ASIC annual review fees are a routine but essential part of running a company in Australia. Each year, ASIC requires companies to review their details, pass a solvency resolution, and pay an annual fee to remain registered. While the process itself is straightforward, missed deadlines can quickly lead to avoidable late fees and compliance issues. The key is understanding your company’s review date, acting within the required timeframe, and putting a simple system in place so nothing is missed.
Key Takeaways
ASIC annual review fees are mandatory annual charges for Australian companies to stay registered. As at the 2025–26 financial year, the fee for a proprietary company is approximately $329 (subject to annual indexation by ASIC). If you miss the payment deadline, ASIC applies an automatic late fee of $98 if paid within one month after the due date, or $411 if paid more than one month late. The safest approach is to know your review date early, check your annual statement promptly, and pay within the two-month deadline.
A lot of directors only think about ASIC when a notice lands in the inbox or a letter turns up at the registered office. That’s usually too late for calm decision-making. By then, you’re reacting.
A better approach is to build a structured compliance calendar around your company’s review date. Once you understand when ASIC issues your annual statement and how long you have to act, the whole process becomes routine instead of stressful.
What Is an ASIC Annual Review and Who Needs to Pay
A common pattern is this. The annual statement arrives, nobody checks it for a few weeks, and then the business owner finds out there is a fixed payment window, company details need to be confirmed, and the directors are expected to deal with a solvency resolution as well. That is how routine ASIC work turns into a preventable compliance problem.
An ASIC annual review is the yearly process ASIC uses to keep a company’s registration current. ASIC issues an annual statement on the company’s review date, and the company must review its details, address any changes, and pay the annual review fee to remain registered.
This is a separate obligation from lodging a tax return with the ATO.
What the annual review involves
The review is more than paying an invoice. Directors should check whether the registered office, principal place of business, officeholder details and share structure shown on the annual statement are still correct. If something is wrong, it needs to be corrected through the proper ASIC process rather than ignored and left for next year.
Directors also need to pass a solvency resolution. In plain English, that means deciding whether the company can pay its debts as and when they fall due.
Practical rule: Put the review date into your compliance calendar as soon as the company is registered, then set reminders for the statement date, the payment deadline, and a quick details check. That is how you avoid surprises.
Who needs to pay
If the company is registered with ASIC, the annual review usually applies. That includes proprietary companies, public companies and special purpose companies. It still applies if the company traded very little, only holds assets, or has been sitting dormant while you decide what to do with it.
The main exception is where the company has already been deregistered or is no longer on the register. Until then, ASIC expects the annual review process to be completed each year.
For many directors, the easiest way to avoid missed deadlines is to understand that this starts from day one of the company’s life. If you want the setup background, our guide on registering a company with ASIC explains how the registration date sets the review cycle that you should map out for the year ahead.
ASIC Annual Review Fee Schedule for 2026
If you only look at the ASIC annual statement when it lands, the fee often feels random. It is not. In practice, this is one of the easier compliance costs to plan for a full year ahead, provided you build it into your calendar and check ASIC’s current fees before the new financial year starts.
ASIC company fees are usually indexed each year from 1 July. So even if your company details stay exactly the same, the amount payable may rise slightly from one review cycle to the next.
Because 2026 fees depend on ASIC’s published schedule for that period, it is safer to treat any figures before formal release as estimates rather than fixed amounts. The current fee structure and annual indexation approach are published by ASIC on its fees page: ASIC fees information.
Indicative ASIC Annual Review Fees for 2026
Based on the most recent ASIC fee categories, business owners should expect the annual review fee to fall into one of these company types:
| Company Type | Expected ASIC Annual Fee Position |
|---|---|
| Proprietary company | Annual review fee applies |
| Public company or registered scheme | Higher annual review fee applies |
| Special purpose proprietary company | Reduced annual review fee may apply |
| Special purpose public company | Reduced annual review fee may apply |
The exact dollar amount matters, but the bigger planning point is category. If you run a standard proprietary company, budget for the ordinary annual review fee each year. If you use a special purpose company, confirm that the company still qualifies for that status. I see penalties and backdated issues arise when a company is treated as special purpose after its activities have changed.
