Working out a CAC annual return penalty by hand is simple arithmetic once you know the rates. Getting the rates and the year count right is where most people go wrong.
The three numbers you need before you calculate anything
You need your company's size band (small, other private, or public), the number of late returns it has outstanding, and the number of directors or officers on record for each of those returns.
Guessing any of the three gives you a guess for an answer. Confirm your company's band and its filing history before you start adding anything up.
Step one: find your company's rate per late return
CAC's 2025 schedule sets a small company's penalty at ₦1,000 for each late return, and an other private company's at ₦2,000. Both figures are confirmed on the gazetted schedule, and the officer rate matches the company rate in every band.
If you are unsure which band applies, our guides to the small company and private company penalties explain the difference.
Step two: multiply by late returns, then add the officers
Multiply the company rate by the number of late returns outstanding. Then, for each director or officer on record during those returns, multiply the same rate by the number of late returns they were on record for.
Add the company total and every officer total together for your estimated bill. Leave the daily penalty out of this sum, since filing guides currently describe it as suspended until further notice.
Worked example: a small company with three late returns
Take a small company with two officers throughout, three late annual returns to file.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Company penalty | ₦1,000 × 3 late returns | ₦3,000 |
| Officer 1 | ₦1,000 × 3 late returns | ₦3,000 |
| Officer 2 | ₦1,000 × 3 late returns | ₦3,000 |
| Estimated total | ₦9,000 |
This example applies the schedule's one-off rate once for each late return, which is a reasonable reading, not a confirmed portal total. Add a third or fourth officer's line the same way if your board has more names on record.
What changes if your company's band shifted partway through
A company that grew from small to other-private partway through its backlog does not pay a single flat rate for every late return. Calculate the small-company rate for the returns due while it was small, and the other-private rate for the returns due after, then add both totals together.
This is one of the more common reasons a hand calculation ends up wrong. It is easy to apply today's band to every late return, when the correct approach follows whichever band the company was actually in when each return fell due.
Why the calculator on this site checks it for you
A hand calculation breaks down fast once directors joined or left partway through the backlog, or once a company has moved between size bands. The CAC annual return penalty calculator is built to take those details return by return rather than assuming one flat rate throughout.
Whichever method you use, the number that matters is the one icrp.cac.gov.ng generates when you actually file. Use your own calculation to budget, and the portal figure to pay.
For the underlying rates and who is liable, see the CAC annual returns hub. Once you know roughly what you owe, you can start your CAC annual return and let a vetted partner firm take it from there.