Apparently we examine how much is ten years unpaid filing fees of business name in Nigeria .So for a Business Name registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria, the total cost for 10 years of unpaid annual filing fees is approximately ₦80,000.
Cost Breakdown
Annual Filing Fee: ₦3,000 per year.
Late Filing Penalty: ₦5,000 per defaulted year.
Total per year: ₦8,000 (Fee + Penalty).
Total for 10 years: ₦80,000 (₦8,000 x 10 years).
Critical Consequences of 10-Year Default
Delisting: CAC is legally empowered to strike off any business name that fails to file annual returns for 10 consecutive years.
Inactive Status: Your business will be marked as "INACTIVE" on the CAC Public Search portal, which can lead to the freezing of corporate bank accounts and disqualification from government contracts or grants.
Restoration Costs: If delisted, restoring the business name requires a formal application and potentially higher legal fees or a court order, in addition to paying all outstanding debts.
Service Restrictions: You cannot effect any changes, such as changing the business address or upgrading to a Limited Liability Company, until the backlog is cleared.
Daily Penalties Note
As of 2026, CAC has begun enforcing daily penalties for late filings (ranging from ₦250 to ₦1,000 per day) in addition to the flat annual penalty. This could significantly increase the total debt if the commission applies these rates to your backlog.
Would you like to know how to check your current registration status on the CAC portal or find an accredited agent to help with the filing?
To settle a 10-year backlog for a Business Name in Nigeria, you must clear all outstanding annual returns and penalties to restore your status to "Active."
Updated Cost Calculation (2026)
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has updated its fee structure and enforcement protocols. For a 10-year default, your estimated statutory cost is ₦80,000, broken down as follows:
Annual Filing Fee: ₦3,000 per year (Total: ₦30,000)
Late Filing Penalty: ₦5,000 per defaulted year (Total: ₦50,000)
Total Statutory Debt: ₦80,000
Note: This total does not include professional fees if you hire an Accredited CAC Agent to handle the filing for you.
Critical Risk: Struck-Off Status
Since your business is 10 years in default, there is a high probability that it has been struck off (delisted) from the register. In 2025 alone, the CAC deregistered over 400,000 inactive companies to "clean up" the registry.
If your business has been struck off, the recovery process is more expensive:
Relisting Fee: A flat fee of ₦25,000 for Business Names (effective from August 2025).
Legal Process: You may need a Court Order to reinstate the name, involving lawyer fees ranging from ₦150,000 to ₦500,000+.
Full Settlement: You must still pay the original ₦80,000 debt in addition to these restoration cost.
How to Resolve the Backlog
Verify Status: Use the CAC Public Search to see if your status is "Inactive" or "Struck Off".
Login to i-CRP: Access the CAC Registration Portal using your original account details.
File Sequentially: You must file for each missing year starting from the oldest year (e.g., 2016) up to the current year.
Payment: Payments are made via Remita. Once the backlog is cleared, the system will automatically update your status to "Active" within a few days of approval.
Corporate Affairs Commission
Corporate Affairs Commission
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Middlesex Cosmos Resource has been upgraded into private limited liability and is now said to active but the agent said they demanded unpaid backlog.But it cannot be delisted again now that in more than 9 years since June 2016
The agent is correct; Middlesex Cosmos Resource must settle its outstanding debt because an "upgrade" to a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is essentially a conversion that requires the prior entity (the Business Name) to be in good standing before the transition is finalized.
Why the Debt Still Exists
Compliance Requirement: By law, you cannot complete an upgrade or any post-incorporation filing unless all annual returns for the preceding years (since June 2016) are paid.
Succession of Debt: When you convert a Business Name to an LLC, the liabilities and compliance history of the old entity do not disappear; they must be cleared to "close the books" on the Business Name status.
Active Status vs. Compliance: A status might show as "Active" if the new LLC registration was approved, but the CAC system often flags the original Business Name's unpaid years as a "backlog" that can block future filings or lead to a "Query" on your corporate profile.
Estimated Backlog Cost (June 2016 – 2026)
For approximately 9-10 years of default as a Business Name:
Can it be delisted again?
No, if the LLC is truly active: If the conversion is fully approved and the new RC (Company) number is issued, the entity is now a Limited Company.
