Form AOC-4 XBRL: Filing Financial Statements in XBRL Format

Which companies must file in XBRL?

Rule 3 of the Companies (Filing of Documents and Forms in Extensible Business Reporting Language) Rules, 2015 lists the classes. A company falling into any one of them must file its financial statements in AOC-4 XBRL rather than the plain AOC-4.

The tests are independent. A company with modest paid-up capital but turnover of ₹100 crore or more is covered, and so is a company with ₹5 crore of paid-up capital and very little revenue. Test the figures as per the financial statements being filed, and remember the Indian subsidiary of a listed company is covered regardless of its own size.

• Companies listed on a stock exchange in India, and their Indian subsidiaries
• Companies with paid-up capital of ₹5 crore or more
• Companies with turnover of ₹100 crore or more
• Companies required to prepare financial statements under Ind AS

Exemptions and the once-in-always-in rule

Non-banking financial companies, housing finance companies and companies in banking and insurance are exempt from these rules. NBFCs following Ind AS use a separate AOC-4 NBFC (Ind AS) form instead. Being exempt from XBRL does not exempt these companies from filing financial statements; they still file within 30 days of the AGM.

Rule 3(2) adds an important point. A company that has filed in XBRL once must continue to file in XBRL in later years even if it drops below the thresholds. So a company whose turnover fell from ₹110 crore to ₹80 crore keeps filing AOC-4 XBRL.

What changed in July 2025

G.S.R. 371(E), dated 6 June 2025, inserted Rule 3(1A) and replaced the AOC-4 XBRL form with effect from 14 July 2025. Companies filing in XBRL must now also attach a PDF copy of the signed, authenticated financial statements, including the board's report and auditor's report, in addition to the XBRL instance document.

In practice this means preparing two outputs from the same final accounts: the tagged XBRL file and the signed PDF. Both must match, since differences are easy for the Registrar to spot.

Taxonomy, tagging and validation

Companies following Accounting Standards use one taxonomy and Ind AS companies use another. The XBRL instance is prepared using software that maps every line item and note to taxonomy elements, then checked with the MCA validation tool before upload. Consolidated statements, where applicable, are also filed in XBRL.

Fees follow the standard nominal-capital slab, from ₹200 to ₹600. As with AOC-4, late filing costs ₹100 a day with no cap, and Section 137(3) penalties apply: ₹10,000 plus ₹100 a day up to ₹2 lakh for the company, and up to ₹50,000 for officers in default.

Common mistakes

Frequent errors include using the wrong taxonomy, tagging totals that do not add up, missing the signed PDF that has been required since July 2025, and mismatches between XBRL data and the auditor's report. Some companies file the plain AOC-4 in a year when they crossed the threshold, which leads to rejection. Start XBRL conversion early, since it depends on final audited figures. Refogo's partner professionals can prepare XBRL financial statements and file AOC-4 XBRL for a fixed fee.

Step by step

1. 1Check applicability

   Test listing status, paid-up capital, turnover and Ind AS applicability, and any prior XBRL filing.

2. 2Finalise and sign accounts

   Board approval and auditor's report with UDIN.

3. 3Prepare the XBRL instance

   Tag the statements using the correct taxonomy.

4. 4Validate

   Run the MCA validation tool and fix errors.

5. 5Fill AOC-4 XBRL

   Upload the instance and the signed PDF, enter AGM details.

6. 6Certify, sign and pay

   Professional certification, director's DSC and fee payment within 30 days of the AGM.