What to budget for
For a small proprietary company, the annual review fee is usually a modest but fixed compliance cost. The problem is rarely the base fee itself. The problem is paying it late, missing the statement, or assuming a dormant company does not need attention.
A practical no-surprises approach is to set an annual ASIC line item in your budget, add a small buffer for annual indexation, and review the fee again in late June or early July. That gives you time to update your cash flow forecast before the statement arrives.
ASIC also allows advance payment options in some cases. That can suit directors who want fewer admin touchpoints over the next several years. The trade-off is straightforward. You reduce the risk of a missed yearly payment, but you tie up cash that might be better used in the business. For most small business owners, a well-run compliance calendar and one clear reminder system is usually the better balance.
Understanding Your ASIC Review Date and Deadlines
A common problem starts with a director opening the annual statement weeks after it arrived, assuming the payment deadline runs from the day they saw it. ASIC works from the company’s review date, not from when the letter is opened or the email is noticed.
For most companies, the review date is the anniversary of registration. ASIC issues the annual review documents on or around that date, and the payment due date runs from there. If you want a no-surprises compliance calendar, this is the date to build around each year.
How the timing works
The review date triggers the annual review process. Once ASIC issues the annual statement, you generally have two months from the review date to pay the fee and check the company details listed on the statement.
That timing catches directors who rely on the statement arriving and being forwarded internally. Mail can go to an old registered office. Emails can sit in the wrong inbox. An external bookkeeper may assume the director is handling it, while the director assumes the accountant has it.
Track the date first. Treat the statement as confirmation, not as your reminder system.
How to find your review date
The fastest options are practical ones:
- Check a prior annual statement. The review date appears on the statement and usually stays the same each year unless ASIC changes it.
- Review ASIC correspondence sent to the registered office, principal place of business, or your registered agent.
- Search for your company through ASIC Connect and check the company record. Under the company details, look for the anniversary date, which is the key date for annual review timing.
If you have more than one company, do not assume they all share the same review month. I regularly see business owners group everything into one quarter, then miss one entity because it was incorporated on a different date years earlier.
Build a no-surprises reminder cycle
A workable calendar has three checkpoints:
- 30 days before the anniversary date to confirm who will receive the statement and whether contact details are current
- On the review date month to expect the annual statement and review company details
- Two weeks before the payment due date to make sure the fee has been paid and recorded
That simple rhythm gives you time to deal with changed office addresses, staff turnover, or missed emails before late fees become an issue.
If you wait for the notice instead of tracking the anniversary date yourself, you are handing your compliance timeline to postal delays, inbox rules, and chance.
The High Cost of Late Fees and Deregistration Risks
A missed ASIC invoice can turn into an avoidable compliance bill very quickly. Once the payment due date passes, ASIC applies late fees automatically. It does not matter whether the annual statement went to an old email address, sat unopened at the registered office, or was overlooked during a busy month.
ASIC charges one late fee if payment is made within a month after the due date, and a higher late fee if the account remains unpaid for longer. In practice, that means a routine annual review can cost materially more because no one diarised the deadline or checked that payment was processed.
A realistic cost example
Using a standard proprietary company as an example, if the annual review fee were $329 for the relevant fee period and the company paid more than one month late, the extra late fee could push the total payable to $740.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual review fee | $329 |
| Late fee if more than one month late | $411 |
| Total payable | $740 |
For a small business, that is money spent on a penalty instead of wages, software, stock, or BAS and tax obligations. This is exactly why I recommend building a no-surprises compliance calendar that shows the review month, expected ASIC fee, payment due date, and who is responsible for actioning it. If you can see the cost and deadline before the statement arrives, late fees usually stop being a problem.
The bigger issue is what repeated non-payment says about the company’s compliance habits. If annual review obligations are ignored for long enough, ASIC can take steps that lead to deregistration. That creates real operational problems. The company can lose control of its legal status, contracts become harder to manage, and restoring the company later is usually far more expensive and time-consuming than paying the review fee on time.
