Mar 11, 2020
Statutory auditors have been given more time to
file their form NFRA-2 — which specifies the format of annual return — for
financial year 2018-19 with the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA),
the independent audit regulator.
They can now file this form within 150 days from the date of its publication on
NFRA’s website i.e., 150 days from December 9, when it was published on
website.
It may be recalled that the corporate affairs ministry (MCA) had, in December
last year, given a breather for statutory auditors who were earlier required to
file the NFRA-2 form with NFRA by November 30.
It had then said that the form NFRA-2 could be filed with NFRA within 90 days
from the day on which it was published on the website of the authority.
This meant that auditors had time till March 9 to file the comprehensive annual
return for 2018-19. Now, this time limit has been extended by two more months —
by May 9, this form has to be filed.
One of the reasons for extending the timeline in November 2019 was that the
NFRA came up with the format very late and closer to the November 30 deadline.
As the information sought was quite extensive, more time was required and
representations were made to the MCA to extend the last date of filing, sources
said. Even with the revised deadline of March 9, auditors are not able to
provide comprehensive information that is sought to be obtained by the
regulator.