Corporate Tax Filing Deadlines Malaysia 2026: Form C & CP204

Missing a corporate tax deadline in Malaysia doesn’t just mean a late fee, LHDN penalties compound, and repeated late filing can trigger closer scrutiny of your company’s accounts. This guide walks through the key company tax deadlines Malaysian SMEs need on their calendar, separate from SST and e-invoicing obligations.

*This article summarises commonly cited deadlines and penalty rates under current tax practice for general planning purposes. Tax rules and administrative grace periods are updated periodically, confirm exact dates and percentages with a licensed tax agent or the current LHDN/MyTax guidelines before relying on them for compliance decisions.*

The Core Deadlines Every Company Needs to Know

Form C (Company Income Tax Return)

The statutory deadline for Form C is 7 months from the end of your company’s financial year end (FYE) for manual submission. Companies must file electronically (e-C) via LHDN’s MyTax portal — paper filing is no longer accepted — and e-Filing carries an administrative grace period that typically extends the effective deadline to 8 months after FYE. For example, a company with a 31 December FYE has a statutory deadline of 31 July, with the e-Filing grace period generally pushing the practical cut-off to 31 August. Treat 7 months as your internal target and the 8-month e-Filing date as a buffer, not a planning deadline — grace periods are administrative practice, not a guaranteed extension.

CP204 (Tax Estimate Submission)

New companies must submit their first tax estimate (CP204) within 3 months of commencing operations (where the first basis period is 6 months or more). Established companies must submit CP204 at least 30 days before the start of the new financial year. This estimate determines your monthly instalment tax payments for the year, and under Section 107C(3) the estimate generally cannot fall below 85% of the prior year’s approved CP204/CP204A figure, or LHDN may treat the filing as invalid.

CP204A (Revision of Tax Estimate)

Companies can revise their CP204 estimate in the 6th month, 9th month, and — from Year of Assessment 2024 onwards — the 11th month of the basis period if actual performance differs from the original estimate. Any revision outside these windows requires a formal appeal letter to LHDN. Using all available windows is the main defence against underestimation penalties.

Monthly Tax Instalments (CP204 Payments)

Based on the CP204 estimate, monthly instalments are due by the 15th of each month. New companies benefit from a concession under Section 107C(4A): instalments typically begin from the 6th month of the basis period rather than month 2, in their first two years of operation. Instalments must continue even while the final Form C is still pending — this is often where cash flow planning goes wrong for growing SMEs.

Tax Payment Balance (on Form C submission)

Any balance of tax owed after instalments must be settled by the Form C deadline to avoid late payment penalties.

MITRS Supporting Document Upload (2026 requirement)

Companies must now upload supporting documents — tax computation, audited financial statements, and related schedules — through the Malaysia Income Tax Reporting System (MITRS) within 30 days after filing Form C, even if Form C itself was filed well ahead of the deadline. This is a newer compliance layer that’s easy to overlook if you’re only tracking the Form C date itself.

2026 Deadline Cheat-Sheet (by Financial Year End)

Financial Year End	Form C Statutory Deadline (7 months)	Form C e-Filing Grace Deadline (~8 months)	CP204 Estimate Deadline
31 December 2025	31 July 2026	~31 August 2026	30 November 2025
31 March 2026	31 October 2026	~30 November 2026	28 February 2026
30 June 2026	31 January 2027	~28 February 2027	31 May 2026
30 September 2026	30 April 2027	~31 May 2027	31 August 2026

*(The e-Filing grace column reflects general current administrative practice, not a fixed statutory date — always confirm the exact cut-off against the current LHDN/MyTax calendar before relying on it, since grace periods and public holiday adjustments can shift the effective date.)*

Penalties for Late or Incorrect Filing

Late Form C submission: A surcharge under Section 112(3) of the Income Tax Act applies to unpaid tax — commonly cited as around 10% initially, with a further penalty (commonly cited as around 5%) if tax remains unpaid beyond 60 days past the deadline. Repeated or wilful non-filing/under-reporting can escalate substantially further under related provisions.
Underestimated CP204: If actual tax payable exceeds the CP204 estimate by more than 30%, a 10% penalty applies — but only on the portion of the shortfall that falls beyond the 30% buffer, not the entire gap between estimate and actual.
Late CP204 instalment payment: A 10% penalty applies under Section 107C(9) to any monthly instalment not paid by its due date.
Late/incorrect CP204 submission itself: Can separately attract a fine (commonly cited in the RM200–RM20,000 range) and, in serious cases, further legal consequences.

