2026.
In a notification issued on Tuesday, the MCA also said that the extended filing window will come with a waiver of additional fees, offering relief to entities that have been unable to complete their filings within the prescribed timelines.
The latest extension follows an earlier one announced in September, under which the original statutory deadlines were moved to December 31, 2025. With the year-end cut-off now nearing, the ministry’s decision provides companies, auditors and compliance professionals additional time to complete filings without facing penal charges.
The move is expected to ease pressure on corporates, particularly smaller companies and professionals managing multiple compliance requirements during the peak filing season, while also helping reduce congestion on the MCA portal.