Asked before engaging.

Every retainer is partner-led and shaped to the client. Global retainers cover monthly close and management reporting, scheduled tax planning, and direct access to your engagement partner; higher-tier programmes add multi-jurisdiction compliance coordination, transfer pricing documentation, and embedded CFO work. India retainers cover the corresponding ROC, GST, TDS, FEMA, payroll and corporate secretarial cadence appropriate to the entity. Specific scope is documented in the engagement letter.

Advisory Monks Consulting (OPC) Private Limited is an independent advisory firm headquartered in Noida, India, founded in 2021. The firm carries ex-Big 4 leadership and 25+ years of combined practice. We are not a chartered accountancy firm. We are advisors and orchestrators. Where engagements call for credentialed deliverables (Form 3CEB, IBBI valuation reports, statutory audit signature, foreign-jurisdiction tax filings), we engage credentialed professionals from our panel under separate engagement letters and coordinate end-to-end. This separation lets us focus on strategy, structure, and execution oversight without the conflict-of-interest constraints that come from doubling as the engaged auditor or signing CA.

Our India desk covers the full Indian regulatory perimeter: Companies Act, Income Tax, GST, FEMA, RBI, MCA, ICAI valuation standards, IBBI, NCLT, CCI. Our Global desk covers accounting, tax preparation and Virtual CFO work for businesses operating in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and the UAE, with cross-border bridging into India for any of those corridors. We've navigated 90+ DTAA treaties for active engagements.

All client documents move through an encrypted client portal (AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit), hosted on audited cloud infrastructure with role-based access and full audit trails. We maintain a written information security program reviewed annually, and we do not commingle client files between engagements.

Yes. India is the firm's home ground, and cross-border is where our practice runs deepest beyond it. We work across global corridors and have navigated 90+ DTAA treaties for active engagements. To illustrate the depth: India-US scope includes FBAR (FinCEN 114), FATCA, Forms 5471/5472, treaty positioning, transfer pricing under Section 92 / Section 482; India-UK and India-Singapore include corresponding treaty analysis, Section 195 withholding, Permanent Establishment / secondment structuring; India-UAE includes corporate tax (effective 9%), free-zone elections, and Pravasi-side residency planning. Other corridors (including but not limited to Canada, Australia, the EU, the Gulf and East Asia) follow the same pattern: treaty analysis, withholding, FEMA, and credentialed local-jurisdiction work coordinated via our panel.

Standard onboarding takes ten business days from countersigned engagement letter to first deliverable. For time-critical situations (board pack before a funding round, an open notice from a tax authority, an acquisition under signed term sheet) we run an accelerated track and surface that scope in the initial conversation. Most work starts within 48 hours of instruction confirmation.

Tax returns are prepared by the Advisory Monks team using the underlying client data, accounting records, and supporting documentation. The completed draft return is then reviewed by a credentialed professional on our panel, licensed to practice in the relevant jurisdiction (US CPA, UK Chartered Accountant, Singapore Chartered Accountant, UAE-licensed practitioner), engaged under a separate engagement letter. They review for technical accuracy, regulatory compliance, and signing standards in the relevant jurisdiction, then sign the return as the licensed preparer. The client receives a return prepared by Advisory Monks and signed by a licensed jurisdictional practitioner.

Yes. The Global desk's structural model is designed to support clients engaging Advisory Monks as the primary advisory firm across multiple jurisdictions, with credentialed professionals on our panel providing licensed certification in each. The single-firm engagement model materially reduces coordination overhead, simplifies documentation flow, and improves consistency of tax position across jurisdictions.

We frequently operate alongside existing accountants or counsel in specific jurisdictions, with the role demarcation calibrated through a scope memorandum. Where the existing relationship is functioning well, the Global desk typically covers the new jurisdiction's compliance or the integrated cross-border advisory while the existing accountant continues their established scope. Where the client is moving to a consolidated single-firm model, we coordinate the transition over an agreed handover window.

