How to Calculate Your CAC Fees in 2025: Practical Guide

If you’re trying to figure out exactly how much CAC will charge you for a business registration or filing, you’re in the right place. This post cover everything about how to calculate your CAC fees in 2025.

CAC fees aren’t always straightforward. Some are flat rates. Others scale with your share capital. A few depend on your company type or the complexity of what you’re filing.

This guide walks you through the actual calculations, step by step, so you know what you’ll pay before you start the process.

Understanding CAC’s Fee Structure

Before we dive into calculations, here’s how CAC structures their fees:

1. Flat fees – fixed amounts regardless of company size (e.g., name reservation, CTCs)
2. Tiered fees – vary based on share capital or company type (e.g., incorporation fees)
3. Percentage-based fees – calculated as a percentage of a transaction value (e.g., registration of charges)
4. Service-level fees – different rates for expedited processing

Most confusion happens with tiered fees and share capital calculations. Let’s fix that.

How to Calculate Your CAC Fees (Corporate Affairs Fees)

This one’s easy. Business names have flat fees.

Total Cost Breakdown:

Service	Cost
Name Reservation	₦500
Registration + CTC	₦10,000
Total	₦10,500

Example: You want to register “Ayo’s Fashion Hub” as a business name.

• Name reservation: ₦500
• Registration: ₦10,000
• Total: ₦10,500

That’s it. No calculations needed. Same price whether you’re a solo trader or running a partnership.

Calculating Company Incorporation Fees

This is where it gets more interesting. Company fees depend on your issued share capital.

Step 1: Determine Your Company Type

First, figure out which category you fall into:

• Small Company: Private company with share capital ≤ ₦1 million
• Private Company: Share capital > ₦1 million (not a small company or public)
• Public Company: Any public limited company
• Limited by Guarantee: No share capital (fixed fee)

Step 2: Check Your Share Capital

Your issued share capital is the total value of shares the company has actually issued to shareholders, not your authorized share capital.

Example:

• Authorized capital: ₦10,000,000
• Issued capital: ₦1,000,000 (what shareholders actually paid for)

For CAC fees, you use the ₦1,000,000 issued capital, not the authorized amount.

Step 3: Apply the Correct Fee Formula

Here’s how fees are calculated based on share capital:

For Share Capital ≤ ₦1,000,000

Company Type	Fee
Small/Private	₦10,000 (flat)
Public	₦20,000 (flat)

Example 1: Small Company

• Issued share capital: ₦500,000
• Company type: Private (small)
• Incorporation fee: ₦10,000

Add ₦500 for name reservation = Total: ₦10,500

For Share Capital > ₦1M and ≤ ₦500M

This is where the calculation formula kicks in:

Company Type	Formula
Private (Small)	₦5,000 for every ₦1M (or part thereof)
Private (other)	₦5,000 for every ₦1M (or part thereof)
Public	₦10,000 for every ₦1M (or part thereof)

“Or part thereof” means you round up. ₦2.3 million counts as 3 million for fee purposes.

Example 2: Private Company with ₦5M Share Capital

• Issued capital: ₦5,000,000
• Company type: Private
• Formula: ₦5,000 × 5 = ₦25,000

Add ₦500 for name reservation = Total: ₦25,500

Example 3: Private Company with ₦3.8M Share Capital

• Issued capital: ₦3,800,000
• This rounds up to ₦4M for calculation purposes
• Formula: ₦5,000 × 4 = ₦20,000

Add ₦500 for name reservation = Total: ₦20,500

Example 4: Public Company with ₦50M Share Capital

• Issued capital: ₦50,000,000
• Company type: Public
• Formula: ₦10,000 × 50 = ₦500,000

Add ₦500 for name reservation = Total: ₦500,500

For Share Capital > ₦500M

For companies with large share capital, the fees increase:

Company Type	Formula
Private	₦10,000 for every ₦1M (or part thereof)
Public	₦15,000 for every ₦1M (or part thereof)

