Registration under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961
Register your association, club, school committee or NGO as a society in Kolkata under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961, filed online through the e-District portal. Professional fee from Rs 5,999, excluding GST and government fees.
| Item | Position for Kolkata |
|---|---|
| Governing law | West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961 |
| Registering authority | Registrar of Firms, Societies & Non-Trading Corporations, West Bengal |
| Office handling Kolkata societies | Additional Registrar, for Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas |
| Filing route | Online through the e-District portal |
| Minimum members | Seven individuals (Section 4) |
| Registration fee | Rs 150, per the Registrar's published procedure |
| Service timeline | 30 days under the West Bengal Right to Public Services Act, from a complete application |
| Annual filing | Within 30 days after every AGM (Section 17) |
Most national guides describe society registration under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In West Bengal that Act no longer applies. Section 36(1) of the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961 repealed the 1860 Act in its application to the state.
The difference is practical, not academic. The 1860 Act asks for a memorandum and a set of rules certified by three governing body members. The West Bengal Act prescribes what the memorandum must state and lists the subjects the regulations must cover, and the Registrar will not accept a memorandum without conforming regulations. A template drafted for Delhi or Uttar Pradesh is a common reason for a returned application.
Societies registered in West Bengal under the 1860 Act are deemed registered under the 1961 Act, with their principal office treated as the registered office, and were required to bring their memorandum and regulations into line with the new Act.
Section 4 allows any seven or more individuals associated for the promotion of literature, arts, science or religion, for charitable purposes, for the diffusion of knowledge, or for other objects the State Government notifies, to form a society by subscribing to a memorandum and filing it with the Registrar.
A society is the natural structure where membership and elections matter. In Kolkata that includes para clubs and puja committees, residents' and alumni associations, cultural and sports bodies, school and library committees, and NGOs run by a founding group of seven or more.
If you are a family or a small group that wants trustee control rather than elections, compare trust registration in Kolkata. If you expect large CSR grants, compare Section 8 registration in Kolkata.
| Registered office in | Handled by |
|---|---|
| Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas or South 24 Parganas | Additional Registrar of Firms, Societies & Non-Trading Corporations, West Bengal |
| Other districts of West Bengal | Joint Registrars for those districts |
The Registrar's office sits at the WBIIDC Building, 2nd Floor, Sector II, DJ 10, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700091. Applications are not lodged at the counter: new registrations, alterations of the memorandum and regulations, changes of office-bearers and annual returns are all handled through the e-District portal.
Once registered, applications under Sections 332 and 354 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (old 12A and 80G) go to CIT (Exemption), Kolkata.
The list below follows the Registrar's published procedure for new society registration.
Section 10 bars a name identical with, or too nearly resembling, that of an existing society. We settle a name and objects that fit Section 4 and that will also pass charitable-purpose tests later at CIT (Exemption), Kolkata.
Section 5 requires the name, the registered office address, the objects, the names of the first governing body, and the names, addresses and occupations of the signatories.
Section 6 lists the matters the regulations must deal with, including the governing body, admission and removal of members, meetings, accounts and audit. We add a dissolution clause consistent with Section 27, which bars distribution of surplus to members.
All seven or more members sign the memorandum, the President and Secretary sign every page, and the landowner's notarised NOC and title papers are assembled.
The applicant creates a login on the e-District portal, selects new society registration under the West Bengal Act, completes the form and uploads the documents. The portal issues an application number for tracking, with email and SMS alerts on each status change.
A dealing assistant checks the file and forwards it to the Registrar. If anything is deficient, the application comes back online with the points listed, and we correct and resubmit.
When the file is in order, the Registrar issues a payment order and the Rs 150 fee is paid online from the dashboard.
The Registrar approves the application and the digitally signed certificate of registration is downloaded from the portal. PAN, the bank account and 12A and 80G follow.
| Stage | Time | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Drafting and signatures | 5 - 10 working days | CorporateWalla and your members |
| Document check and forwarding | Up to 23 days | Dealing Assistant |
| Review and payment order, or return | Up to 6 days | Registrar |
| Approval and certificate after payment | 1 day | Registrar |
| Official service timeline | 30 days | Under the West Bengal Right to Public Services Act |
The official 30 days runs from a complete application. Each return for deficiencies restarts part of the cycle, which is why drafting quality matters more than speed of filing.
| Head | Position |
|---|---|
| Registration fee | Rs 150, paid online on the Registrar's payment order |
| Stamp paper for the landowner's NOC and any affidavit | At actuals; value confirmed at quote stage |
| Notary or magistrate attestation | At actuals |
| Inspection of a society's filed documents | Re 1 per inspection under Section 29; certified copies at the prescribed fee |
| Sections 332 and 354 (old 12A and 80G) | No government fee |
| Plan | Professional fee | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | From Rs 5,999 | Memorandum and regulations, document checklist, e-District filing and query handling |
| Growth | On quote | Essential plus PAN, bank documentation and Form 104 for 12A and 80G |
| Complete | On quote | Growth plus first-year Section 17 filing, CSR-1 and NGO Darpan |
All plans exclude GST. Government fees, stamp paper and attestation are paid at actuals and shown separately on your invoice.
