CORAA
લૉગ ઇનમફત ટ્રાયલ શરૂ કરો
CORAA University · Free tool

XBRL applicability checker

Does your company have to file its financial statements in XBRL? Test the Rule 3 classes under the Companies (Filing of Documents and Forms in XBRL) Rules 2015 — listed companies and their Indian subsidiaries, the ₹5 crore capital and ₹100 crore turnover thresholds, Ind AS companies, the sector exemptions, and the once-filed-always-file rule — and see which taxonomy (Ind AS or AS) your AOC-4 XBRL uses.

Company profile
Sector — the proviso to Rule 3(1) exempts four classes
Listed in India?
Equity or debt listed with a stock exchange in India
Indian subsidiary of an Indian-listed company?
Rule 3(1)(i) also covers Indian subsidiaries
Ind AS financial statements?
Required to prepare FS under Companies (Ind AS) Rules 2015
Filed AOC-4 XBRL in an earlier year?
Rule 3(2) — once filed, always file
Paid-up capital
Turnover
Why this matters in audit

The AOC-4 vs AOC-4 XBRL decision is part of the annual-filing filing trail

CORAA reads the financial statements your client actually filed and helps your team trace what the ROC record shows against the audited numbers — so a wrong-format filing or a missed XBRL year surfaces in review, not in an adjudication notice.

Keep going

Put checks like this inside your audit workflow

Start free trialExplore all tools

Not sure whether Ind AS applies in the first place? Run the Ind AS applicability calculator first — Rule 3(1)(iv) piggybacks on that answer.

How XBRL applicability is determined

The Companies (Filing of Documents and Forms in Extensible Business Reporting Language) Rules 2015 were notified by the MCA on 9 September 2015, and Rule 3 was substituted in its current form by the Amendment Rules of 6 November 2017. Rule 3(1) requires four classes of companies to file their financial statements and other documents under Section 137 in e-form AOC-4 XBRL: (i) companies listed with stock exchanges in India and their Indian subsidiaries; (ii) companies with paid-up capital of ₹5 crore or above; (iii) companies with turnover of ₹100 crore or above; and (iv) all companies required to prepare financial statements under the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules 2015. The tests are OR conditions — meeting any one pulls the company in.

The proviso to Rule 3(1) exempts non-banking financial companies, housing finance companies and companies engaged in the business of the banking and insurance sector. Note what is NOT on that list any more: the pre-November-2017 wording exempted the power sector, but the substituted rule dropped it — a power company meeting any Rule 3(1) test must file in XBRL. NBFCs remain exempt from MCA XBRL even though large NBFCs prepare Ind AS financial statements (the proviso overrides limb (iv)); their supervisory returns instead go to the RBI on its own XBRL platform.

Rule 3(2) is the once-filed-always-file rule: a company that has filed financial statements in XBRL under Rule 3(1) must continue filing in XBRL in all succeeding years, even if it later falls below every threshold. Finally, the taxonomy follows the accounting framework — companies on Indian Accounting Standards tag against the Ind AS taxonomy (Annexure-II A), while companies on the Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules use the C&I AS taxonomy (Annexure-II).

Worked example — unlisted company crossing the turnover test

An unlisted private company (not an NBFC/HFC/bank/insurer) has paid-up capital of ₹2 crore and turnover of ₹130 crore in FY 2025-26. It prepares AS financial statements and has never filed in XBRL.

Inputs
SectorRegular company (no proviso exemption)
Listed / subsidiary of listedNo / No
Paid-up capital₹2 Cr (< ₹5 Cr ✗)
Turnover₹130 Cr (≥ ₹100 Cr ✓)
Ind AS companyNo
Output
XBRL required?Yes — Rule 3(1)(iii)
TaxonomyAS / C&I taxonomy (Annexure-II)
FormAOC-4 XBRL within 30 days of AGM
Future yearsLocked in — Rule 3(2), even if turnover falls
Only one of the four Rule 3(1) limbs needs to be met — here the ₹100 crore turnover test. Because the company prepares AS (not Ind AS) financial statements, it tags against the C&I taxonomy in Annexure-II. From this year onwards, Rule 3(2) keeps the company in XBRL permanently, so a turnover dip to ₹80 crore next year changes nothing.