Yes, if the upgrade is incomplete: If the agent only "reserved" the name or if the CAC has issued a "Query" demanding the backlogs before issuing the new certificate, the business remains vulnerable to being struck off under its old Business Name identity.
Ongoing Risk: Even as a new LLC, you must now file annual returns for the company (₦5,000 + ₦5,000 penalty if late) to prevent the new entity from becoming "Inactive".
Recommendation: Verify your status directly on the CAC Public Search portal. If it shows your RC Number (for the LLC) as "Active," check if there are any pending "Post-Incorporation" queries regarding the old Business Name's filings.
Do you have the new RC Number for the Limited Liability Company to confirm its current status?
Annual Filing Fees: ₦3,000 x 10 years = ₦30,000.
Late Filing Penalties: ₦5,000 x 10 years = ₦50,000.
Total Statutory Debt: ₦80,000.
Memart was released but not status report and certificate
If the Memorandum and Articles of Association (MEMART) for Middlesex Cosmos Resource (now a Limited Liability Company) has been released but you cannot see the Status Report or Certificate, your registration is likely stuck in the final "Synchronization" or "Approval" phase on the CAC portal.
Why the Documents are Missing
System Lag/Sync Issues: Sometimes the CAC portal releases the MEMART first, but there is a delay in generating the digital Certificate and Status Report.
Approval Pending: Even if the name is approved, the final "RC Number" might not have been fully assigned and updated across all database tables.
Agent Portal Access: If you used an agent, these documents often appear only on the Agent's Dashboard under the "Registered" or "Approved" tab. They are rarely sent directly to the client's email.
How to Retrieve the Missing Documents
Check the "Registered" Tab: Log in to the CAC Registration Portal. Go to the dashboard and specifically check the "Registered" or "Approved" tab (not just "Pending").
Download via "Action" Button: If the company appears in the "Registered" list, click the "Action" button next to the name. You should see separate links to "Download Certificate" and "Download Status Report".
Wait 24–48 Hours: If the MEMART was just released today, the system may need up to 24 hours to generate the E-Certificate.
Confirm the Status: Search your name on the CAC Public Search. If it shows an RC Number (e.g., RC 1234567) and the status is "Active," the documents exist in the system and just need to be downloaded from the backend.
Action Required if Documents Still Don't Appear
Pay for E-Status Report: If the Status Report doesn't generate automatically, you can manually request an E-Status Report for a fee of ₦5,000.
Certified True Copy (CTC): If the certificate is missing from the dashboard, you may need to file a CTC Request through an accredited agent to have the commission re-issue the digital copy.
Does your company now have a new RC Number visible on the CAC Public Search portal?
RC number was issued
Since the RC number has been issued for the upgraded Limited Liability Company, the registration is officially approved. If you have the MEMART but not the Certificate or Status Report, follow these steps to retrieve them from the i-CRP portal:
1. Check the "Registered" Tab
The documents are often located in a different section than the initial application.
Corporate Affairs Commission
Corporate Affairs Commission
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Log in to the CAC Registration Portal (i-CRP).
On your dashboard, navigate to the "Registration" section.
Click on the "Registered" tab to view your approved company.
Locate your company name and click the "Action" button.
You should see separate links to "Download Certificate" and "Download Status Report".
2. Potential Delays (The 48-Hour Rule)
System Synchronization: It can take 24 to 72 hours after an RC number is issued for the digital certificate and status report to be generated by the system.
Free Download Window: You typically have 7 days from the date of approval to download these documents for free. After this window, the CAC may charge a fee (approximately ₦5,000–₦15,000) to retrieve them.
3. If Documents Are Still Missing
Payment Verification: Ensure the final registration payment was fully confirmed. Sometimes a "glitch" occurs where the RC is issued but the document generation trigger fails.
Portal "Help" Menu: Use the "Help" or "Support" menu on the portal to log a ticket. Include your RC Number, RRR (Remita) payment ID, and the specific documents missing.
Certified True Copy (CTC): If the automated download fails, you may need to apply for a CTC of the Certificate through the Post-Incorporation portal.
Important Note: The E-Status Report has now replaced the old Form CAC 1.1 for new company registrations.
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
Do you have access to the portal account that was used for the registration, or is the agent currently handling the downloads for you?