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CAC Annual Returns & Penalties: File, Regularise & Avoid Being Struck Off (2026)

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CAC annual returns: file, or risk being struck off

Every registered Nigerian company and business name must file annual returns with CAC — a yearly confirmation that the entity is still active, with up-to-date particulars. Miss them and penalties pile up; miss them for long enough and CAC can strike your company off the register. This matters more than ever: CAC has been delisting tens of thousands of companies for non-compliance. This guide explains the filing, the penalties, and how to regularise fast.

This is live enforcement. CAC has been striking off large batches of companies that failed to file annual returns. If yours is behind, regularise now — before a “struck off” status turns a cheap filing into a costly restoration.
Honest note: RenewPapers is not CAC. Filing and penalties are set by the Commission. What we do is calculate what you owe, file the outstanding returns correctly, and get your status back to clean.

What annual returns are — and are not

  • Not a tax. Annual returns are a CAC compliance filing, separate from your tax returns to the NRS. You owe both.
  • Due yearly from the year after incorporation, for companies and business names.
  • Late filing attracts penalties that accrue per year outstanding — the longer you leave it, the more it costs.

Where does your company stand?

Fees & penalties change — and depend on how late you are. Rather than quote a figure that dates, we calculate your exact outstanding amount from the register and tell you before you commit.

Behind on annual returns?

Send us your company name or RC/BN number. We will work out exactly what is outstanding, file it correctly, and get your CAC status back to clean before any strike-off.

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