CIPC annual returns and beneficial ownership

Every company and close corporation files an annual return every year, trading or not. It falls due within 30 business days of your incorporation anniversary, and beneficial ownership has to be lodged first or CIPC blocks the submission.

Annual return packages

Fixed fees, quoted before we file. CIPC statutory fees are charged at cost on top.

Single Return

One year brought up to date

From R150

One CIPC annual return filed

Beneficial ownership declaration

Confirmation of submission

Turnover band checked for you

CIPC fee paid at cost

Next year due date confirmed

Catch Up

Every outstanding year cleared

Request Quote

All outstanding returns filed

Beneficial ownership lodged

Securities register reconstructed

Late penalties calculated up front

CIPC disclosure certificate

Next year due date confirmed

Annual Care

We watch the date, you carry on

Request Quote

Annual return filed every year

Beneficial ownership kept current

Reminder before the window opens

Director and address changes included

Disclosure certificate on request

One point of contact at CIPC

Re-instatement

Bring a deregistered company back

From R750

CoR40.5 re-instatement application

Proof of trading compiled

All outstanding returns filed

Beneficial ownership lodged

CIPC fees paid at cost

Disclosure certificate once restored

Company changes and individual services

Prices for single CIPC filings. Name, address and share changes are quoted, because the work depends on your company.

Service	Price
Beneficial ownership declaration	R350
Director amendment	R250
Share certificate	R100
Company reinstatement	R750
Company name change	Request Quote
Registered address change	Request Quote
Share transfer or change	Request Quote
Company deregistration	Request Quote
CIPC document retrieval	Request Quote

Worth knowing

Beneficial ownership comes first

Since 1 July 2024 CIPC will not accept an annual return until your beneficial ownership register is current. The system blocks the submission outright, and your deadline keeps running while you are blocked.

Every filing includes

What CIPC charges

Set by turnover, paid at cost

Under R1 million

R100 to file. R150 if you file late.

R1m to R10m

R450 to file. R600 if you file late.

R10m to R25m

R2 000 to file. R2 500 if you file late.

R25m and above

R3 000 to file. R4 000 if you file late.

Close corporations

R100 up to R50 million turnover, with a R150 late penalty.

Common questions

When exactly is my return due?

Within 30 business days of the anniversary of your incorporation date, every year, whether the company traded or not. Close corporations get a wider window: the anniversary month of registration and the month after it.

What happens if I miss it?

A late penalty is added from the day after your window closes, and your entity is flagged non-compliant on the CIPC register. With returns outstanding for two successive years CIPC may refer the company for deregistration.

My company was deregistered. Can it come back?

In most cases yes. Re-instatement is a CoR40.5 application to CIPC at R200, supported by proof the entity was trading or held assets, plus every outstanding return and its penalty. We handle the application and the backlog together.

Does a dormant company still have to file?

Yes. The obligation attaches to the entity, not to its trading. A company that has never traded still files an annual return every year, at the R100 band, and still has to keep its beneficial ownership register current.