Annual LLC Compliance Requirements by State (2026)

What an Annual Report Is and Why It Matters

An LLC annual report (sometimes called an annual statement, periodic report, statement of information, or franchise tax report depending on the state) is a required filing submitted to your state's Secretary of State that confirms your LLC is still active and updates its public record information. The filing typically takes 5 to 15 minutes online and updates your LLC's legal name, principal office address, registered agent name and address, and in some states, member or manager names.

The annual report is not the same as your federal or state income tax return. It is a state compliance filing entirely separate from taxes. Many LLC owners miss it precisely because it is not connected to any financial event or tax obligation — it is an administrative filing that renews your LLC's good standing status.

What happens if you skip it: Most states follow a three-stage escalation: (1) immediate late fees assessed on or after the deadline; (2) loss of good standing status after a defined period of non-compliance, which affects your ability to obtain Certificates of Good Standing needed for business banking and lending; and (3) administrative dissolution, where the state legally terminates your LLC's existence. A dissolved LLC has no liability protection. Any debts or lawsuits against the dissolved LLC can reach the personal assets of its members.

All 50 States: Annual LLC Report Fees, Deadlines, and Requirements (2026)

Fees as of April 2026 from Secretary of State and state tax authority sources. State fees and deadlines change; verify current requirements at your state's official Secretary of State website before filing. This table is a reference guide, not legal or tax advice.

States With No LLC Annual Report Requirement

Five states require no annual LLC report and charge no ongoing annual fee to maintain your LLC's good standing:

Most Expensive States for Ongoing LLC Compliance

California: The $800 Franchise Tax in Detail

California's $800 annual franchise tax is the most misunderstood ongoing LLC cost in the country. Several specific facts are widely confused:

It is owed regardless of income, profit, or activity. The $800 applies even if your LLC earned zero revenue, operated at a loss, or conducted no business activity during the year. As long as the LLC is registered in California and has not been formally cancelled, the $800 is owed. Per the California Franchise Tax Board: "This yearly tax will be due, even if you are not conducting business, until you cancel your LLC."

The AB85 first-year exemption has expired. California offered a temporary first-year franchise tax exemption for LLCs formed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023 under Assembly Bill 85. That exemption expired. LLCs formed on or after January 1, 2024 owe the $800 franchise tax starting in their first year, due by the 15th day of the 4th month after formation.

The LLC fee is additional, not included in the $800. California LLCs with annual gross receipts above $250,000 owe an additional LLC fee separate from the $800 franchise tax:

LLC fee is based on gross receipts (total revenue), not net income or profit. A California LLC with $500,000 in revenue but only $20,000 in profit still owes the full $2,500 LLC fee plus $800 franchise tax.

Back-to-back payment risk. If your California LLC is formed between September and December, you may owe two franchise tax payments within a few months: one for the current year (due 4 months after formation), and one for the next year (due April 15). To avoid this, many advisors recommend forming a California LLC in January or early in the year if possible, or specifying a future formation date in your Articles of Organization.

New York: Three Separate Compliance Obligations

New York LLCs have three distinct compliance requirements that many owners conflate or miss:

1. Biennial Statement (Secretary of State, $9). Filed every two years in your LLC's anniversary month. Very low fee. Due to the NY Department of State, not the tax authority.

2. Annual LLC filing fee (Department of Taxation and Finance). Filed annually by March 15 using Form IT-204-LL. The fee is based on your LLC's New York source gross income from the prior year: $25 for gross income under $100,000; $50 for $100,000 to $249,999; $175 for $250,000 to $499,999; $500 for $500,000 to $999,999; $1,500 for $1 million to $4,999,999; $4,500 for $5 million and above. Single-member LLCs treated as disregarded entities still must file IT-204-LL if they have NY source income.

3. Publication requirement (one-time, $200 to $1,500+). New York requires newly formed LLCs to publish a notice in two local newspapers within 120 days of formation. The cost depends on which county the LLC's principal office is in. New York City counties (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island) have among the most expensive publication rates — $800 to $1,500 or more. Upstate counties typically cost $200 to $400. Failure to complete publication results in the LLC's authority to do business being suspended until publication is completed. This is a one-time requirement but one of the most frequently missed and misunderstood in the country.

Delaware: Franchise Tax and Why Sophisticated Businesses Use It

Delaware charges a flat $300 annual franchise tax for most LLCs, due June 1 each year. The $200 flat late penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest on unpaid amounts kicks in the moment you miss June 1 — not after a grace period. If unpaid for long enough, the LLC's charter is cancelled (the Delaware term for administrative dissolution), and the LLC loses its legal status.

Delaware is not financially attractive for most small LLCs. The $300 flat tax is among the higher annual fees, and out-of-state owners must also foreign-qualify in their home state (doubling compliance obligations). Delaware's advantages are structural and legal:

• Flexible LLC Act: Delaware's LLC statute gives operating agreements maximum contractual freedom — almost any default rule can be overridden. This is why sophisticated investors prefer Delaware LLCs.
• Court of Chancery: Delaware's specialized business court has centuries of precedent and experienced judges. Disputes are resolved predictably and efficiently.
• Privacy: Delaware does not require member names in public filings, providing meaningful privacy protection.
• Investor familiarity: Most institutional investors and venture funds prefer Delaware entities. If raising capital is in your future, Delaware is often the right choice regardless of its higher cost.

