Compliance
CAC Annual Returns and Penalties in 2026: What Every Business Must Know
6 min read · Updated 1 October 2026
Deadlines, penalties and how to file or regularise CAC annual returns for business names, companies and NGOs in Nigeria in 2026.
What are annual returns?
Annual returns are yearly filings that confirm your entity's details — address, owners, directors and share structure — with the CAC. They are mandatory under CAMA 2020.
Filing deadlines
Deadlines differ by entity type:
- Business names: by 30 June each year, starting the year after registration
- Companies: within 42 days after the AGM, starting 18 months after incorporation
- Incorporated trustees: by 30 June each year
Penalties for late filing
Late filing attracts penalties per year of default, and persistent default can lead to your entity being marked inactive or struck off the register — blocking bank transactions and contracts.
How to regularise
We calculate all outstanding years and penalties, prepare the returns and file them for you. Regularisation starts from ₦15,000.