Registering a company is the easy part. Keeping its record current afterwards means tracking several short deadlines at once, each with its own clock.
Why these dates slip once the excitement wears off
A new company gets plenty of attention in its first weeks. Post-incorporation deadlines tend to fall due later, once the founders are busy running the actual business.
None of these deadlines send you a reminder on their own. The company has to track them.
A single missed date rarely sinks a company by itself. A pattern of them does, since up-to-date annual returns and PSC information before CAC processes most other filings you might need later.
The fast deadlines: directors and address
Two changes move fast. A change of directors is filed within 14 days of the change. A change to your registered address is filed within 14 days of the change.
| Change | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Change of directors | within 14 days of the change |
| Registered address | within 14 days of the change |
CAC change of directors: the deadline and CAC registered address change: the deadline both cover their own filing in full.
The share capital and allotment deadlines
Raising share capital adds two more dates. Notice of the resolution goes to CAC within 15 days of the resolution. A return of allotment for any newly issued shares follows within one month of the allotment.
| Change | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Share capital increase notice | within 15 days of the resolution |
| Return of allotment | within one month of the allotment |
Cost of increasing your company's share capital and return of allotment: the form and the deadline go into each one.
The two-step PSC chain
Significant-control changes run on two linked clocks. The person gaining control tells the company within 7 days of gaining significant control. The company then tells CAC within one month of receiving the information.
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Person tells the company | within 7 days of gaining significant control |
| Company tells CAC | within one month of receiving the information |
PSC changes after incorporation explains why this two-step chain catches people out.
Putting every date on one calendar
A single shared calendar, checked by more than one person, catches far more than relying on memory. Add each deadline the day the underlying event happens, not once the paperwork is already open.
The compliance calendar tool can hold all of these dates alongside your annual return and other agency deadlines in one place.
Assign one person to own the calendar, even in a small company. A date that is everyone's job on paper is often nobody's job in practice.
You can start a CAC company registration if you have not yet incorporated. The CAC registration hub links the full series behind each deadline above.