Example 5: Private Company with ₦800M Share Capital

• Issued capital: ₦800,000,000
• Company type: Private
• Formula: ₦10,000 × 800 = ₦8,000,000

Add ₦500 for name reservation = Total: ₦8,000,500

Example 6: Public Company with ₦1.2 Billion Share Capital

• Issued capital: ₦1,200,000,000
• Company type: Public
• Formula: ₦15,000 × 1,200 = ₦18,000,000

Add ₦500 for name reservation = Total: ₦18,000,500

Quick Reference Table: Company Incorporation

Share Capital Range	Private Company Fee	Public Company Fee
Up to ₦1M	₦10,000	₦20,000
₦1M – ₦500M	₦5,000 per ₦1M	₦10,000 per ₦1M
Above ₦500M	₦10,000 per ₦1M	₦15,000 per ₦1M

Limited by Guarantee

If you’re registering a company limited by guarantee (typically NGOs, associations):

• Flat fee: ₦20,000
• Add ₦500 for name reservation (or ₦5,000 for restricted names)
• Total: ₦20,500

No share capital calculations needed.

Calculating Registration of Charges

When your company takes a loan secured by assets, you must register the charge with CAC.

Formula: ₦25,000 OR 0.35% of the secured amount, whichever is higher

Examples:

Example 1: Small Loan

• Loan amount: ₦2,000,000
• 0.35% of ₦2M = ₦7,000
• Minimum fee: ₦25,000
• Charge registration fee: ₦25,000 (minimum applies)

Example 2: Medium Loan

• Loan amount: ₦10,000,000
• 0.35% of ₦10M = ₦35,000
• Minimum fee: ₦25,000
• Charge registration fee: ₦35,000 (percentage is higher)

Example 3: Large Loan

• Loan amount: ₦500,000,000
• 0.35% of ₦500M = ₦1,750,000
• Minimum fee: ₦25,000
• Charge registration fee: ₦1,750,000 (percentage is higher)

Calculating Post-Registration Fees

These are mostly flat fees, but they vary by company type.

Annual Returns

Company Type	Fee
Small Company	₦5,000
Private (other than small)	₦5,000
Limited by Guarantee	₦5,000
Public Company	₦10,000
Business Name	₦3,000

Example: You’re filing annual returns for a private company.

• Cost: ₦5,000

If you want same-day processing, add:

• Small company: +₦20,000
• Private: +₦30,000
• Public: +₦50,000

Strike-Offs (Voluntary Closing)

Company Type	Fee (2025)
Small Company	₦25,000
Private (other than small)	₦50,000
Limited by Guarantee	₦50,000
Public Company	₦100,000
Business Name	₦10,000

Example: Closing a dormant private company.

• Cost: ₦50,000

Certified True Copies (CTCs)

Simple. Every document costs ₦5,000.

Example: You need CTCs of:

• Certificate of Incorporation
• Memorandum of Association
• Articles of Association

Total: ₦5,000 × 3 = ₦15,000

Due Diligence Search

Flat fee of ₦50,000 per company.

Want to verify 3 companies before doing business with them?

• Total: ₦50,000 × 3 = ₦150,000

Historical Search Reports

Report Type	Fee
Directors/Officers Info	₦20,000
Shareholding Info	₦20,000
Charges/Debentures Info	₦20,000
All Information (Comprehensive)	₦30,000

Example: You need a comprehensive historical search on an old company.

• Cost: ₦30,000

Calculating Total Costs: Real-World Scenarios

Let’s put it all together with complete examples.

