Companies Act · Preference Shares

Preference Shares Issue and Redemption Under Section 55

Finin2min Compliance Desk·June 2026·7 min readSECTION 55

Preference shares can be useful financing instruments, but Section 55 makes one point clear: irredeemable preference shares are not permitted after commencement of the Act.

Section 55 base

Section 55 states that no company limited by shares shall issue any preference shares which are irredeemable. A company may issue preference shares liable to be redeemed within the statutory period and conditions.

Issue file

ItemControl
Articles authorisationCheck whether preference share issue is permitted.
Terms of issueDividend, redemption period, conversion and rights.
Valuation/pricing supportImportant for investor and accounting review.
Allotment filingPAS-3, register and certificate update.
Redemption planningTrack source of redemption and due date.

Redemption controls

Finin2min warning

Preference share is not permanent quasi-equity by default. Redemption terms and funding should be planned from day one.
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Official sources used

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

FAQs

Can a company issue irredeemable preference shares? â–¾

Section 55 states that no company limited by shares shall issue irredeemable preference shares.

Should redemption date be tracked? â–¾

Yes. Preference shares are redeemable instruments and redemption planning is critical.

Do registers need update? â–¾

Yes. Preference shareholders and redemption records should be reflected in statutory registers.