Business, CIPC & SARS

How to File CIPC Annual Returns (Keep Your Company in Good Standing)

Every registered company and close corporation must file an annual return with CIPC each year. Miss two in a row and your business can be placed into the deregistration process. Here is how to file and stay compliant.

Step by step

What an annual return actually is

An annual return is a yearly compliance filing you make to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) to confirm that your company or close corporation still exists and that its basic details are current. It is often confused with a tax return, but it is not one. A tax return goes to SARS; an annual return goes to CIPC. A business must do both. Filing your return keeps the company in good standing on the CIPC register, which banks, SARS and tender portals increasingly check before they will deal with you.

This is an independent explainer, not a CIPC service or official CIPC guidance. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Always confirm the current process and fees on cipc.co.za.

When it is due

Your return is due every year within 30 business days of the anniversary of the date your company was registered. So the timing is personal to your entity, not a single national deadline. If you are unsure of your month, run a CIPC company search or check your BizProfile. Missing the window is the most common reason small companies drift into trouble, because nothing stops you trading the day it lapses, the consequences surface later.

Beneficial ownership comes first

As of 2026, CIPC generally requires your beneficial ownership (BO) declaration, a record of the natural people who ultimately own or control the company, to be filed and kept up to date before you can lodge the annual return. In practice the portal may block the return until the BO declaration is submitted. File or refresh your BO declaration first, then return to the annual return service. Confirm the current requirement on cipc.co.za, as CIPC has tightened this repeatedly.

How the fee works

CIPC calculates the annual return fee from your company’s turnover, with higher turnover attracting a higher fee. Even a dormant company with zero turnover still pays the lowest bracket and still has to file. Because the fee schedule changes over time, we do not quote fixed amounts here, confirm the current figures on cipc.co.za. Payment is made from your CIPC customer-code balance, which you top up in advance.

What happens if you fall behind

If two or more successive annual returns are outstanding, CIPC can place the company into the deregistration process. At that point banks may freeze accounts, SARS dealings can stall, and tenders can be rejected. The good news is that filing all outstanding returns before final deregistration usually halts the process. If the company has already been finally deregistered, reinstatement is a separate and more involved route. Check your exact status on cipc.co.za before assuming the worst, and act quickly, as the cost and effort rise the longer you wait.

Doing it safely

File directly through CIPC’s official portal using your own customer code. If you use an accountant or agent, that is fine, but they should never need you to hand over your eServices login or an OTP, and the service itself is low-cost. Keep your filing certificate each year as proof of good standing.

CluedUp is an independent guide and is not affiliated with any government agency. Fees, links and steps can change — always confirm on the official portal before you act. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.