Startup India — DPIIT recognition
DPIIT recognition is free to apply for and genuinely useful — but only if your application actually demonstrates innovation or scalability. Most rejections are badly written applications, not ineligible businesses.
What the engagement includes
- Eligibility assessment against DPIIT criteria
- Business case and innovation write-up
- Startup India profile creation
- Recognition application filing
- Query response and resubmission
- Section 80-IAC tax exemption application
- Guidance on claiming IPR rebates
- Public procurement benefit mapping
Get a fixed quote
Government fees and our fee, itemised — before you commit.
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One of our consultants will call you on the number you provided, usually within one working day.
What DPIIT recognition is
Startup India is a central government initiative administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. An entity recognised by DPIIT gets access to a defined set of tax, regulatory and procurement benefits that are not available to an ordinary company.
Recognition itself is free and is applied for online. What it requires is a credible account of why your business involves innovation, improvement of an existing product or process, or a scalable model with potential for employment generation or wealth creation. A one-line description of a trading business will be rejected — and that is the single most common reason applications fail.
Eligibility criteria
- Entity type — a Private Limited Company, a Registered Partnership Firm, or a Limited Liability Partnership. A proprietorship is not eligible.
- Age — not more than ten years from the date of incorporation or registration.
- Turnover — annual turnover has not exceeded ₹100 crore in any financial year since incorporation.
- Originality — not formed by splitting up or reconstructing an existing business.
- Substance — working towards innovation, development or improvement of products, processes or services, or a scalable business model with high potential for employment generation or wealth creation.
That last criterion is where applications are won or lost. It does not require you to be a technology company or to hold a patent. It does require you to articulate, specifically, what is different about how you do what you do — and to support it with evidence such as a website, a product demonstration, a pitch deck, customer traction or intellectual property.
What recognition actually gets you
Income tax holiday
Under Section 80-IAC, a recognised startup may claim a deduction of 100% of profits for three consecutive financial years out of its first ten. This requires a separate application to the inter-ministerial board and is subject to the conditions in force at the time.
Self-certification
Recognised startups may self-certify compliance with a defined set of labour and environmental laws for an initial period, reducing inspection exposure in the early years.
IPR fast-track and rebates
Substantial rebates on patent and trademark filing fees, along with fast-tracked examination and access to facilitators whose fees are borne by the government.
Public procurement relaxations
Exemption from prior turnover and prior experience requirements in many government tenders — including on GeM, where this is often the barrier that keeps new suppliers out.
Funding access
Eligibility to be considered under government-backed funding schemes operating through the Fund of Funds structure and various state startup policies.
Faster exit
Recognised startups may be wound up on a materially shorter timeline than the ordinary insolvency route.
Tax and scheme conditions are revised from time to time in the annual Finance Act. We confirm the position applicable to your incorporation date before you rely on any of it.
How the application works
- Eligibility reviewWe check entity type, age and turnover against the criteria, and assess honestly whether the innovation test can be met.
- Building the caseThe write-up is the application. We draft a specific account of the problem you address, what is different about your approach, and the evidence supporting it.
- Profile and filingThe entity profile is created on the Startup India portal and the recognition application submitted with incorporation documents and supporting material.
- Query handlingIf DPIIT seeks clarification, we respond. Applications can be strengthened and resubmitted rather than abandoned.
- Recognition certificateIssued with a DPIIT recognition number, usually within a few working days to a few weeks.
- Section 80-IAC applicationWhere you want the tax holiday, this separate application to the inter-ministerial board is prepared and filed.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what clients ask most often about Startup India (DPIIT).
The government charges no fee for the recognition application. Our fee covers the eligibility assessment, drafting the innovation case — which is the part that determines the outcome — and handling any queries. Beware of anyone charging you a "government fee" for recognition itself.
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. DPIIT recognition and the Section 80-IAC income tax exemption are two separate applications. Recognition is comparatively straightforward; the tax exemption goes to an inter-ministerial board and is approved far more selectively. We will tell you which you realistically qualify for.
No. Only a Private Limited Company, a Registered Partnership Firm or an LLP is eligible. If you are currently a proprietorship and want recognition, you will need to incorporate first — which we can do alongside the application.
Yes. The criterion is innovation, improvement of a product, process or service, or a scalable model with employment or wealth creation potential — not technology as such. Manufacturing, services and consumer businesses are recognised regularly. What matters is being specific about what is different, rather than describing a conventional business in general terms.
Rejections are usually about how the case was presented rather than the business itself being ineligible. The application can be strengthened with better evidence and resubmitted. We handle resubmission as part of the engagement.
Commonly a few working days to two or three weeks from submission, depending on DPIIT's queue and whether any clarification is sought. The Section 80-IAC application runs on a considerably longer timeline.
Check whether you qualify
Tell us what your business does and we will tell you honestly whether DPIIT recognition is achievable — before you spend anything.