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Your state expects a short report every year or two, filed with the Secretary of State or an equivalent agency, to keep your entity current on the public record. Miss it, and the state can mark the company past due or dissolve the entity.
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We handle annual report compliance in each state that requires a report, domestic and foreign, on that state's own calendar, and tell you when a state is one of the states with no annual report for LLCs.
Where the state ties one to the report, we make sure you pay it with the right return.
We check and correct them before the state publishes them on the record that lenders read.
We reply with each state's deadline and a fixed quote before we start.
You may file the business tax return with a different state agency from the annual report, and you still owe both.
The document a company writes for its investors, or the 10-K a public company files with the SEC.
A nonprofit writes it for donors on mission and programs. We list its contents in our nonprofit annual report checklist, and you still file the state report separately.
| What the state asks for | Why the state asks | Common error |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name and entity type | To identify the entity on its record | A trade name, which the state rejects |
| Principal office address | Where regulators and courts reach you | A closed office still on file |
| Officers, directors or members | Public accountability for who runs it | An officer who left years ago |
| Registered agent name and address | Who receives lawsuits and notices | An agent who resigned or moved |
You can file the annual report, get the confirmation and still owe a franchise or privilege tax.
Miss the deadline, and the state can add a late fee, then dissolve the entity if you leave the filing overdue.
Long before dissolution, you can lose good standing, which is the state's record that your entity is current. A lender or a buyer's counsel can see the lapse in the state record, and a new state can refuse to register your entity until you restore good standing.
After administrative dissolution, you must stop normal operations, though some states keep the entity in existence to wind up. Each state sets its own rules on the name, powers and liability until reinstatement or termination.
What happens if you miss an annual report
California sets the frequency by entity type: LLCs file every two years, while corporations file every year. On a two year cycle, check the state record for the year you last filed, and the state's own site for this year's date.
| Deadline pattern | How it works | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed calendar date | The same date for every entity in the state | Florida, Maryland |
| Anniversary based | Tied to your own formation date | Washington, Oregon, Idaho |
| Two year cycle | Odd or even years, or a two year anniversary | California, Iowa, Nebraska, New York |
We handle a late filing as its own job, separate from this year's report: the missed reports, the state's late fees and, where the state has dissolved the entity, the reinstatement application and any tax clearance the state asks for. Start it before you miss the next deadline too.
The legal entity name, the formation documents and every state you are registered in.
The deadline pattern, and whether the state collects a franchise tax with the report.
The officer roster, principal address and registered agent, against the current state record.
Then we check that the state lists the entity as active, send you the filing confirmation and next year's compliance calendar, and pull a certificate of good standing when a lender or buyer asks for one.
We set your quote from these factors:
A single state LLC in good standing with no franchise tax is at the light end. We pass state filing fees through at cost. These are the factors, not a quote.
If you're a business owner, make sure to meet with your accountant and discuss your business structure... Review ahead of time with a tax attorney or a CPA what is your business structure and what's going to be the one that's most optimal for the type of income that you earn, the state that you're located in, and how much you earn.
Been working with them for years, personal and now LLC taxes. They are always a pleasure to work with, super detailed, thorough, and also efficient and expedient.
Our team includes CPAs and Enrolled Agents who work on individual returns, business taxes and tax planning. Tell us what you need help with when you get in touch.
You can miss an annual report filing when the deadline is in a state you registered in three years ago and stopped tracking. Send us your list of states once, and we keep the calendar from then on.
These are general rules and are not advice on your situation. Each state sets its own requirements by entity type, so speak to a CPA before relying on a deadline.
