Tax and social-contribution deadlines for a small trader

The 15th of every month, twice over

A registered trader in Cameroon should remember one date that comes around every month: the 15th. That is the deadline for the monthly VAT return and payment to the Directorate General of Taxation (DGI), and, on that same date, the deadline for the monthly instalment of corporate tax, personal income tax and rental withholding. The National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS) sets the same date, the 15th, for declaring and paying staff social contributions.

Two annual deadlines on 15 March

Before 15 March, a business files its Statistical and Tax Return (DSF) for the previous financial year with the DGI. That same date is also the deadline for the annual balance of corporate tax and personal income tax: the gap between what was already paid through monthly instalments during the year and the tax actually owed once the accounts close.

The business licence, renewed by the end of February

Every trader must renew their business licence, the patente, by the last day of February. This document, issued by the DGI, is what legally authorises trading for the current year; trading without a current patente exposes a business to penalties.

Property tax, once a year

A trader who owns their business premises must pay the annual property tax by 30 June.

Two authorities, two sets of dates

The DGI handles a business's taxes. The CNPS handles its staff's social contributions instead, which fund their pensions, family benefits and cover for workplace accidents. Missing a deadline with either one brings its own late penalties.

The pattern worth remembering

Look at the dates together and a pattern appears. The two monthly deadlines, VAT and the tax instalment, fall on the same day: the 15th. The two annual deadlines, the DSF and the tax balance, also share a single date: 15 March. Only the patente and the property tax stand apart, each due once a year at a different point on the calendar. A trader who notes these dates at the start of the year saves a lot of trouble later on.