# How to File an LLC Annual Report Online (State-by-State 2026 Compliance)

- Link: https://clearlegaltips.com/file-llc-annual-report-online/
- Published: 2026-05-29T09:00:00-04:00
- Author: ClearLegalTips

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Every state makes registered businesses check in on a schedule, and the bill for
forgetting is always bigger than the filing fee. The catch is that “annual report”
means something different almost everywhere: California wants a $20 Statement of
Information every two years, New York a $9 biennial statement, Florida a $138.75
report by May 1 with a brutal late penalty, Texas a free Public Information Report,
and Delaware wants no report at all, only a flat $300 tax. This guide sorts out 
the terminology, gives you a fee table verified on official state pages in July 
2026, and walks through filing online, fixing a missed deadline, and keeping a multi-
state LLC current everywhere it is registered.

**The short version (2026):**

 * **Verified fees, July 2026:** CA $20 every two years · NY $9 every two years ·
   TX $0 report (franchise tax only above $2.65M revenue) · FL $138.75 by May 1 ·
   DE $300 tax, no report · WA $70 · NV $350 total.
 * **Three deadline models:** your anniversary month, a fixed statewide date (Florida’s
   May 1), or every two years. Know which one your state uses.
 * **Miss the filing** and late fees stack, good standing lapses, and the state 
   can administratively dissolve the LLC. Florida’s late penalty alone is $400.
 * **Registered in several states?** Each foreign registration has its own report
   and its own clock.

## What an Annual Report Is (and What It Isn’t)

![What an LLC annual report is and how it differs from taxes](https://i0.wp.com/
clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-01-what-it-is.jpg?w=1290&ssl
=1)

An annual report is a housekeeping filing, not a financial report. The state wants
current basics on the public record: your LLC’s name and principal address, your
[registered agent](https://clearlegaltips.com/registered-agent-cost-comparison-all-50-states/),
and usually the names of members or managers. Nobody audits your revenue on it, 
and in most states it has nothing to do with taxes.

The confusion comes from naming. Depending on the state, the same check-in filing
is called an annual report, a Statement of Information (California), a biennial 
statement (New York), an annual list (Nevada), or a Public Information Report (Texas,
filed with the tax authority rather than the Secretary of State). A few states pair
the report with, or replace it with, a flat annual tax; Delaware skips the report
entirely and bills LLCs a flat $300 a year. Same purpose everywhere: prove the company
is alive and reachable, pay the fee, stay in good standing.

One thing you can cross off the list in 2026: the federal beneficial-ownership (
BOI) report that caused so much panic in 2024. Under [FinCEN’s March 2025 interim rule](https://www.fincen.gov/boi),
companies formed in the United States are exempt from BOI reporting; the requirement
now applies to foreign-formed entities registered here, and a final rule is still
pending. Your state report is unaffected either way.

## Verified 2026 Fees: Seven States Checked on Official Pages

![Verified 2026 LLC annual report fees for CA, NY, TX, FL, DE, WA, NV](https://i0.
wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-02-verified-fees.jpg?
w=1290&ssl=1)

Rather than print a 50-row table we cannot stand behind, here are seven high-formation
states verified directly on state pages in July 2026. Every fee below came from 
the state itself, pages like the [Texas Comptroller’s franchise tax center](https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/)
and [New York’s biennial statement page](https://dos.ny.gov/biennial-statements-business-corporations-and-limited-liability-companies):

  |  State |  What You File |  Verified Fee |  When |  
   |  California |  Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) |  $20 |  Every 2 years in a 6-month window; first one within 90 days of formation; $250 penalty for ignoring it |  
 |  New York |  Biennial Statement |  $9 |  Every 2 years, in your anniversary month |  
 |  Texas |  Public Information Report (with franchise tax filing) |  $0 |  May 15; franchise tax owed only above the $2,650,000 no-tax-due threshold (2026) |  
 |  Florida |  Annual Report (Sunbiz) |  $138.75 |  January 1 to May 1; $538.75 total after May 1 |  
 |  Delaware |  No report; flat annual LLC tax |  $300 |  June 1; $200 penalty plus 1.5%/month interest if late |  
 |  Washington |  Annual Report |  $70 |  Anniversary month; $25 late fee (fee rose from $60 in 2026) |  
 |  Nevada |  Annual List + [State Business License](https://clearlegaltips.com/business-license-cost-estimator/) renewal |  $150 + $200 |  Last day of anniversary month |

Two habits worth copying from this table. First, note how wide the range is: $9 
in New York to $350 a year in Nevada, which is why “how much is an annual report”
has no national answer. Second, fees move; Washington’s went up this year. Before
you pay anything, spend the two minutes confirming the current number on your own
state’s filing portal rather than trusting a third-party table, including this one,
forever.