All fees and charges listed are indicative only and do not constitute a binding offer. Final amounts may vary depending on the volume of work and the complexity involved.
| Registration | What it does |
|---|---|
| PAN and bank account | Opened in the society's name, with signatories as the regulations provide |
| Section 332 (old 12A) | Exempts the society's income applied to its objects. Form 104 to CIT (Exemption), Kolkata. |
| Section 354 (old 80G) | Lets donors claim a deduction |
| CSR-1 and NGO Darpan | For CSR funding and government grants |
| FCRA | Before any foreign contribution. See FCRA registration. |
| Obligation | Section | Consequence of default |
|---|---|---|
| Register of members kept at the registered office | 14 | Fine up to Rs 20 per day |
| Proper books of account and an audit once a year by a qualified auditor | 15 | Fine up to Rs 20 per day after detection |
| AGM at least once a year, not more than 15 months apart | 16 | Fine up to Rs 250 |
| Governing body and office-bearer list, annual report and certified audited balance sheet filed within 30 days after each AGM | 17(1) | Fine up to Rs 250 on every officer in default |
| Change in governing body or office-bearers notified within 30 days | 17(3) | Fine up to Rs 250 on every officer in default |
Annual returns are submitted through e-District. The list and report are certified by the President and Secretary. Income-tax returns are a separate obligation.
We are a CA and CS practice operating under DSG CORPORATE FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLP from 129A, Bangur Avenue, Block A, Lake Town, Kolkata 700055, a short drive from the Registrar's office in Salt Lake. We have supported 2,500+ companies across our practice.
| Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|
| West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961, Section 4 | Seven or more individuals; permitted objects |
| Sections 5, 6 and 7 | Memorandum, regulations and registration |
| Sections 8, 9 and 10 | Alteration of memorandum and regulations; restriction on names |
| Sections 14 to 17 | Members' register, accounts and audit, AGM and annual filing |
| Sections 24, 25 and 27 | Dissolution and treatment of surplus |
| Section 36 | Repeal of the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in West Bengal |
| Income-tax Act, 2025, Sections 332 and 354 | Registration and donor approval (old 12A and 80G) |
Authority sources: Registrar of Firms, Societies & Non-Trading Corporations, West Bengal at registrarfsntc.wb.gov.in, the e-District portal at edistrict.wb.gov.in and the Act on India Code.
A Behala puja committee that had run for years as an informal club decided to register so it could open a bank account and accept larger sponsorships. Its first upload was returned because the club room's owner had signed a no-objection letter on plain paper and the tax receipt was in a late relative's name. We arranged a notarised NOC on stamp paper from the current owners with their Aadhaar, rewrote the regulations to cover membership, audit and dissolution under the West Bengal Act, and resubmitted. The payment order followed and the certificate was downloaded from e-District.
Illustrative scenario based on typical file patterns. Not a named client engagement.
Same city: Trust Registration in Kolkata and Section 8 Registration in Kolkata. Nationally: society registration, 12A and 80G registration, and our society registration process guide.
The West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961. Section 36 of that Act repealed the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in its application to West Bengal, so a Kolkata society is registered under the state Act, not the 1860 Act.
At least seven individuals under Section 4. If membership later falls below seven, that is one of the grounds on which a court can dissolve the society under Section 25.
The Registrar of Firms, Societies & Non-Trading Corporations, West Bengal. Society registration for Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas is handled by the Additional Registrar, at the office in the WBIIDC Building, Salt Lake.
Yes. New registrations are filed through the e-District portal. You create a login, fill the form, upload the documents, pay the fee once the Registrar issues a payment order, and download the digitally signed certificate.
The registration fee is Rs 150 according to the Registrar's published procedure, paid online after the payment order. Stamp paper for the landowner's NOC and attestation charges are extra, at actuals.
The notified service timeline is 30 days from a complete application under the West Bengal Right to Public Services Act. Returns for deficient documents add time, so most delay comes from the landowner papers and mismatched names.
Within 30 days after each AGM, Section 17 requires a list of the governing body and office-bearers, an annual report, and a certified copy of the audited balance sheet and auditor's report. Changes in the governing body are notified within 30 days. Annual returns are submitted through e-District.
Yes. Section 15 requires proper books of account at the registered office and an audit once a year by a duly qualified auditor, whatever the society's size.
Yes, with the Registrar's prior written permission and a three-fifths vote of members under Section 8. The alteration must be filed with the Registrar within 30 days under Section 9.
To CIT (Exemption), Kolkata, in Form 104, for registration under Section 332 and approval under Section 354 of the Income-tax Act, 2025. There is no government fee. See our 12A and 80G registration service.
Tell us what you need and a real CA calls you back, with no scripts and no transfers. Call 72783 76654. Mon - Sat, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM IST.
Reviewed by CorporateWalla's CA and CS team · Last Updated 19 October 2026 · · Sources: Registrar of Firms, Societies & Non-Trading Corporations, West Bengal, e-District, Government of West Bengal, Income Tax Department
Canonical: https://corporatewalla.com/kolkata/society-registration
