If you have registered a company and never used it, or is currently not trading, it is very important to deregister it. The company needs to be deregistered at both CIPC and SARS. This is to avoid SARS imposing admin penalties for outstanding returns, or interest on outstanding amounts.

The first step to ensure that the company can obtain a tax clearance. This means that all returns must be up to date, even if the company has not traded. And all outstanding tax debt should be paid before a tax clearance will be issued. For companies that have never traded, the first step will be to determine whether there is a registered public officer. Without one, one can not gain access to eFiling.

The next step is to determine whether the company is still registered at CIPC. If the company is still active, all the outstanding annual returns has to be paid. Once the annual returns are updated, you can request CIPC to deregister the company. A copy of the tax clearance has to be submitted with this request.

If you need assistance with appointing a public officer for your company, click here.