Business name registration is one of the CAC fees that moved twice in under a year. Here is the timeline, so you budget for the current figure rather than an old one.
The fee before 1 October 2025
Until 30 September 2025, CAC charged ₦10,000 to register a business name, under the Companies Regulations 2021 fee schedule.
That rate held for years before CAC revised it. A business that registered before the change is not asked to top up to the new fee later.
The fee since 1 October 2025
1 Oct 2025, CAC's new schedule took effect, and the registration fee rose to ₦20,000.
The higher fee applies to every new registration from that date. Name reservation moved at the same time; see CAC company name reservation: fee and validity for that figure.
The fee doubled from ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 in the same schedule that raised several other CAC fees.
The new AI service charge from April 2026
From 1 April 2026, CAC added a separate ₦500 AI service charge on business name registrations, and a ₦200 charge on name reservations.
CAC's notice says plainly that this charge sits on top of the statutory fee. It does not replace or reduce any part of the ₦20,000 registration fee.
Budget for both charges together if you are registering now, rather than the registration fee on its own. This article cannot confirm whether either charge is refunded if your reservation is later rejected, so budget for a fresh fee rather than expect one back.
Why the fee changed twice
CAC's fee schedule was gazetted on 29 May 2025, dated 31 October 2024, but the commission delayed applying it twice while it stabilised its new registration portal. It finally took effect on 1 Oct 2025.
The AI service charge came later, as a separate 2026 addition on top of the registration fee, not part of the same October 2025 schedule change.
Neither change altered the application steps, only what they cost.
The same October 2025 schedule raised fees across other CAC structures too, not business names alone. Incorporated trustees registration rose to ₦40,000, and a company limited by guarantee rose to ₦40,000, both up from lower amounts under the 2021 regulations.
What this means if you are budgeting now
If you are registering today, plan for ₦20,000 to register plus ₦500 for the AI service charge, on top of the separate name reservation step.
Any quote or guide still citing ₦10,000 describes the fee before October 2025, not the current one. Treat a figure that low as out of date rather than a discount you can still claim.
If you are weighing a business name against a limited company at these new prices, our business name vs limited company comparison sets both fee schedules side by side.
For the full walk-through, see how to register a business name at CAC. Browse the CAC registration hub for the rest of the series, or our cost guide to registering a company for how the figures compare to a limited company.