For a WOS structure with two foreign directors, incorporation typically takes 4 to 6 weeks from instructions, assuming directors' documents are Apostilled. Add 2 to 3 weeks for GST registrations and bank account opening. Branch and Liaison Offices add 6 to 12 weeks for RBI approval. Project Offices can be faster, often 4 to 6 weeks end-to-end.

Yes. Foreign directors require a Digital Signature Certificate (Class 3) and a Director Identification Number, both available to non-residents. Identity documents require Apostille for Hague Convention countries or consular attestation. At least one director must be ordinarily resident in India under Section 149(3) of the Companies Act.

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary is a private limited company structure offering corporate veil protection, standard equity-based capital structure, and unrestricted scope subject to FDI policy. An LLP offers pass-through partnership taxation but is restricted to sectors permitting 100% FDI on the automatic route and is generally less preferred by institutional investors. For foreign companies with growth ambitions, WOS is typically recommended.

A TRC from the recipient's home jurisdiction is necessary but not sufficient. The full documentation typically required includes the TRC, Form 10F (self-certification of treaty applicability), the No-PE declaration where applicable, and the underlying contract supporting payment classification. The Income Tax Department also retains the right to assess commercial substance, particularly for intermediate holding jurisdictions, under the GAAR framework.

Form 15CB is the Chartered Accountant's certificate certifying the tax position on a foreign remittance, including the nature of the payment, applicable tax treaty rate, and TDS compliance. Form 15CA is the remitter's declaration filed with the Income Tax Department in electronic form, typically accompanied by the Form 15CB. For remittances below certain thresholds or specified exempt categories, the requirements may be relaxed.

Yes. Integrated India-US tax advisory typically requires coordinated work between an Indian Chartered Accountant (covering the India-side position) and a US CPA (covering the US-side position). Our practice operates routinely with US CPAs, and where the client does not have one, we can introduce qualified partners through our Global desk.

Form 13 applications are typically processed by the Assessing Officer within 30 to 60 days of complete submission, though longer timelines are common in metropolitan jurisdictions. The application should be filed 2 to 3 months before the intended property transaction date. Our practice covers application drafting, supporting documentation, Assessing Officer follow-up, and representation through any clarification rounds.

RNOR status under Section 6(6) applies to individuals who satisfy residential conditions in India for 2 out of the 10 preceding financial years and who have been in India for 730 days or more in the preceding 7 financial years. The status is automatically applicable based on physical presence calculations. The window typically applies for 2 to 3 financial years post-return.

Yes. The annual USD 1 million repatriation from NRO accounts is permitted for NRIs subject to Form 15CA and Form 15CB certification, underlying tax compliance on income source, and documentation requirements. The limit is per individual NRI, per financial year. Larger amounts may be permitted in specific circumstances with RBI approval where required.

Rule 11UA valuation is the standard fair-market-value basis for a priced share issuance. Section 56(2)(viib) — the 'angel tax' that historically drove this for resident investors — was abolished from AY 2025-26, so it no longer applies. For issuances to non-residents, a valuation remains required under Rule 21 of the FEMA NDI Rules 2019 (pricing guidelines). In practice, most priced rounds still obtain a valuation certificate to support the issue price.

Indian Series A institutional investors typically expect an Employee Stock Option Pool of 12% to 15% on a fully diluted basis at the time of the round. A pool below this range is typically refreshed pre-money at term sheet stage, which results in additional founder dilution. Modelling the refresh impact across multiple scenarios before term sheet receipt strengthens the founder negotiating position.

Yes. Rule 11UA valuations are issued by Chartered Accountants on our panel, under separate engagement. For cross-border issuances under FEMA Rule 21, the certificate may be issued by a SEBI-registered Merchant Banker or a Chartered Accountant. Our valuation practice combines DCF, comparable company, and asset-based methodologies with defensible support.