Registered Charitable Trust
Three separate registrations, in a specific order — the deed, the public trust register, and income tax exemption. Getting the order wrong costs months.
Setting up a charitable trust involves distinct steps that are often mistaken for one: the trust deed is executed and registered with the sub-registrar, the trust is then registered with the Charity Commissioner under Section 18 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act using the prescribed Schedule II application, and income tax exemption is a third, separate process — registration under Section 12AB and approval under Section 80G through Form 10A on the income tax portal. Each has its own documents and its own enquiry.
What our trust registration service covers
From the first draft of the deed to an active 80G approval.
- Structuring advice: trust, society or Section 8 company
- Drafting the trust deed with objects that will survive scrutiny
- Stamping and registration of the deed with the sub-registrar
- Schedule II application for registration under Section 18
- PAN, TAN and bank account setup for the trust
- Form 10A applications for Section 12AB registration and 80G approval
The four stages of setting up
Each one gates the next.
Trust deed
Objects, trustee powers, succession and dissolution drafted so that the deed does not need amending a year later.
Sub-registrar
Stamping and registration of the deed, which gives the trust an executed and registered constitutional document.
Public trust register
Registration under Section 18 with the Charity Commissioner, following an enquiry into the application.
Tax exemption
Registration under Section 12AB and approval under Section 80G, applied for on the income tax portal.
Our process
A sequence, not a set of parallel tasks.
Structuring
Choosing the right vehicle and settling the objects, trustee board and initial corpus.
Deed drafting and execution
Drafting, stamping and registering the trust deed with the sub-registrar.
Charity Commissioner application
Filing the Schedule II application and attending the enquiry until registration is granted.
Tax registrations
PAN, TAN, bank account, and Form 10A for 12AB registration and 80G approval.
Where trust registrations go wrong
What sets our approach apart.
Objects clauses are drafted too narrowly
A deed that lists only current activities forces an amendment the first time the trust expands its work, and amendments are slower than getting it right initially.
Tax exemption is not automatic
Registration with the Charity Commissioner does not confer income tax exemption; 12AB and 80G are separate applications with their own scrutiny.
Religious objects affect 80G
A trust with substantial religious objects faces restrictions on 80G approval, which is worth knowing before the deed is executed rather than after.
Registered Charitable Trust questions answered
What people ask before engaging us.
Planning to set up a trust?
We will help you choose between a trust, society and Section 8 company before any document is drafted.
