What was the Companies Fresh Start Scheme 2020?
The Companies Fresh Start Scheme 2020 let a defaulting company file overdue forms by paying the normal filing fee, without the additional fee, and then seek immunity from penalty proceedings for that delay. The window was in 2020. It has closed.
No. The scheme closed in 2020. The immunity form belonged to that window.
What did the scheme cover?
Overdue forms such as the financial statements and the annual return, filed during the window. After those forms were filed, the company filed Form CFSS-2020 quoting their service request numbers. An inactive company could also apply to be treated as dormant. An LLP had a separate settlement scheme in the same year. It was not this form.
Is it still open?
No. The scheme closed in 2020 and was not reopened. A form filed now pays the additional fee for the delay. A later and different window, the Companies Compliance Facilitation Scheme 2026, also closed on 15 July 2026.
Which cases were left out?
- A company already struck off under section 248, and a company that had already filed the strike-off application.
- A company that had already applied for dormant status, and a company that had amalgamated.
- An increase of authorised capital, and the charge forms.
- A proceeding that involved the interest of a member or another person, or a substantive breach, rather than only the late filing.
What is filed now?
The ordinary annual forms, on the dates on the annual compliances page. A company that wants its name removed uses section 248, on the strike-off page, not Form CFSS-2020.
Frequently asked questions
Four questions cover the immunity form, a struck-off company, charge forms, and the 2026 scheme.
Can Form CFSS-2020 still be filed?
No. The scheme closed in 2020. The immunity form belonged to that window.
Did the scheme cover a company the Registrar had already struck off?
No. A company already struck off under section 248, or one that had already filed STK-2, was outside the scheme.
Did it waive additional fees on charge forms?
No. Charge forms and the form for an increase of authorised capital were outside the scheme.
Is the 2026 scheme the same window reopened?
No. The Companies Compliance Facilitation Scheme 2026 was a later, separate window, and that window has also closed.
Sources
The scheme was a Ministry of Corporate Affairs circular for a window in 2020.