I often see unpaid ASIC fees sitting alongside other warning signs such as unlodged forms, outdated officeholder details, and cash flow stress. If that pattern is already developing, directors should also understand the wider consequences of insolvency and closure, including the issues covered in this guide to company liquidation in Australia.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Paying Fees and Staying Compliant
A missed ASIC fee rarely starts with the fee itself. It usually starts with a review date no one diarised, an annual statement sent to the wrong inbox, or a director who meant to deal with it later.
The practical fix is a repeatable yearly process that sits inside your no-surprises compliance calendar. You should know the review month, who handles the task, what the fee is likely to be, and where the records will be stored before ASIC issues the statement.
Follow this order each year
- Enter the review date into your calendar well in advance
Set three reminders: 30 days before the review date, on the review date, and one week before payment is due. Add the expected ASIC fee beside the reminder so the cost is not a surprise when the invoice arrives. - Make sure ASIC correspondence reaches the right person
ASIC issues the annual statement on the review date. Check that company email addresses, registered office mail handling, and any agent contact details are current. If reception staff or a shared inbox receive ASIC notices first, give clear instructions on who they must forward them to the same day. - Review the annual statement against your actual company details
Check registered office, principal place of business, directors, shareholders, and share structure. If the statement does not match your records, deal with the correction straight away. Delays here often lead to a fee being paid while the company details remain wrong, which creates extra work later. - Deal with the solvency resolution properly
Directors need to consider whether the company can pay its debts when they fall due and keep the resolution with the company records. Do not treat this as a box-ticking exercise. If cash flow is tight, review creditors, ATO debt, loans, and upcoming commitments before signing off. - Pay the invoice with enough time for approvals and processing
Use the payment details shown on the ASIC invoice and double-check the reference before submitting payment. In many small businesses, a significant delay is not banking time. It is waiting for director approval, transfer limits, or the person with bank access being away. Build around those practical delays. - Store the payment proof and supporting documents in one place
Save a PDF of the payment confirmation, the annual statement, and any solvency paperwork in a dedicated cloud folder such as ASIC Compliance 2026. If you use Xero, MYOB, or another document system, store the same records there as well so the file can still be found after staff changes.
What good payment discipline looks like
Assign one person to own the process from start to finish. That might be a director, finance manager, bookkeeper, or ASIC agent. Put that person’s name in the compliance calendar, not just the task.
I also recommend keeping a simple ASIC register with five columns: company name, review date, expected fee, payment deadline, and date completed. For business owners with more than one company, that single sheet often prevents the usual mix-up where one entity is paid on time and another is missed.
The annual review can usually be paid using the instructions on the ASIC invoice. The key point is accuracy and timing. Use the correct invoice details, pay before the due date, and keep the confirmation where it can be retrieved quickly.
Good compliance systems are specific. They show the date, the cost, the responsible person, and the file location for the final proof.
Compliance checklist
ASIC annual review checklist
Is the review date already in your compliance calendar?
Do the right staff know where ASIC notices will arrive?
Have you checked the annual statement against current company details?
Has the solvency resolution been considered and filed?
Has the invoice been paid before the due date?
Have you saved the payment confirmation and statement in your ASIC folder?
If you want fewer administrative handoffs, one option is appointing an agent to receive ASIC notices, track review dates, and keep the paperwork organised. Nanak Accountants’ ASIC agent services are one example of that arrangement, as noted earlier.
Common Mistakes That Lead to Penalties and How to Fix Them
Most ASIC penalties don’t come from complex legal issues. They come from ordinary admin failures.
Ignoring messages that look routine
A director sees an ASIC email, thinks it’s general correspondence, and leaves it unread. Or a letter arrives at the registered office and no one forwards it quickly.
Fix: whitelist ASIC correspondence where possible, and make sure the registered office mail is checked by someone who knows what is urgent.
Assuming the accountant is handling it
This happens often. The director assumes the accountant, bookkeeper or office manager is dealing with the annual review. The adviser assumes the director wants to manage it internally. No one confirms responsibility.
Fix: ask one direct question before the due date: who is responsible for this year’s ASIC annual review, and has it been completed?