Common mistakes

Assuming the power sector is still exempt
The original exemption wording covered banking, insurance, power sector and NBFCs. The Rule 3 substituted on 6 November 2017 narrowed this to NBFCs, housing finance companies and banking/insurance businesses — power companies meeting any Rule 3(1) test must file AOC-4 XBRL. Old checklists that still exempt "power" produce wrong-format filings.
Missing the Indian-subsidiary limb
Rule 3(1)(i) covers listed companies AND their Indian subsidiaries. A ₹50 lakh capital, ₹3 crore turnover subsidiary of an Indian-listed parent is fully covered — its own size is irrelevant. Conversely, subsidiaries of companies listed only outside India are not caught by this limb.
Forgetting Rule 3(2) after a one-off threshold year
A company that crossed ₹100 crore turnover once and filed in XBRL must keep filing in XBRL forever, even after turnover falls back. Filing standard AOC-4 in a later year because "we are below the limits now" is a defective filing.
Treating the Ind AS limb as subject to the size thresholds
Rule 3(1)(iv) covers every company required to prepare Ind AS financial statements — including a small unlisted subsidiary dragged into Ind AS by the group cascade under the Ind AS roadmap. Size tests in limbs (ii) and (iii) are irrelevant for such companies (though NBFCs/HFCs/banks/insurers stay out via the proviso).

Frequently asked questions

Which companies must file financial statements in XBRL?+
Under Rule 3(1) of the Companies (Filing of Documents and Forms in XBRL) Rules 2015 (as substituted w.e.f. 6 November 2017): (i) companies listed with stock exchanges in India and their Indian subsidiaries; (ii) companies with paid-up capital of ₹5 crore or above; (iii) companies with turnover of ₹100 crore or above; (iv) all companies required to prepare financial statements under the Companies (Ind AS) Rules 2015. Any one test is enough.
Who is exempt from XBRL filing?+
The proviso to Rule 3(1) exempts non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), housing finance companies, and companies engaged in the business of banking and insurance. The pre-2017 exemption for the power sector was dropped when Rule 3 was substituted on 6 November 2017 — power companies are now covered if they meet any Rule 3(1) test.
What is the once-in-always-in rule for XBRL?+
Rule 3(2): companies which have filed their financial statements in XBRL under Rule 3(1) must continue to file their financial statements and other documents in XBRL in succeeding years, even though they may no longer fall within the class of companies specified in Rule 3(1).
Which taxonomy do I use — Ind AS or AS?+
It follows the accounting framework. Companies preparing financial statements under the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules 2015 tag against the Ind AS taxonomy (Annexure-II A to the Rules); companies on the Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules use the commercial & industrial AS taxonomy (Annexure-II). A company transitioning to Ind AS switches taxonomy from its first Ind AS financial statements.
Do NBFCs file XBRL now that they prepare Ind AS financial statements?+
Not with MCA — the proviso to Rule 3(1) still exempts NBFCs and housing finance companies from AOC-4 XBRL even though the Ind AS roadmap covers larger NBFCs, so limb (iv) does not override the exemption. NBFCs do, however, submit supervisory returns to the RBI through the RBI’s own XBRL filing system — a separate regime from MCA filing. Reconfirm the proviso text each year before relying on the exemption.
What is the due date for AOC-4 XBRL?+
The same as Section 137 filing generally — within 30 days of the AGM (or, where no AGM is held, within 30 days of the last date by which it should have been held), with additional fees under Section 403 read with the fee rules for late filing. A signed PDF of the financial statements is attached to the XBRL form.
Does XBRL filing apply to consolidated financial statements?+
Yes — where a covered company has subsidiaries, the consolidated financial statements filed under Section 137 also go in the AOC-4 XBRL filing, tagged under the same taxonomy. The instance documents for standalone and consolidated statements are validated with the MCA tool before upload.
Is there XBRL filing beyond financial statements?+
Yes — Rule 4 requires companies covered by cost audit under the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules 2014 to file the cost audit report and related documents in XBRL using the costing taxonomy (e-form CRA-4). That obligation is independent of whether the company files AOC-4 XBRL.

Authoritative sources

Companies (Filing of Documents and Forms in XBRL) Rules 2015 — Rule 3 (as amended) — Notified 9 September 2015 under Sections 137 and 469 of the Companies Act 2013; Rule 3 substituted by the Companies (Filing of Documents and Forms in XBRL) Amendment Rules 2017 w.e.f. 6 November 2017, which dropped the power-sector exemption and added housing finance companies to the exempt list.
Always confirm against the latest version of the source. Regulations evolve and amendments are common.
Related calculators
Secretarial audit applicability checker →Ind AS applicability calculator →Small company checker →Net worth calculator →
Share this tool
Last reviewed: 2026-07-29 · For informational purposes only — not professional advice.