NGO Registration (Trust, Society, Section 8)

NGO registration in India — Trust, Society or Section 8, at a flat fee

Registering an NGO means giving your charitable or social purpose a legal identity — a body that can hold a bank account, receive donations, own things and act in its own name. In India you can do this in one of three ways: as a Trust, as a Society, or as a Section 8 company. Adv. Bhawna Yadav and her team advise you on the right structure, draft your founding documents, and complete your NGO registration at a flat professional fee of ₹10,000, and hand you the registration that lets you open a bank account and start work. It usually takes two to four weeks, and we work in English or Hindi.

The fee is fixed and agreed in writing before we begin. There is no hourly billing, nothing added later by us, and no upselling.

What NGO registration actually is

An NGO — a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation — needs a legal form before it can do very much. Without one, there is no separate entity to open a bank account, no clean way to receive and account for donations, and nothing for funders or authorities to rely on. Registration turns your intention to do good work into an organisation that exists in law, with its own name and governance.

The founding document you register is the heart of it. It sets out your objects — the purposes your NGO exists to pursue — the people who will govern it, and the rules by which it runs. Get that document right and your NGO stands on a firm footing for years; get it loose or generic, and you invite trouble later, when a bank, a funder or a tax authority reads it closely. This is exactly the part an advocate should draft, and we take most care over it.

Which structure is right for you — Trust, Society or Section 8

All three are legitimate ways to run an NGO, and the right one depends on your purpose, who will run it, and how formal you want the governance to be. We talk it through with you honestly before anything is drafted, and register whichever one genuinely fits — at the same flat fee.

A Trust

A Trust is the simplest and oldest form. It is created by a trust deed in which a founder sets aside a purpose and appoints trustees to carry it out. It suits families, individuals and smaller charitable initiatives who want a clean, contained structure without the ongoing formality of members and elections. Public charitable trusts are governed by the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 and, in states that have their own public trust legislation, by that law as well. We draft the deed so the objects, trustees and powers are set out properly, and register it under the law that applies to you.

A Society

A Society is a membership-based body, formed by a group of people who come together for a common charitable, literary, scientific or social purpose. It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (as adopted and amended by the states), and it runs through a governing body — office-bearers such as a president, secretary and treasurer — usually elected by the members. A Society suits groups and communities that want democratic, membership-driven governance. We draft the memorandum of association and the rules and regulations, set out the governing body cleanly, and register it for you.

A Section 8 company

A Section 8 company is the most formal and credible structure, incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 (the provision that was Section 25 under the old Companies Act, 1956). It is a company in every structural sense — with a memorandum, articles, directors and the discipline of company law — but one that applies its income only to its objects and pays no dividends to its members. This form is often preferred where larger funding, grants or institutional partnerships are expected, because funders recognise and trust it. We draft the memorandum and articles, set up the objects and governance correctly, and incorporate it as a Section 8 company.

Not sure which of these your idea calls for? That is precisely the conversation we have with you first.

Our flat fee and what it covers

Our flat professional fee for setting up your NGO is ₹10,000, the same whichever of the three structures you choose. That single fee covers the whole job — understanding your purpose, advising you on the right structure, drafting your founding document, and completing your registration end to end. You agree the fee with us in writing before any work begins, so you know the cost of our work from the very start.

We keep our pricing deliberately plain. Unlike firms that pad the bill or steer you toward a costlier structure to earn more, we quote one fee and tell you honestly what your NGO actually needs. If a simple Trust is right for you, we will say so rather than talk you into a company. You pay the flat fee for the work described and nothing more from us — we would far rather earn your trust than manufacture steps to bill for.

Who this is for

People register an NGO for many reasons, and every one is handled under the same flat fee. A few of the situations we see most often:

A family foundation or a personal charitable initiative

You want to give back in a structured way — a scholarship, a relief effort, support for a cause close to you — and you want it to outlast any single year. A Trust is often the natural fit, and we set it up so your intention is carried faithfully by the trustees you choose.

A community or membership group

A group already doing good work together — in education, culture, welfare, health or the environment — wants to formalise itself, open a bank account, and be taken seriously by funders and authorities. A Society gives that group democratic governance and a recognised legal identity, registered around the way you already work.

A social enterprise or a funded venture

You are building at scale, or you expect grants, CSR funding or institutional donors, and you need the most credible structure available. A Section 8 company gives you the discipline of company law with a not-for-profit purpose, incorporated cleanly so your governance is right from day one.

