From 1 July 2026, the ASIC annual review fee for a standard proprietary company is $342. Pay it more than a month late and the penalty is $428. That’s a strange little trap: forgetting costs more than remembering, and the penalty arrives automatically with no reminder phone call.
Plenty of business owners only notice when an invoice lands or a bank asks why the company status looks off. This guide explains what you pay, when it’s due, how late fees can pile up and the practical habits that keep them off your books.
What Is the ASIC Annual Review Fee?
Every company registered in Australia pays an annual fee to keep its registration active. It’s tied to your company’s review date, which is normally the anniversary of the month it was registered. Each year ASIC issues an annual statement, you check the details are correct, and you pay the fee. Even a dormant company with no income has to do this.
Directors of a proprietary company also need to pass a solvency resolution within the same window. That’s a formal record that the directors believe the company can pay its debts as they fall due. It’s easy to overlook, so keep a copy with your company records.
How Much Does It Cost in 2026/27?
ASIC indexes its fees each 1 July in line with inflation, so the numbers shift a little every year. Based on the figures that took effect on 1 July 2026, these are the ones most owners run into:
- Annual review fee for a standard proprietary company: $342
- Late payment up to one month after the due date: $102
- Late payment more than one month after the due date: $428
- Registering a new proprietary company: $636
Check ASIC’s website for the latest amounts before you pay, since these can change. The principle holds regardless of the exact figure: the late fee at the second tier is higher than the annual review fee itself.
When Is the Annual Review Fee Due?
You have two months from your review date to pay the fee. If your company was registered on 15 March, your review date falls on 15 March each year and the fee is due by 15 May. The date appears on your annual statement, and ASIC sends it to the company’s contact email.
That last point trips up many owners. If the email address on file belongs to a former director, an old accountant or a mailbox nobody checks, you may not see the statement at all. ASIC doesn’t treat that as an excuse, and the fee and late fees still apply. It also pays to make sure the details you confirm to ASIC match what’s in your annual accounts, so the two sets of records tell the same story.
How Do ASIC Late Fees Stack Up?
Late fees are charged per document, not per month. If you pay the annual review fee late, that’s one late fee. If you also lodge a change of company details late, that’s a separate late fee on top.
Consider an owner who pays the annual review six weeks late and files a change of director two months late. The review itself costs $342, but there’s also $428 for the late payment and another $428 for the late lodgement. The total comes to $1,198 for what should have been a $342 task. It’s a painful way to learn that Form 484 changes are due within 28 days.
What Happens If You Ignore It Completely?
Unpaid fees don’t disappear. Left long enough, ASIC can start action to deregister the company, and a deregistered company can no longer legally trade, own assets or sign contracts. Getting it reinstated costs time and money, and it can create real problems with banks, suppliers and the ATO.
It also affects the people running the business. Directors can find themselves tangled in compliance questions they never saw coming. If you’d like to understand how these obligations sit alongside your other corporate services, that overview is a useful place to start. Staying current is far cheaper than fixing a lapse.
How Can You Avoid ASIC Late Fees?
A few small habits go a long way:
- Put your review date and the due date in your calendar with a reminder a month ahead.
- Make sure ASIC has a current, monitored email address for the company.
- Pay by direct debit or BPAY as soon as the statement arrives.
- Lodge changes to officeholders and addresses within 28 days.
- Ask your accountant to track dates for you as part of the regular routine.
Handing the dates to someone who already looks after your bookkeeping and accounting is often the easiest fix. They already see the changes in your business, such as new directors or a moved office, so they can flag the lodgements that follow. One calendar and one person responsible beats five good intentions.
Are ASIC Fees Tax Deductible?
The annual review fee is generally deductible as a business expense. Late fees are a different story, since penalties charged under Australian law are generally not deductible. That’s one more reason to pay on time. Your accountant can confirm how it applies to your company.
What to Take Away About ASIC Fees
The annual review fee is small, predictable and easy to pay on time. The late fees are what hurt, and they’re automatic, cumulative and charged per document. A calendar reminder, a monitored email address and a routine for lodging changes will prevent almost all of them.
If you’re setting up a company for the first time, the business start ups page walks through what to expect in the early months. This is general information and not personal advice, so check current fees with ASIC. Do you actually know when your company’s review date falls this year?
Frequently Asked Question
How much is the ASIC annual review fee in 2026/27?
For a standard proprietary company, the fee is $342 from 1 July 2026. ASIC indexes its fees each 1 July in line with inflation, so the amount shifts a little every year. Check ASIC’s website for the latest figure before you pay.
When is the ASIC annual review fee due?
You have two months from your company’s review date to pay. The review date is normally the anniversary of the month the company was registered. If your company was registered on 15 March, the fee is due by 15 May each year. The date appears on your annual statement.
How much is the ASIC late fee?
There are two tiers. Paying up to one month after the due date attracts a $102 late fee, and paying more than one month late attracts $428. The second tier is higher than the annual review fee itself, which is why it catches so many owners off guard.
Do ASIC late fees add up?
Yes, because they’re charged per document, not per month. If you pay the annual review late and also lodge a change of company details late, each one carries its own late fee. For example, a late payment and a late director change could mean $428 plus $428 on top of the $342 review fee.
What happens if you don’t pay the ASIC annual review fee?
The fee doesn’t go away, and late fees are added automatically. Left long enough, ASIC can start action to deregister the company. A deregistered company can no longer legally trade, own assets or sign contracts, and reinstating it takes time and money.
Do dormant companies have to pay the annual review fee?
Yes. Every registered company pays the fee, even if it has no income and isn’t trading. The only way to stop the yearly fee is to properly close the company, for example through voluntary deregistration, when that’s appropriate. Ask your accountant whether that makes sense for your situation.
What is a solvency resolution and when is it needed?
It’s a formal record that the directors of a proprietary company believe it can pay its debts as they fall due. Directors need to pass it within the same two month window as the annual review. Keep a copy with your company records so you can show it was done.
Are ASIC fees tax deductible?
The annual review fee is generally deductible as a business expense. Late fees are a different story, since penalties charged under Australian law are generally not deductible. Your accountant can confirm how this applies to your company.
