Companies Act · CSR

CSR Applicability Under Section 135: Board and Finance Checklist

Finin2min Compliance Desk·June 2026·7 min readCSR

CSR is not just a donation budget. Section 135 creates a board-governance and reporting framework where applicability, committee, policy, spending and unspent amount tracking all matter.

Section 135 base

Section 135 applies to companies meeting specified net worth, turnover or net profit thresholds and requires CSR governance. It also states that the Board shall ensure spending in every financial year of at least two per cent of the average net profits of the company made during the three immediately preceding financial years, subject to the provision.

CSR control table

ControlWhy it matters
Applicability testCheck net worth, turnover and net profit triggers.
CSR committee / board governanceSet up oversight where required.
CSR policy and project selectionSupport eligible CSR activity and approval.
Spend trackerTrack 2% computation, actual spend and unspent amount.
Board report disclosureCSR reporting must align with accounts and governance records.

Finance checklist

Finin2min warning

CSR should not be treated as random philanthropy. It is a statutory governance workflow with documentation and reporting.
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Official sources used

This article is intentionally source-limited to official MCA / India Code material. Verify final filing positions with the latest Act, Rules, MCA forms and portal advisories before publishing.

FAQs

Which section covers CSR? â–¾

Section 135 of the Companies Act covers corporate social responsibility.

What is the broad CSR spend rule? â–¾

Section 135 refers to at least 2% of average net profits of the three immediately preceding financial years, subject to the provision.

Should finance own CSR alone? â–¾

No. Finance, board/CSR committee and compliance teams should jointly control it.