LLC Annual Reports Explained: The Filing That Keeps Your LLC Alive

An LLC annual report (called a periodic report, statement of information, annual registration, or franchise tax report depending on the state) is a short recurring filing that confirms your LLC's address, members, and registered agent. It is not a financial statement — no revenue figures, no tax return. It's the state asking: "still there? still accurate?" Fail to answer, and most states eventually dissolve your LLC administratively, which cancels your liability protection and frees up your business name for anyone to take.

What it costs and when it's due

Fees run from $0 (Idaho, Minnesota — filing required, fee waived) through the typical $25–$100 range, up to $400 in Delaware, $300 in Maryland and Tennessee, and $500 in Massachusetts. Due dates follow three patterns:

• Fixed date — e.g. Florida May 1, Delaware June 1, Kentucky June 30, North Dakota November 15.
• Your anniversary — many states (Oregon, Washington, Utah, Louisiana, and others) tie the deadline to your formation month.
• Biennial or rarer — DC, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and New York file every two years; a few states (Arizona, New Mexico, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina) require no report at all.

Use our annual report deadline finder in the Tools hub to see your exact state's rule, fee, late penalty, and the official filing link.

The late fees are the real story

Florida charges a flat $400 late fee — on a $138.75 report. California takes $250 for a late Statement of Information. Delaware adds $200 plus 1.5% interest per month on its annual tax. And everywhere, the endgame for chronic non-filers is the same: administrative dissolution, reinstatement fees, back-filing every missed year, and personal exposure for anything you signed while dissolved. A calendar reminder the day you form costs nothing; reinstatement never does.

How to file (15 minutes, once a cycle)

• Go to your Secretary of State's official site — linked from every state page here. Ignore look-alike "filing services" in search ads that charge $100+ to file a $25 report.
• Confirm or update your address, members/managers, and registered agent.
• Pay the state fee and save the confirmation receipt with your formation documents.
• Set next cycle's reminder before you close the tab.

One trap for multi-state LLCs: if you're registered as a foreign LLC in another state, you owe that state's report too — two calendars, two fees, two chances to lapse. Our foreign LLC guide explains how the obligations stack.

Fees verified against official state sources — last checked October 26, 2026.