ASIC Fees and Late Fees for Company Clients 2026

ASIC fees for a company’s annual review must usually be paid within two months of its review date. A standard proprietary company pays $342 for 2026-27. As registered agent, check the statement, assign payment responsibility and follow up before the invoice falls due.

ASIC Annual Review Fee

The ASIC annual review fee is the yearly fee a company pays to remain registered. Its review date is usually the anniversary of registration. Paying the fee is separate from checking the company details and completing the directors’ solvency resolution.

ASIC’s fee schedule gives these annual amounts for 2026-27. GST does not apply to the statutory fee.

Company type	Annual review fee
Proprietary company, excluding a special purpose company	$342
Public company, excluding a special purpose company or small transferring financial institution	$1,591
Special purpose proprietary company	$70
Special purpose public company	$65

Use the company’s invoice to confirm the amount and due date. You can retrieve the annual statement through ASIC’s online services if the client has misplaced it. ASIC’s fees for commonly lodged documents lists the applicable company categories.

ASIC indexes some fees each year under its fee indexation rules. The annual fee depends on the financial year in which the review date falls. A calendar year spans two fee periods, so an older invoice must be checked against its applicable schedule.

ASIC Late Fees

ASIC charges a late payment fee when the annual review fee remains unpaid after its due date. Lateness runs from the payment deadline, usually two months after the review date.

Payment timing	2026-27 late payment fee	Historical 2024-25 schedule, covering part of 2025
Paid by the due date	$0	$0
Paid up to one month late	$102	$96
Paid more than one month late	$428	$401

The historical figures are from ASIC’s earlier fees guidance. The rate for an invoice in 2025 depends on its applicable financial-year schedule. Match an old debt to its invoice and applicable fee period before advising the client what to pay.

The late fee is additional to the annual review fee. In a hypothetical 2026-27 case, a proprietary company paying three weeks after its deadline owes its $342 annual fee plus a $102 late fee. That is $444 before any other outstanding charges.

Late fees also apply to changes lodged after their deadline. A change of address, officeholder or share details can attract a late lodgement fee. Leaving incorrect details uncorrected after the annual statement can attract a separate late review fee. ASIC can charge both when the company misses both obligations. The current tiers are $102 for up to one month late and $428 for more than one month late.

Unpaid Fees and Deregistration

ASIC can initiate deregistration if the annual review fee remains unpaid in full for at least 12 months after its payment deadline. ASIC sends notices, changes the register status to strike off in progress and publishes a notice. It can deregister the company after a further two months.

Deregistration ends the company’s legal existence. Company property generally vests in ASIC, while property held on trust vests in the Commonwealth. Former directors lose authority to deal with that property. If a notice arrives, act within the notice period using ASIC’s deregistration guidance.

Asking for a Late Fee Waiver

ASIC can waive an unpaid late fee where exceptional circumstances were beyond the control of the company and its representatives. Examples include an ASIC processing delay, a court delay, a cyber attack or inaccessible records after a natural disaster.

A missed reminder, an agent failing to forward the statement or lack of money does not ordinarily qualify. Pay the original annual review fee, but leave the late fee you want waived unpaid. ASIC cannot waive a late fee already paid.

Use ASIC’s online late fee waiver procedure. Explain what happened and attach evidence of the cause and delay. Record the request against the company and follow up if no written response arrives within 28 days.

The Annual Statement and Company Statement

The ASIC annual statement, also called the company statement, contains the company’s recorded details and its annual review invoice. Check the registered addresses, officeholders, share details and members or shareholders against your records and the client’s confirmation.

Correct inaccurate annual-statement details within 28 days after the statement’s issue date. Changes during the year have their own notification deadline, usually 28 days after the change. The annual statement does not replace that obligation. Lodge corrections separately through Form 484 for company changes.

Directors must pass and retain a solvency resolution within two months of the review date. This requirement does not apply if the company lodged a financial report with ASIC in the previous 12 months. The directors must base their opinion about paying debts when due on evidence.

Keep a positive resolution with the company records. It does not need to be lodged with ASIC. A negative resolution must be notified within seven days using Form 485. If no resolution is passed within the two-month period, notify ASIC within seven days after that period ends. ASIC’s annual review instructions set out these separate obligations.

What the Registered Agent Does With the Annual Statement

The registered agent checks the annual statement and makes sure someone is responsible for each outstanding action. Being the agent does not remove the directors’ responsibility for the company’s obligations.

