The CAC incorporation fee is not one number. It is a rate applied to your share capital, so two companies registering the same week can owe very different amounts.
The fee is charged per band, not a flat amount
CAC charges ₦10,000 for every ₦1 million of share capital or part of it for a private company. Read that carefully: the rate applies per band of share capital, not as a single fixed sum.
A company that rounds up into a new band still pays for the whole of it, even by a small margin. CAC charges for a part-band as a full one, so a share capital figure just over a round number can cost more than expected.
The private company rate
For most new companies, the small private limited kind, the rate above is the one that applies. It has applied since 1 Oct 2025, when CAC's current schedule took effect after two earlier postponements.
Choosing your share capital is mostly a decision for you and your co-founders, guided by what the business needs and what a lawyer or accountant advises.
The public company rate
A public company pays ₦20,000 for every ₦1 million of share capital or part of it, double the private rate for the same band of share capital.
Few new companies register as public from day one. It matters more when a growing private company later converts, since the higher rate applies to any increase in share capital from that point.
Example: two share capital amounts compared
Take a private company with ₦1 million in share capital. It pays the rate once: ₦10,000.
Now take a private company with ₦5 million in share capital. It pays the same rate five times over: ₦50,000 in total, since the charge applies per band of ₦1 million or part of it.
A public company with the same ₦5 million in share capital pays the public rate five times over instead: ₦100,000 in total.
Where the rest of the bill comes from
The incorporation fee is only one line. Name reservation adds ₦1,000 before you even reach registration, and our guide to the reservation fee and validity has the detail on that charge.
Stamp duty on the share capital sits on top again, and is not a CAC charge at all. A professional adviser can quote the rate that applies to your figure.
Add these together before you commit to a share capital figure, rather than working it out after you have already reserved a name. Our tool for checking government fees is a quick way to see current rates in one place, and our cost guide to registering a company with CAC walks through the fuller total.
Once you have a figure in mind, you can start your CAC company registration on your phone.