Scenario 1: Registering a New Small Company

Business: Tech startup with ₦1M issued share capital

Item	Cost
Name Reservation	₦500
Incorporation (≤₦1M)	₦10,000
Total	₦10,500

Scenario 2: Registering a Private Company with Moderate Capital

Business: Import/export company with ₦15M issued share capital

Item	Cost
Name Reservation	₦500
Incorporation (₦5,000 × 15)	₦75,000
Total	₦75,500

Scenario 3: Registering a Company with Bank Loan

Business: Manufacturing company with ₦5M capital + ₦50M bank loan

Item	Cost
Name Reservation	₦500
Incorporation (₦5,000 × 5)	₦25,000
Registration of Charge (0.35% of ₦50M)	₦175,000
Total	₦200,500

Scenario 4: Annual Compliance for Established Company

Business: Private company filing annual returns + getting CTCs

Item	Cost
Annual Returns	₦5,000
CTC of Annual Returns	₦5,000
Status Report	₦5,000
Total	₦15,000

Scenario 5: Closing a Dormant Company

Business: Private company being voluntarily struck off

Item	Cost
Voluntary Strike-off	₦50,000
CTCs of Final Documents (if needed)	₦10,000 (2 docs)
Total	₦60,000

Tips for Accurate Calculations

1. Always use issued capital, not authorized capital when calculating incorporation fees
2. Round up partial millions – ₦3.2M counts as 4 million for fee calculation
3. Check your company classification – small company status can save you money on some services
4. Add name reservation costs – easy to forget the initial ₦500
5. Factor in expedited fees if you need same-day service – these can double or triple costs
6. Budget for CTCs – you’ll almost always need certified copies, so add ₦5,000 per document
7. Remember charge registration if taking loans – this can be a significant cost for large loans

What’s Not Included in These Calculations

CAC fees are just one part of your total cost. You’ll likely also pay for:

• Professional service fees – if using a lawyer or company secretary
• Stamp duty – required for certain documents
• Notarization – some documents require notary public authentication
• Banking fees – for opening a corporate bank account
• Tax registration – separate FIRS registration process

These vary widely depending on your service provider and location, so factor them into your budget.

Common Calculation Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using authorized capital instead of issued capital

• Wrong: ₦10M authorized, ₦2M issued → calculating with ₦10M
• Right: Calculate with ₦2M (what’s actually issued)

Mistake 2: Forgetting to round up partial millions

• Wrong: ₦7.3M = ₦7M for fees
• Right: ₦7.3M = ₦8M for fees (rounds up)

Mistake 3: Assuming all companies pay the same

• Wrong: Treating public and private companies the same
• Right: Public companies pay different rates for most services

Mistake 4: Overlooking minimum fees for charges

• Wrong: Small ₦1M loan = ₦3,500 (0.35%)
• Right: Small ₦1M loan = ₦25,000 (minimum applies)

Mistake 5: Not budgeting for CTCs

• Wrong: Just paying incorporation fee
• Right: Adding ₦5,000 per document for CTCs you’ll need

Quick Calculator: Find Your Fee

Can’t remember the formula? Use this quick decision tree:

For Company Incorporation:

1. Is your issued capital ≤ ₦1M?
   • Yes → ₦10,000 (private) or ₦20,000 (public)
   • No → Go to step 2
2. Is your issued capital ≤ ₦500M?
   • Yes → ₦5,000 × (capital in millions) for private, ₦10,000 × (capital in millions) for public
   • No → Go to step 3
3. Capital > ₦500M:
   • ₦10,000 × (capital in millions) for private
   • ₦15,000 × (capital in millions) for public

For Registration of Charges:

1. Calculate 0.35% of loan amount
2. Compare to ₦25,000
3. Pay whichever is higher

Final Thoughts

Calculating CAC fees doesn’t have to be complicated once you understand the structure. The key is knowing:

• Your company type
• Your issued share capital
• Which fee tier applies to you

Most mistakes happen when people confuse authorized vs issued capital, or forget to round up partial millions.

If you’re still unsure about your specific calculation, or want to avoid errors that could delay your registration, it’s worth working with professionals who handle these daily.

Need help with your CAC registration or filings? Contact Qrafteq Brand Systems and we’ll handle the calculations, paperwork, and filing for you, guaranteed accurate, first time.

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Related Reading:

• New CAC Fees 2025: Full List of Increased Prices
• CAC Fees 2025 vs 2024: What Changed?

Fee calculations accurate as of October 2025. Always verify current rates on the official CAC website before making payments.