CIPC Publishes Non-Compliance Lists for Beneficial Ownership and Annual Returns

Posted 21 September 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Company Law & Governance

Brought to you by SA Accounting Academy: The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has issued an updated enforcement alert under Customer Notice 4 of 2025, publishing lists of companies and close corporations that have failed to meet statutory Beneficial Ownership (BO) and Annual Return (AR) submission mandates.

In terms of the Companies Act, No. 71 of 2008 and the Companies Regulations, all registered entities are legally required to declare and maintain current beneficial ownership registers with the Commission. Entities that fail to submit their BO filings within 10 business days following publication on the non-compliance register face immediate regulatory enforcement, including the issuance of a formal compliance notice under section 171 of the Act.

The Commission highlighted ongoing statutory requirements under amended Regulation 30(3), read with section 33 of the Act:

  • Annual Returns: A company must file its annual return together with a copy of its securities register (as required under section 50) within 30 business days after the anniversary date of its incorporation or domestication.
  • Beneficial Ownership updates: BO information must be updated and filed annually, irrespective of whether the entity is actively trading, dormant, or inactive.
  • Enforcement risk: Continued non-compliance following a section 171 compliance notice subjects the entity to administrative penalties, court sanctions, and final deregistration.

The CIPC expressed specific concern regarding high rates of non-compliance among public companies. The non-compliant entities register is accessible directly via the CIPC Beneficial Ownership Non-Compliance Portal or by downloading the BO Non-Compliant Businesses list.

Click here to download CIPC Customer Notice 4 of 2025.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Verify your firm’s internal directorships against the published non-compliance registers to eliminate personal exposure to director disqualification or liability proceedings.
  • For your business: Audit your company secretarial workflows to ensure annual return lodgements and section 50 securities register filings are systematically synced with beneficial ownership declarations within 30 business days of each anniversary date.
  • For your clients: Cross-reference client portfolios against the published non-compliant entity list and submit outstanding BO declarations within the 10-business-day window to avoid section 171 compliance notices and deregistration.

Originally published at https://accountingacademy.co.za/news/read/cipc-annual-bo-and-ar-filing-non-compliance-list-of-entities

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Acts Online. Acts Online accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the article, nor does the information contained herein constitute advice, legal or otherwise.