What’s Changing?
While processing times have improved, the CRO is continuing to take action against companies that fail to meet their statutory filing obligations.
The latest CRO Stakeholder Forum has provided several important updates on company registration processing times, annual return filings and compliance enforcement in Ireland.
Here is what Irish company directors and business owners need to know.
There is some positive news for businesses planning to establish a company in Ireland.
1. New company registration processing times have improved
According to the latest CRO update, new company incorporation applications are currently taking approximately six working days to process.
Although this is still slightly above the CRO’s five-working-day service target, it represents an improvement compared with recent months.
Businesses planning a new company registration can expect a more consistent processing period, although timelines may vary depending on application volumes and requirements.
2. Annual return processing time update
The CRO has also reported improvements in the time it takes to process annual returns.
Annual returns are currently taking approximately 12 to 14 working days to process. This is welcome news ahead of the upcoming peak filing season.
Approximately 56,000 companies have an annual return deadline of 25th November 2026.
Company directors should ensure that their annual returns are prepared and submitted on time to avoid late filing fees and potential compliance issues.
3. CRO strike-off enforcement is increasing
One of the more significant updates concerns the CRO’s ongoing enforcement activities.
- The CRO confirmed that it is currently targeting approximately 1,000 companies every week for strike-off action.
- Around 10% of non-compliant companies, representing more than 3,000 businesses, have already been struck off.
- The CRO also expects to substantially clear its post-Covid enforcement backlog by Q2/Q3 2027.
Directors should not assume that overdue filings will remain unresolved without consequences. Keeping company records and statutory filings up to date is essential to maintaining good standing with the CRO.
This means companies with outstanding annual returns or other compliance issues could face an increased risk of strike-off action over the coming months.
4. CRO correspondence to be issued in Irish First
Another point raised at the forum relates to automated email correspondence.
Under current legislative requirements, all automated email correspondence issued by the CRO must be sent in Irish first. The CRO has limited scope to change this approach.
Companies should therefore pay attention to official CRO correspondence and ensure that important filing notices and deadlines are not overlooked.
What should company directors do now?
With increased enforcement activity and the annual return filing season approaching, company directors should take a few important steps:
- Check annual return deadlines: Confirm when your company’s next annual return is due.
- Review outstanding filings: Make sure all previous annual returns and required documents have been submitted.
- Monitor CRO correspondence: Do not ignore notices or reminders from the CRO.
- Maintain company compliance: Keep statutory records and other filing obligations up to date.
Let’s Talk
At TASC, we assist businesses with company registration, annual return filing and ongoing company compliance in Ireland.
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Call us at 087 225 7706 or email us at admin@tascaccountants.com.