DPT-3 is the annual return of deposits prescribed under the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014. A company files it once a year to report money it has received and still holds at the year-end — both amounts that count as deposits and amounts the rules treat as not being deposits.
What DPT-3 actually captures
The form draws a line between two kinds of receipt. The first is a deposit — money the company has accepted as a deposit within the meaning of the Act and the Deposit Rules. The second is money received that the rules specifically exclude from the definition of deposit.
That excluded category is wider than people expect. It includes, among others:
- loans and facilities from banks and financial institutions;
- amounts brought in by directors out of their own funds;
- inter-corporate loans from other companies;
- advances received against the supply of goods or services, within the conditions the rules set.
The point that trips people up: amounts in this second category are not outside the return. They are reported as money received that is not considered a deposit. DPT-3 is, in that sense, a return of borrowings and similar receipts generally — not only of deposits.
Who has to file
Broadly, every company registered under the Act files DPT-3 — private, public, one-person and small companies included — with a government company being the main exception. Filing is due whether or not the company has accepted anything most people would call a deposit, because the return also picks up the exempted receipts described above.
The due date
DPT-3 is an annual filing. It is due by 30 June each year and reports the position as on 31 March — the close of the financial year just ended. So the figures are a year-end snapshot of amounts outstanding, not a record of every transaction during the year.
What gets reported
In outline, the return sets out the amounts of deposits and of money not treated as deposits outstanding as on 31 March, with the particulars the form asks for. Where the form requires it, the figures are supported by the company's books and, for the relevant parts, by figures certified by the company's auditor. The numbers should reconcile to the audited accounts for the same year-end.
Common mistakes
- Treating exempted receipts as out of scope. Money the rules call "not a deposit" still has to be reported. Leaving out bank loans, directors' funds or inter-corporate loans is the most frequent error.
- Filing without the auditor's figures where they are needed, or with amounts that do not tie back to the audited balance sheet for 31 March.
- Missing 30 June. A late return attracts additional filing fees and leaves a gap in the company's record of compliance.
In short
DPT-3 is a yearly, factual return: a 31 March snapshot of deposits and of receipts the rules exclude from the deposit definition, filed by 30 June. The work is mostly in classifying receipts correctly and tying the figures to the accounts.
This note is general information about a routine filing, not advice on any particular company. Whether a given receipt is a deposit, and exactly what has to be reported, turns on the facts and on the current text of the rules, so the position should be checked for each company before filing. More notes are on the Insights page, and the office's details are on the contact page.