Guide
Annual cost of running a Malta company: 2026 fee guide
Updated
The formation fee is the smaller half of the commitment. A Maltese company carries a fixed set of recurring obligations, and several of them, notably the audit, apply regardless of whether the company trades at all.
The recurring obligations
- Registered office and CSP fees, €1,200–€3,000 per year typical
- Every Maltese company must maintain a registered office in Malta, in practice provided by the CSP and bundled with company secretarial and compliance support. Typical 2026 quotes; complex structures pay more.
- Accounting and bookkeeping, €100–€300 per month typical
- Books must be kept and annual financial statements prepared. Low-volume companies sit at the bottom of the range; trading companies with real transaction flow, above it (typical 2026 quotes).
- Audit, €1,000–€2,500+ per year typical
- Most Maltese companies file audited annual accounts. The exemption is narrow: a private company can be exempt from appointing an auditor only if it does not exceed two of a €46,600 balance sheet total, €93,000 turnover and 2 employees (MBR: annual filings). Founders arriving from jurisdictions with generous small-company exemptions should assume they will pay for an audit; budget for it from year one (typical 2026 quotes for small companies).
- MBR annual return, from €85
- Filed with the Malta Business Registry within 42 days of the made-up date, with the fee scaled by authorised share capital: €85 electronic (€100 in paper format) where capital does not exceed €1,500, rising to €1,200 electronic (MBR: annual filings). Late filing attracts penalties.
- Tax and VAT compliance
- An annual corporate income tax return filed with the Malta Tax and Customs Administration, plus periodic VAT returns where the company is VAT-registered (Malta's standard rate is 18%, BusinessFirst). Usually handled by the accountant within, or on top of, the accounting fee.
What a year realistically costs
| Profile | Typical annual total |
|---|---|
| Dormant or minimal-activity company | €2,500–€4,500 |
| Small trading or consulting company | €4,000–€7,500 |
| Two-tier structure (trading + holding company) | roughly double the single-company figures |
These totals combine the items above at typical 2026 quotes and exclude regulated-activity fees, payroll and one-off advice. The floor is worth staring at: even a company doing nothing spends roughly €2,500–€4,500 a year on office, audit, accounting and filings. A Maltese company earns its keep when there is a real business in it, not as a shelf ornament.
Keeping the annual bill honest
- Ask for the all-in list. A proper proposal itemises registered office, secretarial, accounting, audit arrangement, tax filings and the MBR return; the fee that looks cheapest often just lists fewer lines.
- Keep the capital at the minimum unless there is a reason not to: both the registration fee and the annual return fee scale with authorised capital.
- Close what you will not use. Striking off a redundant company costs less than keeping it compliant for years out of indecision.
- Compare more than one provider. Annual fees differ more than formation fees. The form puts your matter in front of licensed CSPs who quote directly.