Your company's anniversary date is the anniversary of the date it was incorporated, and it determines when your CIPC annual return is due each year. It is completely separate from your financial year end, which determines when your tax return and financial statements are due. A company incorporated on 14 September with a February year end has two different compliance cycles, and confusing them is the most common reason annual returns go unfiled.
CIPC does not remind you. The consequence of missing it is not a small fee — it is eventual deregistration.
The two dates, side by side
| Anniversary date | Financial year end | |
|---|---|---|
| What sets it | The date CIPC registered the company | Chosen at incorporation, changeable |
| What it drives | CIPC annual returns | Income tax return, provisional tax, financial statements |
| Who enforces it | CIPC | SARS |
| Can you change it? | No — it is fixed by your incorporation date | Yes, with the right process |
| Consequence of missing it | Penalties, then deregistration | Penalties, interest, and SARS enforcement |
A worked example. A company incorporated on 14 September 2021, with a 28 February financial year end:
| Obligation | Driven by | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| CIPC annual return | Anniversary — September | Filing window opens on the anniversary each year |
| Beneficial ownership | Filed with the annual return | Same window |
| Financial year end | 28 February | Annual |
| Annual financial statements | Year end | Within six months of year end |
| First provisional tax | Year end | End of August |
| Second provisional tax | Year end | End of February |
| Income tax return | Year end | Twelve months after year end |
Seven deadlines, on two unrelated cycles. A business that thinks only in terms of "our year end is February" will miss the September obligation every single year.
Why the anniversary date exists
CIPC spreads annual return filings across the year rather than concentrating them all on one date. Your incorporation month becomes your filing month, permanently.
It is fixed. You cannot move it, and it does not shift if you change your financial year end, change directors, change your name or change your address. The only date that matters is when CIPC registered the company.
A name change does not reset it. Neither does a change of ownership. The company is the same legal person with the same registration number and the same anniversary.
How to find yours
It is the incorporation date on your CoR14.3 registration certificate. See what is a CoR14.3.
It is also embedded in your registration number. South African company registration numbers begin with the year of registration — a number starting 2021/ means the company was incorporated in 2021.
And you can check it directly on BizPortal or CIPC e-Services, which will also show your annual return status and whether anything is outstanding.
What is due in your anniversary month
The annual return. A confirmation to CIPC that the company still exists and its details are current. It is not a tax return and it is not financial statements — a distinction that trips up a lot of business owners.
Beneficial ownership. Filed alongside the annual return. CIPC blocks the annual return where beneficial ownership has not been filed, so an out-of-date beneficial ownership register makes the annual return impossible rather than merely late. See what is beneficial ownership.
Financial information. Depending on the company, either annual financial statements or a financial accountability supplement is submitted with the return.
The fee. Calculated on a banded scale based on annual turnover, with a higher amount payable where the return is filed late. Confirm the current fee for your turnover band on the CIPC website before filing — the bands are adjusted from time to time.
What happens if you miss it
The sequence is predictable, and slow enough that people underestimate it.
1. Late fees accrue. Filing late costs more than filing on time, and the amount escalates.
2. Filings get blocked. With returns outstanding, other CIPC filings — director changes, address changes, name changes — can be refused. This is how a simple director change becomes a three-week problem.
3. CIPC begins deregistration. Where returns remain outstanding, the company is referred for deregistration. The notice goes to your registered address — which is exactly why a stale registered address is so damaging. See how to change your registered address at CIPC.
4. The company is deregistered. It ceases to exist as a legal person. Bank accounts are frozen. Contracts are in doubt. Assets can vest in the state. Tenders and customer onboarding fail immediately.
5. Reinstatement. Possible, but it is an application with requirements, cost and lead time — and in the meantime the business cannot operate normally. See what happens if CIPC deregisters your company.
The gap between step 1 and step 4 can be years, which is precisely the problem. Nothing feels urgent until the bank account stops working.
Building a compliance calendar around both dates
The businesses that never have this problem do one thing: they write both cycles into one calendar.
Anniversary month:
Confirm the beneficial ownership register is current
File beneficial ownership
File the annual return with the correct financial information
Check the CIPC record reflects current directors and address
Financial year end cycle:
Year end: stocktake, close off, prepare
Within six months: annual financial statements
End of the sixth month after year end: first provisional tax
Year end: second provisional tax
Twelve months after year end: income tax return
Set the anniversary reminder one month early, not on the day. Beneficial ownership frequently needs to be corrected first, and that is not a same-day job if shareholding has changed.
A practical note for multiple companies: if you own several, each has its own anniversary. A holding company registered in March and a subsidiary registered in November have nothing in common on this calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What is a company's anniversary date in South Africa? It is the anniversary of the date CIPC registered the company, and it determines when the annual return is due each year. It is fixed permanently by the incorporation date and cannot be changed.
Is my anniversary date the same as my financial year end? No, and confusing the two is the most common reason annual returns go unfiled. The anniversary date is set by CIPC at incorporation and drives the annual return. The financial year end is chosen by the company and drives tax returns, provisional tax and financial statements.
How do I find my company's anniversary date? It is the incorporation date on your CoR14.3 registration certificate. The year also appears at the start of your registration number, and you can confirm the date and your annual return status on BizPortal or CIPC e-Services.
Can I change my company's anniversary date? No. It is fixed by the date of incorporation and is unaffected by changing your financial year end, name, directors, address or ownership.
What happens if I miss my CIPC annual return? Late fees accrue and escalate, other CIPC filings can be blocked, and where returns remain outstanding CIPC begins deregistration. A deregistered company ceases to exist as a legal person, its bank accounts are frozen and its assets can vest in the state.
Does CIPC remind me when my annual return is due? Do not rely on it. Any notice goes to your registered address, which is often out of date. Diarise the anniversary month yourself, a month in advance.
Do I file annual returns if the company is dormant? Yes. A dormant company is still a registered company and still has annual return obligations. Dormancy is not an exemption.
Two dates, one calendar
Almost every deregistration starts the same way — a business that knows its year end perfectly and has never once thought about its incorporation month.
Smartbook tracks both cycles for clients, files the annual return and beneficial ownership in the right month, and confirms your CIPC record is current while doing it.
Sort out your CIPC annual returns →
Last reviewed: 28 July 2026. Written by the Smartbook team — SAIPA and SAICA accredited, SARS registered tax practitioners. CIPC fees, filing windows and processes change from time to time — confirm current requirements at cipc.co.za. General guidance, not legal advice.
Primary sources: CIPC · BizPortal · Companies Act 71 of 2008 · SARS