These figures reflect commonly cited rates under current practice but penalty structures are set in legislation and administrative guidelines that do change — confirm exact percentages with a tax agent or the current LHDN guidelines before using them for financial planning. These deadlines are also separate from — and in addition to — SST compliance requirements and e-invoice penalty rules, which SMEs must track in parallel.

Why This Trips Up Growing SMEs Specifically

Newer or fast-growing companies are most at risk of CP204 estimate mismatches, because:

First-year estimates are often based on limited operating history.
Rapid revenue growth quarter-to-quarter can blow past the original estimate before the 6th-month revision window is used.
Multiple compliance deadlines (SST, e-invoicing, payroll, CP204) land in the same operational calendar and get missed when tracked manually across spreadsheets.

How Accounting Software Reduces Deadline Risk

A connected accounting system helps in three concrete ways:

Real-time profit visibility makes it far easier to judge whether a CP204 revision is needed at the 6th-month mark, instead of guessing.
Automated instalment and deadline reminders prevent the “forgot the 15th” problem that causes avoidable penalties.
Clean, audit-ready records speed up Form C preparation with your tax agent, since financial data doesn’t need to be reconstructed from scratch each year.

Practical Next Steps

Confirm your exact FYE-based deadlines with your company secretary or tax agent.
Set calendar reminders at least 30 days before each CP204 and Form C deadline.
Review actual performance against your CP204 estimate at month 4–5, so you have time to file a revision before the 6th-month window closes.

Million provides accounting software built for Malaysian SME compliance, including SST and e-invoicing workflows alongside the financial reporting needed to support CP204 and Form C preparation. Explore Million’s accounting software to see how it fits your compliance calendar.

FAQs

Q: When is Form C due in Malaysia?

A: The statutory deadline is 7 months from the end of the company’s financial year (e.g., 31 July for a 31 December year end). E-Filing typically carries a grace period extending the practical deadline to around 8 months, but this should be treated as a buffer, not a planning target — always confirm the current date with LHDN or a tax agent.

Q: What is CP204 in Malaysia?

A: CP204 is the tax estimate a company submits to LHDN under Section 107C, used to calculate monthly instalment tax payments for the financial year. New companies submit it within 3 months of starting operations; existing companies submit it at least 30 days before their new financial year begins.

Q: Can I revise my CP204 tax estimate?

A: Yes, companies can revise their CP204 estimate during the 6th month, 9th month, and — from YA2024 onwards — the 11th month of the basis period, if actual results differ from the original estimate.

Q: What happens if a company misses its CP204 monthly instalment?

A: A late instalment payment incurs a 10% penalty under Section 107C(9) on the outstanding amount, in addition to the base tax owed.

Q: What happens if my CP204 estimate is too low?

A: If actual tax payable exceeds the CP204 estimate by more than 30%, a 10% penalty applies — but only on the portion of the shortfall beyond that 30% buffer, not the full difference between the estimate and the actual tax.

Q: Is Form C filed on paper or online in Malaysia?

A: Companies must file Form C electronically through LHDN’s e-Filing (e-C) system via the MyTax portal — paper submission is not accepted for corporate tax returns.

Q: What is MITRS and do I need to use it?

A: MITRS (Malaysia Income Tax Reporting System) is where companies must upload supporting tax documents — such as tax computations and audited financial statements — within 30 days after filing Form C. This is a distinct step from filing Form C itself and is easy to miss if only the Form C date is being tracked.