Every company and close corporation must file an annual return with CIPC every year, and since 1 July 2024 CIPC will not accept it until the beneficial ownership filing is up to date. We file both, track the dates and keep your company in good standing.
We track your anniversary date and file before the deadline, so CIPC never flags your company.
Filed within 30 business days of your company's anniversary, or within the anniversary month and the next for close corporations.
Your beneficial ownership information filed with CIPC so the annual return can go through, and updated whenever owners change.
Outstanding returns brought up to date and filed in the right order, with the late fees worked out upfront.
Re-instatement of companies CIPC has deregistered, so you can trade, bank and tender again.
A company in good standing with CIPC and SARS is what tenders and banks look for.
Tax clearance →Registering a (Pty) Ltd? We set up the CIPC and SARS side correctly from day one.
Company registration →An annual return is the yearly confirmation every company and close corporation must give the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) that it is still in business. It updates CIPC's records and carries a fee based on turnover.
It is not a tax return. SARS is a separate filing, but the annual return matters just as much: a company that stops filing can be deregistered, and a deregistered company cannot legally trade, its bank account can be frozen and its assets can pass to the state.
The first annual return is due on the first anniversary of registration. The date is on your company's registration certificate.
| Annual turnover | Filed on time | Filed late |
|---|---|---|
| Less than R1 million (including dormant companies) | R100 | R150 |
| R1 million to less than R10 million | R450 | R600 |
| R10 million to less than R25 million | R2 000 | R2 500 |
| R25 million or more | R3 000 | R4 000 |
Close corporations pay R100 on time, or R250 if late, with a turnover of up to R50 million (R4 000 and R4 150 above that). The late fee replaces the normal fee rather than being added to it, but it applies to every year that is late, so a backlog adds up. CIPC can change its fees, so we confirm the current amount each time we file.
Since 1 July 2024 CIPC will not accept an annual return unless the company's beneficial ownership information is filed and up to date. A beneficial owner is a natural person who ultimately owns 5% or more of the company, directly or through another company or trust, or who exercises effective control over it.
To file, you need the share register, the register of beneficial interests if the company has one, a certified copy of each beneficial owner's ID (certified within the last three months) and the percentage each one holds.
CIPC can deregister a company that has not filed annual returns for two or more years in a row. Before that, the company's status changes to show it is in the deregistration process, which banks, suppliers and tender committees can see. CIPC also publishes lists of non-compliant companies: in April 2026 it named more than 500 000 entities that had not filed their beneficial ownership information.
The Companies Act allows CIPC to issue compliance notices and, ultimately, administrative fines. Once a company has been deregistered, it has to be re-instated before it can trade again, which means filing every outstanding return and fee first.
Most small, owner-managed companies file a short Financial Accountability Supplement with their annual return. Companies whose financial statements must be audited file those statements with CIPC instead, in the required electronic (iXBRL) format. Either way, the figures come from your annual financial statements, which is why clean bookkeeping during the year makes the annual return a ten-minute job.
Tip: Put your company's anniversary date in your diary now, or let us track it for you. Most CIPC problems start with one forgotten return.
The dates and thresholds that keep a company in good standing.
From the anniversary of the incorporation date.
From the first day of the anniversary month to the end of the next.
Anyone who owns this much, directly or indirectly, or controls the company.
In beneficial owners or their holdings, or after incorporation.
Turnover under R1 million, filed on time.
CIPC can deregister after two years of missed returns.
CIPC can change its fees and procedures; we confirm the current rules every time we file.
Ask us about your companySend your company registration number and we check where you stand first.
We check your CIPC status, anniversary date and any outstanding returns.
Beneficial ownership first, then every outstanding annual return in the right order.
You get a reminder before each anniversary, or we simply file it for you.
Companies file within 30 business days after the anniversary of their incorporation date. Close corporations file from the start of the anniversary month to the end of the following month.
For companies it depends on turnover: R100 under R1 million, R450 from R1 million to under R10 million, R2 000 from R10 million to under R25 million, and R3 000 from R25 million. Filed late, the fees are R150, R600, R2 500 and R4 000.
Usually because the beneficial ownership filing is missing or out of date. Since 1 July 2024 CIPC needs a current beneficial ownership filing before it accepts an annual return.
A natural person who ultimately owns 5% or more of the company, directly or through other entities, or who exercises effective control over it.
Yes. A dormant company still files every year, at the lowest fee, until it is formally deregistered.
Yes. CIPC can re-instate it once the outstanding annual returns and fees are filed and the re-instatement application is approved. We handle the whole process.
(Pty) Ltd registration with CIPC, SARS set-up, annual returns and beneficial ownership.
Read more →Tax Compliance Status PINs for tenders, contracts, financing and international transfers.
Read more →Monthly books, management accounts, annual financial statements and cash-flow forecasts.
Read more →Get a free, no-obligation quote today. The fastest way to reach us is WhatsApp.
Send us your company registration number and we will tell you where you stand.