What is SECP Form A?
SECP Form A is the document that every company having a share capital has to file as an annual return. It is one of the most frequently filed SECP Forms. Form A shows the status of the company as of a particular date as a snapshot of the status. In case the company holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM), Form A will show the status on the day of the meeting. However, if the company has not conducted an AGM then the status on the last day of the calendar year is shown.
When SECP Form A is due?
Since Form A is the annual return of a company, it is filed once a year. If the company holds AGM then this annual return is filed after the close of the financial year. You may know that under the Companies Act, 2017, the time for holding AGM is 120 days from the close of the financial year. Therefore, Form A will be filed within 120 days from the close of the financial year, unless the meeting is not held. If the company does not hold AGM, Form A is filed after the end of the calendar year. However, in the case of the first AGM, the time period is sixteen months from the date of incorporation.
Time to file SECP Form A
The time allowed to file Form A is 30 days. If the company holds AGM, the form will be filed within 30 days from the date of the AGM. In case the company does not hold AGM, Form A will be filed by the 30th of January.
| Meeting | Form A Due Date | Filing time |
|---|---|---|
| First AGM | 16 months from the date of incorporation | 30 days from AGM (17 months in total) |
| Subsequent AGM | Within 120 from the close of the financial year | 150 days from the close of financial years |
| No AGM held | End of the Calendar year | 30th January |
Do you need to file Form A SECP?
It is important to know if a company is obligated to file Form A in all instances or if there are some exceptions. Under the provisions of the Companies Act 2017, not all companies having share capital need to file Form A. The law provides that if there is no change in the particulars as filed in the last Form A, a company may not need to file Form A. This means Form A is only filed when there is a change in the particulars from the preceding year. No annual return of the company is required in the case of:
- A Single Member Company; and
- A private company with a paid-up capital of Three Million rupees or below
However, public companies and private companies with paid-up capital of more than Three Million rupees need to file Form C even if there is no change in the particulars.
| Nature of Company | Form to be Filed in case of no change in particulars |
|---|---|
| Single Member Company | No filing required |
| Private Company with paid-up capital of 3 Million less | No filing required |
| Private Company with paid-up capital above 3 Million | Form C |
| Public Company | Form C |
All companies will file Form A if there is a change in particulars from the last year.
Information to be provided in SECP Form A
Based on the criteria in the above table, if you need to file Form A, then it is important to learn how to file the Form. As Form A is an annual return, certain information is to be provided in Form A. a company has to provide information as of a particular date, usually the date of the AGM. The company has to provide information about its capital, officers, auditors, shareholders, debenture holders, and changes in the shareholding from the last Form A.
Format of Form A SECP
Form A is divided into three parts. Each part has its own requirement and all the parts must be filled in properly to avoid any objections.
First Part of Form A
The first part relates to the information about the company, the date of the AGM, and the date of Form A. Since Form A is filed to show the status of the company on the date of the AGM, therefore both dates will be the same. However, if AGM is not held the date of Form A will be the last day of the calendar year i.e. 31st December.
Second Part of Form A
The second part of Form A has two sections; A & B. In section A, the following information will be provided:
Information to be provided in Section A of the Second Part
- Registered office address
- Email address
- Phone and fax numbers
- The principal line of business
- Mobile number of the authorized officer
- Details of Authorized Capital
- Details of Paid-up capital
- Particulars of holding and subsidiary company, if any
- Particulars of Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary, Legal Advisor, Autor(s), and Share Registrar (if applicable)
Information to be provided in Section B of the Second Part
- Details of the directors of the company including Name, CNIC/passport, residential address, nationality, and date of appointment or election
- Details of shareholders and debenture holders including Name, address, nationality, Folio number, number of shares held, and CNIC/Passport
- Details of transfer of shares or debentures since the last Form A including the name of the transferor, the transferee, the number of shares, and the date of registration of transfer.
Third Part of Form A
The third and last part of Form A contains and declaration of the authorized signatory about the correctness of the information and compliance with the relevant provisions of the law.
How to File SECP Form A?
Like any other form to be filed by a company, Form A can also be filed in two ways; Online or Offline (physical form). In case of any change in the officers of the company or their particulars, you will also have to file Form 29 along with Form A. In the online filing, a combined Form A and Form 29 can be filed. However, in offline filing, both forms will be filed separately.
Hope you have got the idea of SECP Form A and its in-time filing. If you want to learn about other SECP Forms or If you have any queries you may comment below or contact us.
