Every outstanding year must be filed — you cannot pay for the current year and skip the rest. File beneficial ownership first, because CIPC blocks annual returns without it, then work through the outstanding years oldest first. Each year needs its own fee, calculated on that year's turnover, plus the higher amount payable for late filing. If the company has already been referred for deregistration, catching up is part of a reinstatement rather than a standalone fix.

The filing is mechanical. What stops people is not knowing each year's turnover, and not realising beneficial ownership has to clear first.

Work out where you actually stand

Before filing anything, establish the position. Pull your CIPC record and check three things.

How many years are outstanding? Count from your anniversary month, not your financial year end. See what is your company's anniversary date.

What is the company's status? "In business" means you can catch up directly. "In deregistration process" or "deregistered" changes everything — see below.

Has beneficial ownership ever been filed? If not, that is your first blockage and nothing else will process until it clears.

See what is a CIPC disclosure certificate.

The order, and why it matters

1. Beneficial ownership. CIPC will not accept an annual return without it. Fixing this first is not a preference, it is a prerequisite — and it can take real work where a trust is in the chain or shareholding changed years ago and was never recorded. See what happens if you don't file beneficial ownership.

2. The oldest outstanding annual return, then the next, in sequence.

3. Any other filing you were actually trying to make — a director change, an address change, a name change. These were blocked by the arrears, and they will process once the arrears clear.

Attempting this in any other order produces rejections and wastes the fees you paid to try. See why CIPC rejects filings and how to fix them.

What each year needs

The annual return fee for that year, which is calculated on a banded scale based on that year's turnover — not this year's. Plus the higher amount payable because it is late.

This is the practical obstacle in most catch-ups. You need turnover figures for each outstanding year. Where the accounts were never prepared, you have to reconstruct enough to know which fee band each year falls into before you can file at all.

Financial information. Either annual financial statements or the Financial Accountability Supplement, depending on the company. Again, per year. See what is the Financial Accountability Supplement.

Confirm the current fee bands on the CIPC website before you start, since they are adjusted from time to time.

Funds on the customer profile. Multiple years means multiple fees. Load enough up front and allow time for an EFT to reflect — a catch-up that stalls halfway because the profile ran dry is a self-inflicted delay.

If the company is already in deregistration process

This is no longer a catch-up. It is a race.

Where returns have been outstanding long enough, CIPC refers the company for deregistration. The notice goes to the registered address, which for a company that stopped filing is usually an address nobody reads.

Act immediately. Filing the outstanding returns while the company is still in process — rather than deregistered — is very much cheaper and faster than reinstatement.

Fix the registered address at the same time, because that is almost always the root cause. See how to change your registered address at CIPC.

If the company has already been deregistered

You cannot simply file the returns. The company does not currently exist as a legal person.

The route is reinstatement, which requires a CoR40.5, a newspaper advertisement running at least 21 days, a deeds search, proof the company was trading or had assets at deregistration, and then all the outstanding returns.

Plan on months. And note that throughout, the SARS registrations have stayed open and been accruing penalties. See how to reinstate a deregistered company and does CIPC deregistration cancel my VAT and PAYE.

While you are in there

A catch-up is the natural moment to fix everything else, and it costs almost nothing extra.

Correct the registered address — the root cause in most cases.

Update the directors. People who left years ago are frequently still on the record, which is a real exposure for them.

Check the financial year end is what your accountant and SARS think it is.

Check the SARS position. A company that stopped filing at CIPC usually stopped filing at SARS too, and administrative penalties there recur monthly.

Then set a calendar. Anniversary month, one reminder a month early, beneficial ownership reviewed first. The catch-up is worth nothing if year one of the next arrears has already started.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file just the current year's CIPC annual return and skip the old ones? No. Every outstanding year must be filed, each with its own fee based on that year's turnover plus the higher late amount. Outstanding returns also block other CIPC filings until they are cleared.

What order do I file outstanding annual returns in? Beneficial ownership first, because CIPC blocks annual returns without it, then the outstanding years oldest first, then any other filing that was blocked by the arrears.

How much does it cost to catch up outstanding annual returns? Each year carries the fee for that year, calculated on a banded scale based on that year's turnover, plus the higher amount payable for late filing. Confirm current bands on the CIPC website, since they change.

Do I need turnover figures for each outstanding year? Yes. The fee band depends on that year's turnover, so where accounts were never prepared you have to reconstruct enough to establish the band before you can file.

What if my company is already in deregistration process? Act immediately. Filing the outstanding returns while the company is still in process is far cheaper and faster than reinstatement after deregistration. Fix the registered address at the same time.

What if my company has already been deregistered? You cannot simply file the returns, because the company does not currently exist. The route is reinstatement — a CoR40.5, a newspaper advertisement running at least 21 days, a deeds search, evidence the company was trading, and then all the outstanding returns.

Does a dormant company have to catch up too? Yes. Dormancy is not an exemption. A company that never traded still owes annual returns and beneficial ownership for every year since incorporation.

Fix the address, or you will be back

Almost every multi-year catch-up has the same story behind it: the company moved, the registered address was never updated, and CIPC's notices went to an empty office for four years.

Smartbook clears arrear returns in the right order — beneficial ownership first, then year by year — and corrects the registered address so the next cycle actually reaches you.

Sort out your annual returns →

Reinstate a deregistered company →

Last reviewed: 1 August 2026. Written by the Smartbook team — SAIPA and SAICA accredited, SARS registered tax practitioners. CIPC fee bands, processes and timelines change from time to time — confirm current requirements at cipc.co.za before filing. General guidance, not legal advice.

Primary sources: CIPC · CIPC e-Services · BizPortal · Companies Act 71 of 2008