For a freelancer, consultant, or small business owner with no plans to raise institutional capital, Delaware's structural advantages are largely irrelevant. Form in your home state instead.

What Happens If You Miss a Filing

Missing an LLC annual report triggers an escalating sequence of consequences:

Stage 1: Late fees. Assessed immediately on or after the deadline. Range from $10 (Wisconsin) to $400 (Florida). These are assessed automatically without any action by the state — the moment the deadline passes, the late fee applies.

Stage 2: Loss of good standing. After a period of non-compliance (varies by state: some states act in 30 days, others allow 60 to 90 days), your LLC's status changes from "active" to "not in good standing" or "delinquent." This status is publicly searchable. Consequences include: inability to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing (required for many business banking relationships, SBA loans, and commercial leases), potential inability to enter certain contracts in jurisdictions that require the entity to be in good standing, and increased scrutiny from counterparties.

Stage 3: Administrative dissolution. The state legally terminates your LLC's existence. The consequences of administrative dissolution are severe:

• Loss of liability protection: The LLC's corporate shield is removed. Any debts, lawsuits, or obligations incurred after dissolution can reach the personal assets of the members.
• Inability to sue or enforce contracts: A dissolved LLC cannot initiate lawsuits or enforce contractual rights. Customers who breach contracts cannot be pursued until the LLC is reinstated.
• Loss of business name: Your LLC's name may become available to other registrants once the LLC is dissolved. A competitor could register your business name before you reinstate.
• Continued tax obligations: Administrative dissolution does not eliminate federal or state tax filing obligations. You still owe taxes for any period the LLC operated, plus any outstanding franchise taxes, even after dissolution.

Reinstating a Dissolved LLC

Most states allow reinstatement of an administratively dissolved LLC within a specified window — typically 2 to 5 years after dissolution. After that window, the LLC cannot be reinstated and must be re-formed as a new entity, losing its original formation date, contract history, and any name rights that have been claimed by another entity.

Reinstatement requires: (1) filing an application for reinstatement with the Secretary of State; (2) paying all outstanding annual report fees and franchise taxes for every missed year; (3) paying accumulated late penalties and interest; and (4) paying a reinstatement filing fee (typically $25 to $200 depending on state). The total cost of reinstating after even one missed year is typically 3 to 8 times higher than the original annual report fee would have been. After two or three missed years, reinstatement can cost hundreds of dollars — all to restore compliance that a simple annual online filing would have maintained.

Your Annual LLC Compliance Calendar

Beyond the annual report, an LLC has several recurring compliance obligations that operate on different schedules. Here is what to track annually:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my LLC need to file an annual report even if it made no money?

Yes, in most states. Annual report requirements apply to all active LLCs regardless of revenue, profit, or activity level. The report is a compliance filing that updates your LLC's public record information and maintains your legal status — it is not contingent on financial performance. Even a completely inactive LLC owes the annual report in states that require it. The only way to stop owing annual reports is to formally dissolve the LLC.

What happens to my LLC if I do not file the annual report?

Missing an annual report triggers late fees (typically $25 to $400 depending on state), loss of good standing status, and eventually administrative dissolution of your LLC. Administrative dissolution is the state legally terminating your LLC's existence. Once dissolved, the LLC has no liability protection: personal assets of the members can be reached in lawsuits or business debts. Most states allow reinstatement, but reinstatement requires paying all overdue fees, penalties, and accumulated interest — typically 3 to 8 times the cost of the original filing.

Which states are cheapest for ongoing LLC maintenance?

For zero ongoing state LLC cost: Arizona, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, and South Carolina have no annual report requirement. For very low annual fees: Idaho ($0 fee, report required), Mississippi ($0 fee, report required), Minnesota ($0 fee, report required), Kentucky ($15/year), Utah ($18/year), Montana ($15/year), and Colorado ($10/year) are among the cheapest. However, you should generally form your LLC in the state where you live and operate — forming in a cheaper state while operating in another typically requires paying fees in both states.

Is the California $800 franchise tax a one-time fee?

No. California's $800 franchise tax is an annual obligation owed every year your LLC is registered in California or doing business in California. It applies regardless of whether your LLC earned any income. The only way to stop owing it is to formally cancel the LLC with the California Secretary of State AND file a final tax return with the Franchise Tax Board. The temporary first-year exemption under Assembly Bill 85 applied only to LLCs formed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023, and has now expired.

What is an anniversary state vs. a fixed-deadline state for annual reports?

Anniversary states tie your annual report deadline to your LLC's formation date: you file in the same month each year as when your LLC was formed (or approved by the state). Fixed-deadline states set a single uniform deadline for all LLCs regardless of formation date. Florida (May 1), Georgia (April 1), Wisconsin (March 31), and Michigan (February 15) are examples of fixed-deadline states. In anniversary states, your deadline is personal to your LLC based on your formation date. Both systems require keeping track of your specific deadline — the risk with anniversary states is that different LLCs in the same state have different due dates.

Do I still need to file annual reports for my LLC if I use it for a foreign jurisdiction?

Yes. If your LLC is registered as a foreign LLC in any state, that state requires its own annual compliance filings separate from your home state's requirements. A Florida LLC that is also registered as a foreign LLC in California owes Florida's $138.75 annual report AND California's $800 franchise tax plus biennial Statement of Information. Multi-state LLC compliance costs multiply significantly for each additional state where the LLC is registered to do business.