How to close MEI? See step by step 

Knowing how to close a MEI is as important as understanding the opening process.

This is because leaving an inactive MEI open can generate charges and problems related to declarations to the government.

By closing the company, all these problems are avoided, but it is important to know how to do it correctly.

For this reason, in today's material we will tell you in detail how this procedure should be done.

That said, be sure to follow along to stay up to date and resolve any pending issues! 

Why have a MEI?

THE autonomous activity in Brazil it has enormous relevance for economic production.

This is because it is a fact that unemployment in the country does not have the lowest levels on a global scale.

For this reason, the population finds ways to earn an income without relying exclusively on the famous formal employment contract.

However, while for a long time self-employment was seen as irregular and without guarantees, the MEI program changed all that.

This is because, the Individual Microentrepreneur Program was created to formalize various autonomous activities.

Thus, when opening a CNPJ through the program, the citizen becomes an entrepreneur and has the guarantees and obligations related to this.

One of the main advantages of registering as an MEI is the possibility of paying INSS (National Institute of Social Security).

In this way, social security benefits such as retirement, maternity pay, prison assistance and many others are now offered to citizens.

But, just as there are benefits, MEI also brings responsibilities.

Among them, we can highlight the payment of the DAS Guide and the annual declaration as the main ones.

For this reason, if you no longer use your MEI, It is important to close it to avoid irregularities in these obligations.

But how do you close MEI? 

We'll see later! 

How to close MEI?

By now you understand that MEI is an important tool for ensuring the regularity and formalization of self-employed activities.

But, while there are benefits, the program also demands responsibilities from microentrepreneurs.

Therefore, having a company open requires administration, expenses and even reporting to the government.

Therefore, if you are no longer using your MEI, or do not have time to manage it, it may be convenient to close it.

The good news is that this is a simple procedure and does not require the payment of any specific fees or taxes.

To know how to close MEI, the first thing is to understand that the procedure is called “Carrying out the CNPJ of Individual Microentrepreneur (MEI).

This process is done on Gov.br, and you need to be logged in to your account.

Once this is done, on the website look for the “Request cancellation” tab at the bottom of the page.

This will direct you to the MEI cancellation system.

In the system, complete the cancellation request procedure, filling in the information and making the necessary acceptances.

Upon completion, the system will issue the MEI cancellation certificate, which proves the company's inactivation and, consequently, the cancellation of the CNPJ.

I have overdue DAS, what should I do? 

One of the main questions for those looking to know how to close a MEI is related to DAS.

This is because the reason why many people want to close their company is precisely the accumulation of overdue DAS Guides.

The DAS Guide is the only tax due by the MEI, so being in default interferes with the company's tax status.

Therefore, after a period of overdue DAS, the IRS itself will suspend the CNPJ.

But be careful, there is a significant difference between suspension and cancellation.

This is because the suspension indicates that the CNPJ is irregular, but it is temporary.

This means that if the citizen settles their debts and outstanding declarations, the CNPJ will be reactivated.

However, this does not occur in the case of cancellation, as the CNPJ ceases to exist.

Therefore, it is clear that if you owe DAS for a period of time, the IRS will likely suspend your CNPJ.

However, this does not prevent you from canceling it, as you can carry out the procedure normally.

However, at the end of the cancellation request, you will need to agree to any existing charges.

Remembering that after cancellation, overdue DAS will not cease to be recorded, and if they are not paid, your CPF may be negatively impacted and even be subject to active debt.

Therefore, it is important to know that yes, you can close the MEI with the DAS in arrears, but this does not cancel your debt.

In fact, it is even recommended to close the MEI in these cases, to stop accumulating overdue taxes.

Is it possible to recover MEI after closing?

One of the factors that most often makes people give up on closing their MEI is uncertainty.

This is because many believe they can return to using the CNPJ one day, therefore, closing it may not be worth it.

But, as we have seen, the closure of the MEI is important to stop the collection of new DAS guides and extinguish the obligation of annual declaration.

For this reason, if you don't use MEI, closing may be the best alternative.

But what if you change your mind? Is it possible to recover your MEI after it closes?

We previously explained that after the MEI is closed, the CNPJ in question ceases to exist.

This means that the number is canceled, as well as the information regarding the company.

Thus, it is clear that this is a definitive procedure.

Therefore, after canceling the CNPJ, it is not possible to recover it at any time and under any circumstances.

Therefore, the decision of how to close MEI must undergo careful reflection, evaluating all aspects of the situation! 

After learning how to close MEI: is it possible to open a new one?

And finally, the last question about our central topic “how to close MEI” is about opening another MEI.

After all, after closing an MEI, is it possible to open another one? 

This doubt exists because it is known that for open MEI the citizen cannot be the owner of another company.

But, it is worth mentioning that this applies to open companies, that is, companies that are active.

Therefore, if you have a canceled CNPJ, this does not prevent you from opening a new one.

The rule is that you can only have one active company under your CPF, which does not include canceled companies.

Therefore, if you canceled your MEI and now need to use it, opening another company may be a practical solution.

So, now that we know everything about how to close MEI, use the information to regularize your situation!