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Company-law utility

CSR Applicability and Spending Calculator — Section 135

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 6 September 2026

Check CSR applicability and calculate the 2% spending requirement from average adjusted profits.

Finin2min direct answer · reviewed 6 September 2026

What you need to know

Section 135 CSR applicability is tested against the immediately preceding financial year: net worth of ₹500 crore or more, turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or net profit of ₹5 crore or more. Where applicable, the spending requirement is generally 2% of the average net profits of the three immediately preceding financial years (or the available period for a newer company), computed using the statutory section 198 framework—not simply accounting PAT.

Decision checklist

  • Use immediately preceding FY figures for the applicability trigger.
  • Compute “net profit” for CSR using the Companies Act method, not a raw P&L number.
  • Separate ongoing-project unspent amounts from other unspent CSR because transfer/deadline rules differ.
  • Verify Schedule VII eligibility, implementing-agency conditions and impact-assessment rules where applicable.

Worked situation

A company can fail all three current-year size tests but still be in CSR because the trigger looks to the immediately preceding financial year. Conversely, a raw PAT × 2% calculation can be wrong if section 198 adjustments are ignored.

Use-date rule: apply the law, rate, form and portal version for the actual transaction, tax year or proceeding date. This page is a professional reference, not a substitute for fact-specific advice.

Check CSR and calculate spend

Use section 198 adjusted profits, not simply accounting PAT.
CSR applicability
Indicative annual obligation
MeasureResult
Average adjusted profit
CSR committee

How This Is Calculated

CSR provisions apply if a company's net worth is ₹500 crore or more, or turnover is ₹1,000 crore or more, or net profit is ₹5 crore or more, in the immediately preceding financial year. Where applicable, the CSR obligation is 2% of average net profit over the preceding 3 financial years.

Frequently Asked Questions

What triggers CSR applicability?
Any one of three thresholds in the preceding financial year: net worth of ₹500 crore or more, turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or net profit of ₹5 crore or more — meeting just one is enough to trigger CSR obligations.
How is the CSR spending obligation calculated?
2% of the company's average net profit over the three immediately preceding financial years — not 2% of a single year's profit, which smooths the obligation against year-to-year profit volatility.

Evidence and verification checklist

Before relying on this page

This page is a structured implementation summary, not the operative legal text. Portal or process acceptance of a filing does not by itself establish legal compliance - the underlying classification, authority, evidence and timeline still have to be independently correct. Where the facts are contested, high-value, or time-barred if delayed, verify the current position with the official source and, where appropriate, a qualified professional before acting.

Methodology, assumptions and sources

Scope: Checks Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) applicability and computes the mandatory CSR spending amount under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013.

Calculation logic

  1. Applicability: mandatory for a company meeting any one of the following thresholds in the immediately preceding financial year — net worth ≥ ₹500 crore, turnover ≥ ₹1,000 crore, or net profit ≥ ₹5 crore (any single threshold triggers applicability, not all three).
  2. Mandatory CSR spend = at least 2% of the average net profit (computed per Section 198 of the Act, a specific 'net profit for CSR purposes' calculation that differs from accounting profit) of the company for the 3 immediately preceding financial years.
  3. Where the company has not completed 3 financial years since incorporation, the average is computed over the shorter period the company has been in existence.

Inputs and assumptions

Exclusions and edge cases

Sources

Review status: reviewed and approved by CA Nikhil Gupta on 8 July 2026.

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