LLP Form 4 — adding, removing or changing a partner, step by step

LLP Form 4 at a glance

Who has to file LLP Form 4

• Any LLP admitting a new partner or designated partner.
• Any LLP where a partner or designated partner resigns, retires, is removed, or dies.
• Any LLP where a partner changes their name, address or designation — including a partner being promoted to designated partner.
• The incoming person, whose consent to act is captured within the same form.

When it is due

Where to find it on the MCA portal

The exact path on MCA V3, in order:

Before you start

Every one of these has to be true before the form will go through. Checking them first is what saves a cancelled SRN.

• An incoming designated partner needs an approved DPIN. If they do not have one, it must be obtained before Form 4 can name them.
• The incoming partner's written consent to act must be in hand — this is what the old standalone Form 9 used to carry, and it now lives inside Form 4.
• A resigning partner's notice of resignation should be on record and dated.
• The LLP must keep at least two designated partners, one of whom is resident in India. A cessation that would breach this cannot be filed on its own.
• The form must be certified by a practising CA, cost accountant or company secretary.

How to file LLP Form 4, step by step

1. Log in and navigate to the form

   Sign in at mca.gov.in, then MCA Services → E-Filing → LLP Forms Download, and open Notice of appointment, cessation, change in name/ address/designation of a Designated Partner or Partner.

2. Enter the LLPIN

   Pre-filled for an LLP user, searchable for a professional user, a dropdown for other business users.

3. Choose the event you are reporting

   The form handles appointment, cessation and change of particulars, and it reshapes around your choice. A single Form 4 can carry more than one person, which matters when partners are swapping in and out on the same date.

4. Enter the person's identification

   A designated partner is identified by DPIN. A partner who is not a designated partner may be identified by income-tax PAN or passport number. A body corporate partner is identified by CIN, FCRN, LLPIN or FLLPIN, along with the details of the individual nominated to act on its behalf.

5. Give the effective date of the event

   This is the date of appointment or cessation, and it is what the 30-day clock runs from. It should match the partners' resolution, the supplementary deed and the consent letter — inconsistent dates across those documents are a frequent query.

6. Capture the incoming partner's consent

   The consent to act as partner or designated partner is given within this form and supported by the signed consent letter as an attachment. There is no longer a separate Form 9 filing on MCA V3.

7. Attach the supporting documents

   Consent letter for an appointment, resignation letter for a cessation, proof of the change for a change of particulars, and the supplementary agreement where the LLP Agreement is also being amended. PDF or JPG, 2 MB maximum each.

8. File the linked Form 3 where the agreement changed

   Admitting or removing a partner almost always changes contribution or profit sharing, which means the LLP Agreement changes too. File Form 3 for that change — on V3 you can reach it as a linked form from Form 3's side. Filing only Form 4 and forgetting Form 3 leaves the agreement on record contradicting the partner register.

9. Get the professional certification

   Form 4 must be certified by a chartered accountant, cost accountant or company secretary in whole-time practice, digitally signing the form. CAs and cost accountants enter a membership number; company secretaries enter a certificate of practice number.

10. Submit, sign, and pay without delay

    Submit generates the SRN. Upload the DSC-signed PDF within 15 days and pay within 7 days of that upload, or due date plus 2 days, whichever is earlier. Do not leave a Form 4 half-finished — a Form 4 sitting in pending-payment or under-processing status will stop the LLP filing its Form 11.

Documents to attach

Mandatory

• Consent of the incoming partner or designated partner to act as such, signed and dated.
• Evidence of cessation — resignation letter, or the relevant record where a partner has died or been removed.
• Proof of change, where name, address or designation particulars are being altered.

Optional

• Supplementary LLP Agreement recording the change.
• Partners' resolution approving the admission or cessation.

File limits: PDF or JPG only, maximum 2 MB per file.

Government fee for LLP Form 4

The normal fee depends on the total contribution of the LLP, under the LLP Rules, 2009.

Late filing fee

Event-based ladder: the same multipliers as the annual forms up to 360 days, then a flat 25 times the normal fee for a small LLP and 50 times for any other LLP beyond 360 days, with no per-day component.

Why LLP Form 4 gets rejected

These are the failures that actually stop filings, in rough order of how often they come up.

Left pending and blocking Form 11

A Form 4 awaiting payment or under processing blocks the LLP's annual return. Finish every Form 4 you start.

Incoming designated partner has no DPIN

A DPIN must be approved before the person can be named as a designated partner.

Cessation would leave fewer than two designated partners

An LLP must always have two designated partners, at least one resident in India. Pair a resignation with an appointment.

Dates inconsistent across documents

The effective date in the form, the consent or resignation letter, and the supplementary deed must all agree.

Form 3 not filed for the matching agreement change

A partner change that alters contribution or profit sharing also needs Form 3. Filing one without the other leaves the records contradicting each other.

Filed after 30 days

The clock runs from the effective date of the event, not from when the paperwork was finalised.

Missing professional certification

Form 4 always requires a practising CA, CS or cost accountant to certify.

LLP Form 4 — frequently asked questions

What is the due date for LLP Form 4?

Within 30 days of the appointment, cessation or change in particulars of the partner or designated partner.

Do I still need to file Form 9 for a new designated partner?

No. Form 9 is not a standalone filing on MCA V3. The consent to act as a designated partner is captured inside Form 4 for a post-incorporation appointment, and inside FiLLiP at incorporation, supported by the signed consent letter as an attachment.

Why is my Form 11 blocked?

Almost always because a Form 4 for the same LLP is pending payment or still under processing. MCA will not allow the annual return through until that Form 4 is completed.

Do I need to file Form 3 as well when a partner changes?

If the change affects the LLP Agreement — which admitting or removing a partner nearly always does, because contribution and profit-sharing move — then yes, Form 3 is also required. The two are commonly filed together.

Can a partner resign if there would then be only one designated partner left?

The LLP must have at least two designated partners with at least one resident in India. In practice the outgoing partner's cessation and the incoming partner's appointment are filed so that the LLP is never left non-compliant.

Does a new partner need a DPIN?

A designated partner needs an approved DPIN. A partner who is not a designated partner can be identified by income-tax PAN or passport number instead.

What is the late fee for LLP Form 4?

The standard multiplier ladder up to 360 days, then a flat 25 times the normal fee for a small LLP or 50 times for any other LLP beyond 360 days.

Checked against the Ministry of Corporate Affairs instruction kit for this web form and the Limited Liability Partnership Rules, 2009. MCA changes its forms and fees from time to time — confirm the current position on mca.gov.in before you file.