## The Three Deadline Models

![Annual report deadline models: anniversary month, fixed date, biennial](https://
i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-03-deadline-models.
jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Almost every state uses one of three clocks, and knowing yours is most of the battle:

 * **Anniversary-based.** The report is due in (or by the end of) the month your
   LLC was formed, each year or every other year. Washington, Nevada, and New York
   work this way. Your formation date is buried in your approved Articles of Organization
   if you have forgotten it.
 * **Fixed statewide date.** Everyone files by the same date regardless of formation
   month: Florida’s window runs January 1 to May 1, and Texas franchise filings 
   are due May 15. Fixed dates are easy to calendar and easy to miss in the spring
   pile-up with tax season.
 * **Multi-year cycles.** California and New York only want to hear from LLCs every
   two years. The trap is the long gap: two years is exactly long enough to forget
   the filing exists, especially California’s, where the first Statement of Information
   is due within 90 days of formation and then the two-year cycle starts.

Whichever model applies, the state usually mails or emails a reminder to your registered
agent. That reminder system works only if your agent information is current, which
is one more reason the agent role matters more than it looks.

## How to File an Annual Report Online, Step by Step

![Steps to file an LLC annual report online through the state portal](https://i0.
wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-04-file-online.jpg?w
=1290&ssl=1)

 1. **Find the official portal.** Search “[your state] Secretary of State annual report”
    and confirm you are on a .gov site. Third-party lookalike sites charge $100+ “service
    fees” for filings the state processes for a fraction of that.
 2. **Look up your entity.** Portals find your LLC by name or state entity number; 
    the number is on your formation approval.
 3. **Confirm or update the details.** Principal address, registered agent, members
    or managers. If the agent has changed, most states let you update it inside the
    same filing; larger changes (like a name change) usually need a separate amendment.
 4. **Pay the fee and file.** Card payment, instant confirmation in most states. California
    now accepts Statements of Information only online through its bizfile portal, and
    most states are heading the same direction, though a few still accept mailed forms.
 5. **Save the confirmation.** Download the stamped copy or receipt into the same folder
    as your operating agreement. Proof of filing settles any later dispute about good
    standing.

The whole thing typically takes ten minutes. If your details have not changed, most
portals let you confirm last year’s information and pay without retyping anything.

## What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

![Consequences of a missed LLC annual report: late fees, lost standing, dissolution](
https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-05-missed-
deadline.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

The damage arrives in three escalating stages:

 * **Late fees.** Some are mild (Washington adds $25). Some are not: file a Florida
   annual report after May 1 and the total becomes $538.75, a $400 penalty on a 
   $138.75 filing. Delaware charges $200 plus 1.5% monthly interest on its LLC tax.
   California’s ignored Statement of Information draws a $250 penalty.
 * **Loss of good standing.** The state marks your LLC delinquent. That status is
   public, and it surfaces at the worst times: lenders check it before approving
   business loans, buyers check it in due diligence, and some states block a delinquent
   LLC from filing lawsuits until it cures.
 * **Administrative dissolution.** Keep ignoring the filings and the state shuts
   the company down for you, with the fees and penalties still owed. Reinstatement
   means an application, back reports, and back fees, and the full picture of that
   process (plus what dissolution does to your liability shield) is covered in our
   [LLC dissolution guide](https://clearlegaltips.com/how-to-dissolve-an-llc-online-step-by-step-withdrawal/).

The economics are lopsided: the report costs $9 to $350, and the cheapest cure after
administrative dissolution rarely stays under a few hundred dollars plus weeks of
delay. Calendar the deadline the day the LLC is approved and this section never 
applies to you.

Rather not track seven different state clocks yourself? Doola’s compliance service
watches the filing deadlines and keeps the paperwork current alongside formation
and EIN setup.

[Get Started with Doola →](https://clearlegaltips.com/go/doola)

## Annual Report vs. Franchise Tax vs. Everything Else

![Annual report versus franchise tax versus statement of information terminology](
https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-06-terminology.
jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Because states mix these obligations freely, sort any notice you receive into one
of three buckets before paying it:

 * **Information filings** (annual report, Statement of Information, annual list):
   update the public record, small fee, filed with the Secretary of State.
 * **Entity taxes** (franchise tax, annual LLC tax): a price for existing, owed 
   whether or not you made money. Delaware’s $300 and California’s separate $800
   annual LLC tax (paid to the Franchise Tax Board, not the Secretary of State) 
   are the famous ones. Texas blends the two: the franchise tax return and the Public
   Information Report travel together, but below the $2.65M threshold you file the
   report and owe nothing.
 * **Income taxes:** federal and state returns on actual profits, a separate world
   entirely.

The practical takeaway for Californians, since this trips up thousands of owners:
the $20 Statement of Information and the $800 FTB annual tax are two different obligations
paid to two different agencies, and filing one does nothing for the other.

## Multi-State LLCs: One Report Per Registration

![Foreign-registered LLCs owe annual reports in each state of registration](https://
i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-07-multistate.jpg?
w=1290&ssl=1)

If your LLC is registered to do business in other states (a “foreign registration”),
every one of those states expects its own report on its own schedule, at its own
fee. A Texas LLC qualified in Florida and Washington files the Texas PIR in May,
the Florida report by May 1, and the Washington report in its anniversary month.
Miss one and that state, not your home state, revokes your authority to operate 
there.

