—Entity Selection
Starting a Business in Maharashtra: Choosing a Structure and Local Registrations
What founders starting in Maharashtra should know beyond incorporation: the ROC, state registrations, industrial approvals, and the local startup ecosystem.
Choosing a structure and incorporating works the same way across India. But starting a business in Maharashtra also means dealing with state registrations and local authorities, and knowing the local startup ecosystem. This guide covers the local side.
Incorporation and the ROC
Companies and LLPs with a registered office in Maharashtra are registered with the Registrar of Companies, Mumbai, or the Registrar of Companies, Pune, which covers several districts including Pune. The registered office can be a home, a co-working space, or an office, with the right address proof.
State Registrations
- Professional Tax: Maharashtra levies professional tax under the Maharashtra State Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments Act, 1975. The company needs a PTEC (enrolment certificate) for its own liability, and a PTRC (registration certificate) once it deducts professional tax from employees' salaries. Both are applied for online with the state GST Department.
- Shops and Establishments: The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017 applies to commercial establishments. Establishments with 10 or more workers register online with the Labour Department, while smaller ones file an intimation.
- Trade licence: Depending on the business, an office in Mumbai, Pune or another municipal corporation may need a licence from the local body, such as a health licence for food businesses.
- GST: registration once turnover crosses the threshold, or immediately in compulsory cases. In Maharashtra, the threshold is ₹40 lakh for goods and ₹20 lakh for services.
Industrial and Manufacturing Units
Manufacturing and industrial units need further approvals — building permissions, fire safety, pollution control consents, factory licences, and power connections. In Maharashtra, the state's MAITRI single-window system brings many of these together. Industrial land is often allotted through MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation).
The Startup Ecosystem
Startups in Maharashtra are concentrated around Mumbai and Pune, along with Nagpur and Nashik. Local support includes:
- Maharashtra State Innovation Society: the state's agency for startups and innovation, running programmes such as its startup week.
- Incubators such as SINE at IIT Bombay and Venture Center in Pune.
- A deep pool of angel networks, VC funds and family offices in Mumbai.
Startups can also apply for DPIIT recognition nationally, and explore the state's policies for startups and innovation.
Choosing a Structure
The choice of structure doesn't depend on the state, but local factors can matter: state incentives may be tied to the entity that applies for them, and land allotments may restrict transfers, so it's best to set up the long-term entity before applying for either.
A Checklist for Founders in Maharashtra
- Choose the structure based on funding plans and risk.
- Incorporate with the ROC, or set up the proprietorship's registrations.
- Register for Professional Tax and, where it applies, Shops and Establishments.
- Get a trade licence for your premises.
- For manufacturing, apply for approvals through the state's MAITRI single-window system.
- Explore local incubators and startup programmes.
Getting Help
Think Filing helps founders start businesses in Maharashtra, from incorporation to state registrations.