What the Hong Kong government charges to set up and keep a company: the 2026/27 fee schedule
Quotes for starting a company in Hong Kong often bundle several things together, which makes it hard to see what the government itself charges. This article lists the statutory fees published by the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), so that a founder can separate them from provider charges.
Incorporation
The Companies Registry fee page lists these incorporation fees, in Hong Kong dollars:
| Company type | Electronic | Hard copy |
| Local private company | 1,545 | 1,720 |
| Local public company | 1,545 | 1,720 |
| Local company limited by guarantee (up to 25 members) | 155 | 170 |
| Local company limited by guarantee (26 to 100 members) | 305 | 340 |
The page gives no effective dates and refers readers to the Schedules to the Companies (Fees) Regulation (Cap. 622K) for the authoritative figures. For a private company, filing on paper costs HK$175 more than filing electronically.
The registry page also notes that the business registration fee and levy are charged separately.
Business registration
The IRD publishes a table of business registration fees and levies by period. For 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, it shows:
| Certificate | Fee | Levy | Total |
| One-year | 2,200 | 150 | 2,350 |
| Three-year | 5,720 | 450 | 6,170 |
| Branch, one-year | 80 | 150 | 230 |
| Branch, three-year | 208 | 450 | 658 |
The table shows the levy at zero for one-year certificates in 2024/25 and 2025/26, and at HK$150 again from 1 April 2026. A secondary summary from UpperSetup says the levy resumed because the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund restarted collection on that date. It also says registration is due within one month of starting business, citing section 5(2) of the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310).
A first-year total
For a private company filing electronically with a one-year business registration certificate, the fees above add up to:
| Item | HK$ |
| Incorporation (electronic) | 1,545 |
| Business registration, one-year | 2,350 |
| Total | 3,895 |
That sum is calculated from the two official tables. With a three-year certificate the total is HK7,715.Buyingthreeone-yearcertificatesatthe2026/27ratewouldcostHK7,050, which is HK$665 less, but the fee and levy for later years can change. The IRD table shows that they have changed several times since 2016.
Annual return
Each company files an annual return. The registry page shows that the fee rises with delay:
| Timing after the return date | Private company (HK$) |
| Within 42 days | 105 |
| 42 days to 3 months | 870 |
| 3 to 6 months | 1,740 |
| 6 to 9 months | 2,610 |
| More than 9 months | 3,480 |
Filing within 42 days costs HK105.OnedaypastthatwindowmovesthefeetoHK870, which is HK765more.Foraregisterednon-HongKongcompanythesamebandsrunfromHK180 to HK$4,800.
Other registry fees
The page lists a change of company name at HK295foralocalcompany,witharefundofHK55 if the application is unsuccessful. A certificate of continuing registration costs HK170,andcertifyingacopyoforanextractfromadocumentcostsHK130 per copy. Fees for notifying changes to directors, the secretary or the registered office were not on the page.
Reading a quote against the schedule
A founder who receives a quote can compare a hong kong company registration fee line by line with the tables above. Government items should match the published amounts. Anything beyond them is a provider charge, such as company secretary services, a registered office address or document preparation, and the official pages used here don’t set those prices.
A short checklist for the comparison:
- Does the quote show incorporation and business registration as separate lines?
- Is the business registration certificate for one year or three?
- Is the filing electronic or on paper?
- Does the quote list the annual return fee, and who files it on time?
- What does the provider charge for services that the government fees don’t cover?
A calendar for the first year
- At incorporation: pay the registry fee
- Within one month of starting business: register for business registration, per the secondary summary of Cap. 310
- Each year: file the annual return within 42 days of the return date
- Before the certificate expires: renew the business registration
The takeaway
For a private company, the statutory cost of starting up in the 2026/27 period is HK$3,895 with an electronic filing and a one-year certificate. The tables also show where timing changes the price, most visibly on the annual return. Each fee should be checked against the current official pages before payment.
