2026 Hong Kong Audit Fees: No Operations, Small & Inventory
If you are preparing to submit a BIR51 Profits Tax Return, audit fees are usually only one part of your annual compliance costs. Based on public pages checked on August 17, 2026, this article compiles audit fee quotes published by third-party accounting firms and platforms, and breaks down common fee differences for companies with no operations, small companies, companies holding inventory, and cross-border companies. Public prices are for market comparison only and do not represent official pricing or the final quote for any individual company.
First, clarify: Does having no operations mean no audit is required?
Generally, Hong Kong companies must have their financial statements audited annually; even if they meet the size thresholds for reporting exemptions, this does not mean they automatically receive an audit exemption. Only after filing a special resolution for a dormant company under section 5 of the Companies Ordinance, and while the company continues to meet the conditions for dormancy, may it qualify for exemption from the relevant audit requirements under section 447. You may refer to the Companies Registry's Accounts and Audit guidance.
Having no revenue, no profit, suspending operations, or retaining only a small amount of bank charges does not necessarily mean that a company is a statutory dormant company. If an accounting transaction occurs during the dormant period, the relevant exemption may also cease from the date of that transaction, so the company's legal and tax position should be reviewed again.
The Inland Revenue Department's BIR51 FAQ explains that companies meeting the Companies Ordinance's dormant-company conditions may submit a Profits Tax Return without audited financial statements. By contrast, the I.R.C. 1812 deferment arrangement only concerns temporarily not having to submit a Profits Tax Return; it does not release the company from its obligation under the Companies Ordinance to prepare annual audited accounts.
Public 2026 audit fee ranges
The figures below come from third-party public pages. PAT mainly tiers prices by turnover, Sleek by asset size and business complexity, while Toby provides a platform estimate, so the figures should not be treated as quotes based on a single standard.
| Company profile or public quote example | Public price (HK$) | What to note when comparing |
|---|---|---|
| Truly non-operating company, PAT CPA | 3,000 fixed price | The page states that the company must have no business activity, invoices, or bank transactions, and must submit a no-operations declaration; see the PAT 2026 pricing page |
| Annual turnover below 1 million, PAT CPA | 5,000 starting price | Still depends on bank accounts, transaction volume, and the state of the books |
| Annual turnover from 1 million to 20 million, PAT CPA | 6,000–22,000 | PAT lists this by turnover bands from 1 million to 20 million |
| Annual turnover from 20 million to 50 million, PAT CPA | 25,000–38,000 | Multiple bank accounts, related-party transactions, or inventory may increase the quote |
| Annual turnover from 50 million to 100 million, PAT CPA | 38,000–55,000 | Cross-border operations and subsidiaries usually require more audit procedures |
| ETAX public reference table: 0 to 1 million | 5,000–6,500 | See the ETAX auditing services fee table; the actual quote depends on industry, documents, and risk |
| Sleek Standard / Premium | 5,500 / 6,800 starting price | Mainly differentiated by asset scale, offshore claims, and asset complexity; see Sleek Hong Kong audit services |
| Toby platform general estimate | 10,000–50,000 | Toby explicitly states that this is an estimate rather than a guaranteed quote from a professional |
PAT's page also states that its own published price may increase by HK$2,000–5,000 for inventory; this is a specific pricing note on that page, not a standard surcharge across Hong Kong. The workload for inventory counts, valuation, and year-end cut-off testing still needs to be assessed based on the company's product types, number of warehouses, and completeness of its records.
Why can audit quotes vary so much for the same turnover?
The most common differences are not based on turnover alone, but on the following workload:
- The number of transactions and bank accounts. Each transaction may involve sampling, reconciliation, and supporting documents for revenue or expenses.
- Whether inventory is held. The auditor may need to attend the year-end count and test inventory cost and net realizable value.
- Whether there are related-party transactions, shareholder balances, or subsidiaries. These items may involve disclosures, consolidation, or additional audit procedures.
- Whether the company has cross-border revenue, offshore claims, crypto assets, or other high-complexity items.
- Whether the books are complete and whether this is the first audit. A first audit typically requires work on opening balances and prior-period information, so a repeat-audit price cannot be applied directly.
Therefore, fees cannot be estimated solely by whether the company is profitable. A company with no profit but many transactions may not be cheaper than a company with a small profit but no transactions at all.