Failing to update company details
If addresses, officeholders or share information are out of date, the annual statement can be wrong and notices can go to the wrong place. That makes a missed deadline much more likely.
Fix: review ASIC-held details whenever company information changes, not just when the annual statement arrives.
Running on reaction instead of a calendar
Many business owners only act once the statement appears. That’s better than doing nothing, but it still leaves room for oversight.
Fix: build a no-surprises calendar with advance reminders, a document folder for company records, and a named person responsible for sign-off and payment.
The easiest ASIC penalty to avoid is the one you plan for before ASIC sends the invoice.
How Nanak Accountants Can Simplify Your ASIC Obligations
A missed ASIC deadline rarely starts with the fee itself. It starts with a busy month, an email that sits unread, or a director who assumes someone else will deal with it. The practical benefit of outside support is not just payment processing. It is having a clear system for dates, records and follow-up so the annual review does not become an avoidable penalty.
That matters most for directors who want a no-surprises compliance calendar. Instead of waiting for the annual statement to arrive and reacting under time pressure, the better approach is to map the company’s review date, expected ASIC fee, internal approval step, and record-check dates well in advance. That gives you time to correct officeholder, address or shareholding details before they create a bigger issue.
Nanak Accountants & Associates can assist with the company secretarial side of that process, including monitoring review dates, helping keep ASIC-held details current, and dealing with notices through an established contact process. For businesses with more than one company, or directors juggling several compliance deadlines at once, that structure usually reduces the risk of missed correspondence and late fees.
If you want formal support, their ASIC agent services for annual review and company record management are one option.
A simple rule applies here. If nobody owns the ASIC calendar, the deadline is easy to miss.
If you want help setting up a yearly compliance schedule for your company, contact Nanak Accountants & Associates on 1300 NANAK TAX (626 258).
Frequently Asked Questions About ASIC Annual Reviews
What is the ASIC annual review fee?
It is the yearly ASIC charge for keeping a company registered. The review process also requires directors to check that the company’s details on record are still correct.
When is the annual review fee due?
ASIC issues the annual statement on the company’s review date. Payment is then due within two months, which is why the review date should sit in your compliance calendar well before the statement arrives.
What happens if I don’t pay on time?
Late fees are added automatically once the due date passes. ASIC does not wait to see whether the delay was accidental, whether the mail was missed, or whether someone in the business assumed another person had handled it. That is why missed annual reviews often become an avoidable cost rather than a technical paperwork issue.
Can ASIC late fees be waived?
Sometimes relief may be available in limited circumstances, but it should never be part of the plan. The practical approach is to pay on time, keep evidence of lodgements and correspondence, and deal with any problem as soon as it appears.
How do I find my company’s review date?
Start with the last annual statement or any ASIC notice already on file. If your records are messy, ask your accountant or ASIC agent to confirm the exact review date, payment deadline and any outstanding items in writing so nothing is left to guesswork.
Is the annual review the same as a tax return?
No. An ASIC annual review deals with company registration and company details. A tax return deals with income tax obligations through the ATO. They often fall into the same general admin pile for small business owners, but they are separate tasks with separate deadlines.
What details should I check on the annual statement?
Check the registered office, principal place of business, director and shareholder details, and the share structure. Small errors matter. A wrong address can mean missed notices, and outdated officeholder details can create larger compliance problems later.
Can I pay in advance?
Yes. Some companies choose to prepay future annual review fees for a longer period. That can suit directors who want fixed compliance costs and fewer payment deadlines to track across the year.
Can my company be deregistered for non-compliance?
Yes. Ongoing failure to deal with annual review obligations can lead to stronger ASIC action, including deregistration. In practice, the bigger warning sign is usually repeated inaction. Unpaid fees, ignored notices and outdated records tend to show up together.
What is the simplest way to avoid ASIC surprises?
Set the review date, expected ASIC fee, internal approval date and record-check date into a 12-month compliance calendar. For a single company, that might be one reminder system and one responsible person. For a group of companies, it usually needs a proper register and someone checking it every month.
If you want help managing ASIC deadlines, annual review statements, company record updates, or broader compliance obligations, Nanak Accountants and Associates can assist with practical support specific to your business.
