Every company that accepts deposits must maintain a Register of Deposits containing details of every deposit accepted.
### Key Requirements
Aspect
Requirement
Where
At the Registered Office of the company
When to enter
Within 7 days from the date of issue of the deposit receipt
Authentication
Authenticated by a Director or Secretary of the company (or any other officer authorised by the Board)
Preservation
At least 8 years from the financial year in which the latest entry is made
### Contents to be recorded
Name, address, PAN of depositor
Particulars of guardian (in case of minor)
Particulars of nominee
Deposit receipt number, date and amount
Duration of deposit and date of maturity
Rate of interest and frequency of payment
Date(s) of repayment of principal and interest
Details of security/charge
Any other relevant particulars
## Premature Repayment of Deposits (Rule 15)
### Lock-in Period
No premature repayment is allowed within 6 months from the date of acceptance of the deposit.
### After 6 months
If the depositor requests early repayment after 6 months but before maturity, the company:
1. May (not must) accede to the request;
2. Must pay interest at a rate reduced by 1% from the rate originally agreed for the period for which the deposit has actually run; that is, the depositor loses 1% on the actually-run portion.
### Exception — Death of Depositor
In the event of death of the depositor, the deposit may be repaid prematurely (even within 6 months) to the legal heir/nominee on the request, without the 1% penalty.
### Exception — Emergency / Pre-mature repayment to meet other regulations
Where the repayment is necessary to comply with any other law or to discharge a specific obligation (e.g., RBI / IBC), the lock-in is relaxed.
## Quick Decision Tree — Premature Repayment
```
Depositor requests early repayment
│
▼
Within 6 months? ─── Yes ──► NOT ALLOWED (except on death of depositor)
│ No
▼
Company may repay; pay interest at
(agreed rate − 1%) for the period actually run
```
Worked example
### Example 1
Q. Mr. A deposited ₹5 lakh with XYZ Ltd. for 36 months at 10% p.a. on 1 April 2024. On 1 March 2025 he requests premature repayment. Is the company bound to repay?
A. As of 1 March 2025, the deposit has run for only 11 months — beyond the 6-month lock-in. The company may (not 'must') accede. If it does, interest payable for 11 months = (10% − 1%) = 9% p.a. for the actually-run period.
### Example 2
Q. In the above case, what if Mr. A had died on 1 August 2024 (4 months into the deposit)?
A. On death of the depositor, the 6-month lock-in does NOT apply. The company can repay to the legal heir / nominee on request, and the 1% penalty rate is NOT applied — interest is paid at the contracted 10% for the 4-month run period.
### Example 3
Q. A company makes an entry in the Register of Deposits 10 days after issuing the deposit receipt. Has it complied with Rule 14?
A. No. Entries must be made within 7 days of issue of receipt. The 10-day delay attracts penalty under Sec. 73(4)/76A and Rule 21.
⚠️ Common exam mistakes
Writing the Register must be maintained at the Corporate Office or Factory — it must be at the Registered Office only.
Stating that premature repayment can happen any time on depositor's request — there is a 6-month lock-in.
Forgetting the 1% interest-rate reduction on the actually-run portion when allowing premature repayment.
Allowing premature repayment on death of depositor with the 1% penalty — no penalty applies on death.
Writing the preservation period as 5 years — it is 8 years for the Register of Deposits.
Bare-Act text Rules 14 & 15 · Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014 · click to expand
Rule 14(1) of Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014: Every company accepting deposits shall, from the date of such acceptance, maintain at its registered office one or more separate registers for deposits accepted/renewed, in which there shall be entered separately in the case of each depositor the following particulars… The entries specified in sub-rule (1) shall be made within seven days from the date of issuance of the receipt duly authenticated by a director or secretary of the company or by any other officer authorised by the Board for this purpose. The register referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be preserved in good order for a period of not less than eight years from the financial year in which the latest entry is made in the register. Rule 15: Where a company makes a repayment of deposits, on the request of the depositor, after the expiry of a period of six months from the date of such deposit but before the expiry of the period for which such deposit was accepted, the rate of interest payable on such deposit shall be reduced by one per cent from the rate which the company would have paid had the deposit been accepted for the period for which such deposit had actually run.