Audit, bookkeeping, and BIR51 filing are not the same service
When requesting a quote, confirm the following work items separately:
- Bookkeeping: Organizing source documents, bank records, and classifications, and preparing the trial balance and financial statements.
- Audit: An independent practicing accountant examines the financial statements and issues an auditor's report.
- Profits Tax filing: Preparing BIR51, the tax computation, and the documents required for submission to the Inland Revenue Department.
- Annual Return NAR1: Filing company information with the Companies Registry; this is not audit work.
A private company's NAR1 filed within 42 days after the anniversary of its incorporation carries a government registration fee of HK$105; the late fee can increase from HK$870 to HK$3,480. This fee should be checked against the Companies Registry's annual return guidance and should not be mixed into audit-fee comparisons.
After receiving BIR51, when should you start preparing?
After receiving the tax return, do not simply wait for the auditor to request documents at the last minute. First organize monthly bank statements, sales and purchase invoices, contracts, inventory records, fixed-asset information, shareholder balances, and the previous year's financial statements. This usually makes it easier to obtain a complete quote.
The issue date of the first Profits Tax Return varies depending on the company's incorporation and business circumstances; use the actual tax return and deadline issued by the Inland Revenue Department as the basis. If you want to put the timing for incorporation, annual return, audit, and tax filing into one table, see the Hong Kong company post-incorporation compliance timeline.
Quote checklist before choosing an auditor
- Does the auditor hold a valid HKICPA practising certificate and include the practising-certificate number on tax filing documents? The Inland Revenue Department's 2025/26 BIR51 filing tips set out this requirement.
- Does the quote include audit only, or does it also include bookkeeping, financial statements, the directors' report, BIR51, and the tax computation?
- Are the surcharge conditions for transaction volume, bank accounts, inventory, related-party transactions, cross-border revenue, and subsidiaries clearly stated?
- Does the first audit include opening balances and the handover of the prior auditor's documents?
- Are the quote validity period, government fees, fees for missing documents, form amendment fees, and late-processing fees charged separately?
- Do the final deliverables include a signed auditor's report and complete documents that can be submitted to the Inland Revenue Department?
If you want to understand annual return deadlines and late fees, you can also read the Hong Kong company NAR1 annual return guide and refer to the Hong Kong annual compliance costs and timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
Q1: How much does a Hong Kong company audit usually cost?
As of the public pages checked on August 17, 2026, a public starting price of HK$3,000 can be found for a truly non-operating company; small operating companies start at about HK$5,000; PAT lists HK$6,000–22,000 for turnover from 1 million to 20 million, and HK$25,000–38,000 for turnover from 20 million to 50 million. Other suppliers and platforms price by assets, risk, or estimation methods, so these figures should not be treated as a uniform market price.
Q2: If a company has no profit or no business, can it skip an audit?
No profit does not equal legal dormancy. Unless the company has completed the dormant-company process under the Companies Ordinance and maintained qualifying status during the relevant period, it should not assume that the audit requirement can be waived. Receiving I.R.C. 1812 also does not mean that the audit obligation is waived.
Q3: What is the difference between auditing, bookkeeping, and Profits Tax filing?
Bookkeeping is the preparation and organization of financial data; an audit is an examination of the financial statements by an independent practicing accountant; Profits Tax filing involves preparing BIR51 and the tax computation and submitting them to the Inland Revenue Department. All three may be quoted by the same external accounting firm, but that does not necessarily mean they are included in the same package.
Q4: How much will inventory increase audit fees?
There is no uniform surcharge across Hong Kong. PAT's public page lists an additional HK$2,000–5,000 for inventory in its own quotes, but the actual amount depends on the type of inventory, count arrangements, number of warehouses, and completeness of the records; the figure cannot be applied directly to other audit firms.
Q5: Is a HK$3,000 audit quote necessarily compliant?
Not necessarily. HK$3,000 may apply only to a defined scope for a truly non-operating company with no invoices or bank transactions; the price itself cannot prove that the report will be accepted. Verify the signatory's HKICPA practising certificate, the service scope, and whether the firm can provide signed documents that meet BIR51 requirements.
The PAT, ETAX, Sleek, and Toby references in this article are external market-price references only; they should not be understood as audit, bookkeeping, or tax-filing services owned or provided by Chan & Chung. Audit arrangements should be confirmed directly with an independent licensed audit firm; if you need to organize a timeline for Hong Kong company incorporation and annual compliance, you can visit the Chan & Chung services page.