The deadline, the fees, and what actually happens if you miss it — explained in plain terms.
Every company registered in Malaysia must lodge its annual return with SSM within 30 days of its incorporation anniversary, every year, for as long as the company exists. The deadline has nothing to do with the calendar year or your AGM date. Miss it, and the fine starts at RM50 and climbs to RM50,000 per officer.
Companies incorporated under the old Companies Act 1965 tied their annual return to the AGM. The Companies Act 2016 removed that link. Today, the clock starts on your incorporation anniversary and gives you 30 days to lodge, regardless of when your financial year ends or whether you've held an AGM at all.
A company incorporated on 14 March lodges its annual return by 13 April, every single year, for as long as the company exists.
| How late | Fee / penalty |
|---|---|
| 7 days to 3 months | RM50 late-lodgement fee |
| 3 to 6 months | RM100 late-lodgement fee |
| Ongoing / unresolved | Criminal offence under Section 591 — up to RM50,000 fine per officer in default, plus a continuing daily fine of up to RM1,000 |
The fee is only the first layer. Section 591 of the Companies Act 2016 makes late filing a criminal offence. The company can be fined up to RM50,000. So can every officer in default, personally, including directors and the company secretary.
SSM strikes a company off the register after three consecutive years without an annual return. Once that happens, the company's bank accounts freeze, its assets become inaccessible, and reinstating it requires a formal application to SSM, not a quick fix.
A reminder system and a secretary who tracks the date prevent this scenario, and it costs far less than fixing it after the fact.
The annual return records company particulars: registered address, share capital, and the names of directors, officers, and members. It is a separate filing from your financial statements, which are lodged under Section 259 on their own timeline.
Confusing the two is common. Filing your financial statements on time does not satisfy the annual return requirement, and the reverse is also true.
Corplify's Annual Return Filing service (RM350) tracks your incorporation anniversary, prepares the return, and lodges it with SSM before the 30-day window closes, so the date never depends on you remembering it.
No. The annual return covers company particulars under Section 68. Financial statements are lodged separately under Section 259, on their own deadline.
SSM can fine the company and every officer in default, and after three consecutive missed years, strike the company off the register. Contact a company secretary immediately rather than waiting for the next anniversary.
A licensed company secretary must be appointed under Section 235 of the Companies Act 2016, and in practice, the secretary lodges the annual return on the company's behalf.
Yes. Dormant status does not exempt a company from the Section 68 annual return requirement. Only formal deregistration or striking off ends the obligation.
Corplify's Annual Return Filing service costs RM350 and covers the whole process, from tracking your anniversary date to lodging with SSM.
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