A group that has been operating informally

You have run a cause or a collective without any registration and have now hit the limits of doing so — you cannot open a proper bank account, receive donations cleanly, or apply for the funding you want. We give what you have built a proper legal home, in the structure that fits how you already run.

What you get with Adv. Bhawna Yadav and her team

• A named advocate stands behind your registration. Your founding document is drafted by Adv. Bhawna Yadav and her team, not pulled from a generic form bank — so the document your NGO is built on is prepared by someone accountable for it.
• Honest advice on structure first. Before anything is drafted, we tell you plainly which of the three routes fits your purpose, and why — we would rather set up the right thing once than the wrong thing twice.
• The founding document drafted with care. The objects, the governance and the internal rules are where NGOs succeed or come unstuck later. We draft them precisely, so your document reads well to a bank, a funder or a tax authority.
• The finished registration delivered. We complete the registration under the correct law and follow it through until it is granted, then hand you the certificate and founding document — the papers you will actually use — with a clear explanation of your next steps.
• English or Hindi, whichever you need. We work in clear English or in Hindi throughout, so you always understand what your NGO's documents say and do.

How working with us goes

Working with us is simple, and you are never left wondering what happens next.

You tell us your purpose. What your NGO is for, who will run it, and what you hope it will do. That conversation is nearly all we need to begin, and it is where our advice on structure begins too.

We recommend a structure and draft your document. We tell you whether a Trust, a Society or a Section 8 company fits best, and once you are comfortable, we draft your founding document, send it to you to review, and explain anything you want explained before you sign.

We complete your registration. We carry the matter through to registration under the right law, and keep it moving until it is granted. You do not have to work your way through any counter or process yourself.

We deliver your registration. Once it is granted, we hand you the certificate and your founding document, and tell you plainly what to do next — obtaining the NGO's PAN, opening its bank account, and, when you are ready, the 12A and 80G registrations that follow. What you receive is the finished registration, not a half-done matter you are left to chase.

12A and 80G — the next step we also handle

Once your NGO exists, two further registrations make it far more effective. 12A gives your NGO its own income-tax exemption; 80G lets your donors claim a deduction on what they give you, which makes fundraising markedly easier. Both come after your NGO is registered, under the Income-tax Act, 1961, and we handle them at their own flat fee when you are ready. We mention this only so you can see the whole road ahead — your registration at the flat ₹10,000 stands complete on its own.

Available across India, and for NRIs and clients abroad

Setting up an NGO is fundamentally a matter of choosing the right structure and preparing the right documents, so where you live does not limit us. We register NGOs for clients everywhere in India, under the law that applies to the structure and the place you choose, at the same flat ₹10,000.

We also work regularly with NRIs and Indians living abroad who want to start an NGO in India — often to channel support back home, honour a family wish, or run a cause here from a distance. Setting up from another country has its own practical needs, chiefly around how founding documents are signed and, where a step calls for someone acting for you on the ground, a properly drafted power of attorney. We advise you on all of it and coordinate everything from here by email and message, in English or Hindi, on a timeline that works across time zones.

Why choose Adv. Bhawna Yadav and her team

• A named advocate, not an anonymous desk. Adv. Bhawna Yadav (B.A. LL.B., LL.M., UGC-NET JRF), enrolled with the Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh, and her team set up your NGO personally.
• One flat fee of ₹10,000, agreed in writing before we start, whichever structure you choose. No hourly billing, and nothing added afterwards by us.
• No upselling, ever. We recommend the structure that genuinely fits and tell you honestly what your NGO needs — never a costlier form to earn more.
• English or Hindi, throughout, so you always understand what you are founding.

Not sure whether a Trust, a Society or a Section 8 company is right for you? Book a consultation and we will tell you honestly which route fits your purpose — and once your NGO is registered, we can carry on with 12A, 80G and whatever else your organisation needs.

The legal basis

The three ways to register an NGO in India each rest on their own well-established law. A Trust is created by a trust deed and governed by the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, with public charitable trusts also governed, in states that have their own public trust legislation, by that state law. A Society is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, as adopted and amended by the states, and runs through a governing body of members and office-bearers. A Section 8 company is incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 — the provision that carried the number Section 25 under the older Companies Act, 1956 — as a company that applies its income to its objects and distributes no dividends.

The tax standing of an NGO is dealt with separately under the Income-tax Act, 1961, through 12A for the NGO's own exemption and 80G for donor deductions — the later step we are glad to handle once your NGO exists.

Choosing the right one of these, and setting it up cleanly the first time, is what saves an NGO years of avoidable trouble. We handle the whole of it and deliver you the registration that turns your purpose into an organisation that can act — at a flat ₹10,000.