Two tools keep this manageable: a single compliance calendar listing every state
and due date, and a national [registered agent service](https://clearlegaltips.com/how-to-get-a-registered-agent-online-instant-setup-guide/)
that covers all your states and sends deadline alerts from one dashboard. And when
you stop doing business in a state, file the withdrawal there rather than letting
the reports pile up; the exit paperwork is covered in the dissolution guide above.

## Keep the Rest of the File Current Too

![Keeping registered agent and LLC records current alongside annual reports](https://
i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-08-keep-current.jpg?
w=1290&ssl=1)

The annual report is the scheduled check-in, but two other records should stay synchronized
with it. First, the registered agent: if you switch agents or a service lapses, 
file the change promptly instead of waiting for the next report cycle, because state
notices in the gap go to a dead address. Second, your operating agreement: the state
does not see it, but when the report you file says the LLC has three members and
your operating agreement still names two, that inconsistency surfaces in loan applications
and disputes. Members change, addresses change, managers change; update the agreement
with a proper [operating agreement amendment](https://clearlegaltips.com/llc-operating-agreement-amendment-template-2026/)
so the public record and the internal record tell the same story.

## Common Annual Report Mistakes

![Common LLC annual report mistakes to avoid](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/
wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-09-mistakes.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

 * **Paying a lookalike site.** Official portals end in .gov. Mailers and websites
   that “handle your annual report” for $125 are reselling a ten-minute task.
 * **Assuming “no activity” means “no filing.”** The report is owed whether the 
   LLC earned $0 or $10 million. Texas even wants the PIR from zero-revenue entities.
 * **Confusing the report with taxes.** Filing California’s $20 statement does not
   pay California’s $800 tax, and vice versa.
 * **Letting the agent lapse.** No agent means no reminders and, in most states,
   an independent ground for losing good standing.
 * **Forgetting foreign states.** Each registration has its own report; your home-
   state filing covers exactly one state.
 * **Missing the first-report rule.** Some states want an initial report almost 
   immediately; California’s first Statement of Information is due within 90 days
   of formation, long before any anniversary.

## Frequently Asked Questions

![LLC annual report frequently asked questions](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.
com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ar2360-10-faq.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

### How much does an LLC annual report cost?

Verified on official pages in July 2026: $9 every two years in New York, $20 every
two years in California, $0 in Texas (report only, below the $2.65M franchise threshold),
$70 in Washington, $138.75 in Florida, $300 in Delaware (flat tax, no report), and
$350 total in Nevada. Most other states fall between $10 and $300.

### What happens if I don’t file an annual report?

Late fees first (Florida’s takes the total to $538.75), then loss of good standing,
then administrative dissolution, with the accrued amounts still owed. Reinstatement
requires an application plus every missed report and fee.

### Do I have to file if my LLC made no money?

Yes. Annual reports are information filings, not income filings. Zero-revenue LLCs
owe the same report and fee, and in Texas the Public Information Report is due even
when no franchise tax is.

### Is the annual report the same as the franchise tax?

No. The report updates the public record; a franchise or annual tax is a fee for
existing. Some states have one, some the other, some both. California charges a 
$20 report to the Secretary of State and a separate $800 annual tax to the Franchise
Tax Board.

### When is my LLC annual report due?

One of three models: your anniversary month (Washington, Nevada, New York), a fixed
statewide date (Florida, May 1; Texas, May 15), or a multi-year cycle (California
and New York, every two years). Your state’s filing portal shows your exact due 
date.

### Can I file my LLC annual report online?

In nearly every state, yes, through the Secretary of State’s portal, and California
now accepts Statements of Information only online. Filing takes about ten minutes
with your entity number and a card.

### Do I still have to file the federal BOI report?

Not if your company was formed in the United States. FinCEN’s March 2025 interim
rule exempted U.S.-formed companies from beneficial-ownership reporting; it currently
applies to foreign-formed entities registered here. A final rule is pending, so 
check FinCEN’s BOI page if your structure is unusual.

### What if my LLC is registered in more than one state?

Each state of registration has its own report, fee, and deadline, and each can revoke
your authority to operate there independently. Keep one calendar covering every 
state, and file withdrawals in states you have left.

Want the state deadlines watched for you? Doola handles formation, EIN, and the 
ongoing compliance filings, so the annual report never sneaks up on you.

[Get Started with Doola →](https://clearlegaltips.com/go/doola)

## The Bottom Line

The annual report is the cheapest recurring obligation your LLC has and the most
expensive one to ignore. Learn which of the three deadline models your state uses,
confirm the current fee on the official portal (the verified 2026 range runs from
New York’s $9 to Nevada’s $350), file online in ten minutes, and save the confirmation.
Keep the registered agent current so the reminders reach you, repeat in every state
where you hold a registration, and the state will never have a reason to touch your
good standing.

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**Legal Disclaimer:** This article is general information, not legal advice. ClearLegalTips
is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. Laws vary by state 
and change over time. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a licensed
attorney in your jurisdiction.

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