At onboarding, record each company’s review date and confirm who receives its statement. ASIC normally sends it to the registered agent first. If it has not arrived within 15 business days of the review date, contact ASIC. The registered agent guide covers appointment and access.

Use this routine for each company:

1. Download or receive the statement and invoice. Record the payment deadline and the deadline for correcting details.
2. Compare the statement with the company records. Ask the client to confirm changes you cannot establish from those records.
3. Send the statement to the responsible director with a clear payment instruction. Include the solvency resolution action separately.
4. Check payment before the deadline. Chase an unpaid invoice early enough for the chosen payment method to clear.
5. Save payment evidence and the directors’ resolution. Confirm that any required correction is accepted and the ASIC account has no unexpected balance.

Decide in the engagement letter whether the company pays ASIC directly or your practice pays with authority and recovers the amount. Record your separate service charge and who bears late fees caused by a missed action. If the client pays directly, request evidence without waiting for the next annual review.

A short cover message can read:

Your company’s annual statement and ASIC invoice are attached. Please check the details and tell us promptly about any errors. Pay ASIC using the reference on the invoice before its stated due date, then send us confirmation. The directors must also complete the solvency resolution. We will send that document separately.

The corporate key on the annual statement helps authorised officeholders obtain online access. Treat it as access information and send the statement through the practice’s approved document-sharing method.

How to Pay the Annual Review Fee

Pay using the options and reference printed on the ASIC invoice. BPAY and Post Billpay are common options. Card payments are available for supported transactions, including through Post Billpay. Use the invoice’s payment instructions, not bank details copied from an unsolicited email.

The BPAY reference or payment slip identifies the ASIC account receiving the money. Check the company’s name and ACN before paying, then retain the invoice and transaction evidence. Allow three business days for BPAY processing under ASIC’s payment instructions.

Paying in Advance

ASIC allows a discounted payment for ten years of annual review fees. This avoids annual payments and fee increases during that period. It can suit a continuing trustee company whose owners expect to retain it for the full term.

There is no refund if the company closes early. The advance payment cannot cover other ASIC debts, and annual detail checks and solvency obligations continue. Follow ASIC’s advance payment instructions, including the remittance advice.

Checking an Invoice Before Paying

Scam invoices can imitate ASIC, and unsolicited commercial notices can charge for an optional service. Open ASIC’s website yourself and retrieve the company’s statement through the official portal. Compare the amount, company details and payment reference with the notice you received.

ASIC’s warning about unsolicited company review notices explains how to distinguish ASIC correspondence from third-party offers. A familiar logo alone does not establish who sent the invoice.

GST on the Different Charges

ASIC states that its statutory fees are not subject to GST. There is no GST credit in the annual review fee. Keep that amount separate from your practice’s annual company administration charge or a document-provider charge, which has its own GST treatment.

For an on-charge, establish whether your practice pays as the company’s agent or incurs a cost of its own service. The ATO’s agency and disbursement ruling distinguishes these arrangements. A genuine reimbursement and a service charge can produce different GST outcomes.

Choose BAS coding for the actual transaction and the client’s circumstances. A software label such as GST-free or BAS excluded is not a substitute for that decision. Company incorporation costs and provider setup charges belong in the registering a company.

Reduced Fee for Special Purpose Companies

A company qualifies for the reduced fee only if it meets the special purpose rules and tells ASIC about its status. A proprietary company used solely as trustee of a regulated superannuation fund can qualify. Its constitution must prohibit distributions of income or property to members.

A family trust’s corporate trustee usually does not qualify under that category. Holding assets as trustee is not enough. An eligible home unit company or charitable-purpose company can also qualify if its constitution meets the relevant requirements.

For a hypothetical SMSF trustee company, check that it has no other role and that its constitution meets the superannuation trustee requirements. Compare that with a company that is trustee of a family trust as well as the fund. Its additional role prevents it meeting the sole-purpose condition.

Declare special purpose status when registering the company or lodge the change later. For an existing company, state the purpose and the date its qualifying status began. An officeholder must make the required declaration. ASIC charges no fee for becoming a special purpose company.

Notify ASIC before the next review date so the correct annual fee applies. Confirm ASIC accepts the change, then check the next invoice. If the company ceases to qualify, notify ASIC before the next review too. Use ASIC’s special purpose company requirements to check the constitution and declaration before claiming the reduced fee.