What Is an Annual Report and How to File One

Cost: State fee ($0-$300)Time: 5-10 minutesWhat others charge: $99-$199/year on top of state fee
Full disclosure:An annual report is a 5-10 minute web form where you confirm your business address, registered agent, and officers haven't changed. Companies charge $99-$199/year to do this for you. If you can fill out a web form, you can do this yourself.

What is an annual report?

An annual report (sometimes called a "Statement of Information" or "Annual Statement") is a filing your state requires to keep your business in good standing. Despite the name, it's not a financial report — it's a simple form confirming that your business information is current.

If you don't file it: Your state can administratively dissolve your LLC or revoke your corporation. This means your business is no longer legally operating, and you lose your liability protection.

What the form asks

Almost every state's annual report asks the same things:

  • Business name (confirm it hasn't changed)
  • Principal office address
  • Registered agent name and address
  • Names and addresses of members/managers (LLC) or officers/directors (corporation)
  • Sometimes: brief description of business activity

That's it. If nothing has changed since last year, you're confirming "same as last year" and paying the state fee.

When is it due?

This varies by state. Some are due on your LLC's anniversary date, others on a fixed calendar date. Common patterns:

StateDue DateState FeeLate Fee
FloridaBy May 1$138.75$400
CaliforniaWithin 90 days of anniversary$20Suspension risk
TexasBy May 15 (franchise tax report)$0$50/day
WyomingAnniversary month$60Dissolution
DelawareBy June 1$300 (LLC)Late fee + interest
New YorkAnniversary month (biennial)$9Not enforced strictly
ColoradoAnniversary month$10Dissolution after 2 months

How to file (general process)

Step 1: Find your state's filing portal

Search "[your state] annual report filing" or go directly to your Secretary of State website. Common portals:

  • Florida: dos.fl.gov/sunbiz
  • California: bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov
  • Texas: comptroller.texas.gov (franchise tax report)
  • Wyoming: wyobiz.wyo.gov
  • Delaware: corp.delaware.gov

Step 2: Look up your business

Enter your business name or filing number. The system will pull up your current information on file.

Step 3: Review and confirm your information

If your address, registered agent, and officers are the same as last year, just confirm. If anything changed, update it. Most states let you make changes as part of the annual report.

Step 4: Pay the state fee

Pay by credit card (most states) or ACH. You'll get a confirmation. Save it for your records.

The real question

This takes 5-10 minutes once a year. The hard part isn't the form — it's remembering to do it. Miss the deadline and you face late fees or dissolution.

That's the actual value of a compliance service: not the filing itself, but the reminder and follow-through. If you're a TrueFormed customer, we track the deadline automatically and file your annual report as a $99 + state-fee add-on. If you prefer à la carte, you can order a single annual report filing without a subscription.

But if you want to handle it yourself, now you know how. Set a calendar reminder for your due date, take 10 minutes when it comes up, and you're done.