What does a late Annual Return cost?

Information only, not legal advice. Figures are the standard CRO late-filing charge; the CRO calculates the final amount per return.

Every Irish company must deliver an annual return (Form B1) to the Companies Registration Office once a year, together with its financial statements (for companies with share capital, once accounts are due). The return is filed online through the CRO's CORE system, and the filing fee is €20 (paper) or €40 by paper post for certain filings — CORE online filing is the €20 rate. The return must be filed within 28 days of the Annual Return Date (ARD), the date assigned under the Companies Act 2014 (usually the company's incorporation anniversary, or six months after for financial statements).

Miss that window and the penalties start: a €100 base late-filing penalty plus €3 for every daythe return remains outstanding after the deadline (with the first 14 days treated as a grace period before daily charges accrue). A return filed a few weeks late can therefore cost hundreds of euro — and the meter keeps running until the return and accounts are accepted by the CRO.

The consequences go beyond fees. If a company is more than 56 days late, it loses its audit exemption for that financial year and the following year — meaning a statutory auditor must be appointed and accounts audited, a cost far exceeding the penalty itself. Persistent non-filing leads to the company and its directors being struck off the register: the company loses limited liability protection and its assets can pass to the State, while directors can face disqualification and personal liability for company debts.

The practical fix is boring but effective: know your ARD, file the B1 on time (you can file before the accounts are due under the abridged timeline), and watch the countdown. BizÉire tracks your deadlines and alerts you before they bite.