The cost of keeping a business on file
What it costs to file an annual report, state by state
Most states ask an LLC or a corporation to file a report every year or two to stay in good standing. What that costs is rarely one number: there is the state's fee, the charge for filing late, a service's fee if someone files for you, and a few extras that are easy to miss.
What goes on the bill
Four kinds of cost behind one report
The state's own charge is the part people look up. The rest tends to arrive later, from a reminder letter, a checkout page or a notice that something was missed.
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The state's filing fee
What the state charges to accept the report. It differs from one state to the next, and can depend on the kind of business that is filing.
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Charges for filing late
What a state adds when a report arrives after it was due, and what follows if it is never filed at all.
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Service and agent fees
What a filing service or registered agent charges to file on the owner's behalf, on top of whatever the state asks for.
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The extras that are easy to miss
Card surcharges on a state portal, copies of filed documents, and the cost of restoring good standing after a missed report.
Why the price moves
The same report, a different bill
Two businesses filing the same kind of report can pay very different amounts. Four things account for most of the gap.
Where it is registered
Each state sets its own report and its own fee. A business registered in more than one state may owe a report in each of them.
What kind of entity it is
LLCs, corporations and nonprofits are often charged differently by the same state, for what looks like the same form.
When it is filed
Filing on time, early or late can change what is owed, and a lapse can turn a routine form into a longer process.
Who does the filing
Filing it yourself costs the state's fee and some of your time. Handing it to a service adds that service's charge.
On the spindle
The subjects this site covers
Annual report fees by state
What each state charges to file, and what changes the amount.
Late filing penalties
What happens to the bill when a report is late, and when it is missed altogether.
Filing it yourself
What the job involves when an owner files directly with the state.
Filing and compliance services
What a service does for its fee, and what it still leaves to the owner.
Registered agent charges
How an agent's yearly fee sits alongside the report itself.
Reinstatement after a lapse
The cost of getting back into good standing once a report has been missed.
Articles on these subjects are on the way.
Before paying anything
Three questions to ask of any annual report bill
Who sent the notice?
A reminder can come from the state, from your registered agent, or from a company whose letter is designed to look official. Check which one it is before you pay.
Is the state's fee inside the price?
A quoted price may include the state's charge or sit on top of it. The difference is easy to miss on a checkout page.
What happens if it is late?
Knowing what a missed report sets in motion makes it easier to judge what paying for reminders or a service is worth.