Your LLC's yearly obligations
Forming an LLC is a one-time step. Keeping it alive is not: most states expect a report and a fee every year or every two years, some charge a minimum tax no matter what you earn, and the IRS expects your LLC’s income on a tax return.
Annual and biennial reports
Most states ask your LLC to file a short report on a schedule. It confirms the information the state has on file, such as your addresses and your registered agent. Washington describes it as a filing “used to affirm or update business entity information,” and says it “must be filed yearly to maintain a business’ active status.”
The schedule varies:
- Every year in many states, sometimes in the month you formed the LLC, sometimes by a fixed date for everyone.
- Every two years in others. California, for example, requires LLCs to file a Statement of Information every two years, during the six months that end in the month they registered.
- Not at all in a few states, where LLCs file no regular report.
The table below shows what each state charges.
Minimum state taxes
Some states charge LLCs a tax or fee even if the business makes no money:
- California: “Every LLC that is doing business or organized in California must pay an annual tax of $800.” The first payment is due by the 15th day of the 4th month after you file with the Secretary of State, and later ones by the 15th day of the 4th month of each tax year. There is no first-year exemption for LLCs formed in 2024 or later.
- Delaware: LLCs “are required to pay an annual tax of $400.00,” due on or before June 1. (One older Delaware FAQ still shows $300; the current tax instructions say $400.)
- Tennessee: a minimum franchise tax of $100 is payable if you are registered with the state, “regardless of whether the company is active or inactive.”
- Texas: most small LLCs owe no franchise tax (the threshold is $2,650,000 in revenue for 2026 and 2027), but they still have to file a Public Information Report by May 15.
What happens if you miss them
The consequences usually build up in stages: a late penalty, then losing good standing, then the state dissolving or forfeiting the LLC.
- California: if you don’t file the Statement of Information, the Secretary of State sends a delinquency notice; after 60 days it notifies the Franchise Tax Board, and a $250 penalty applies. The LLC can also be suspended or forfeited.
- Texas: a $50 penalty applies to each late franchise tax report. An LLC that doesn’t file or pay can lose its right to do business and then be forfeited by the Secretary of State; reinstating means filing every missing report and paying all taxes, penalties and interest.
- Delaware: paying the annual tax late adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month on the tax and penalty. An LLC that doesn’t pay for three years is cancelled.
- Wyoming: if the annual report isn’t filed within 60 days of the due date, the LLC is administratively dissolved, and reinstatement isn’t allowed after two years.
What good standing means
Good standing is the state’s way of saying your LLC is current on its filings and fees. Colorado describes it as the result of timely annual reports, paid fees and a maintained registered agent. You can usually get a certificate of good standing (also called a certificate of status or existence) from the Secretary of State, and banks and other states may ask for one, for example when you open an account or register to do business elsewhere.
Federal filings
Your LLC’s federal tax filing depends on how it is taxed:
- Single-member LLC owned by an individual (default): the IRS treats it as a disregarded entity. You report the business on your personal return, usually on Schedule C of Form 1040.
- Multi-member LLC (default): it is taxed as a partnership and files Form 1065, generally by March 15 for calendar-year partnerships (or the next business day when that date falls on a weekend or holiday).
Beneficial ownership (BOI) reports: in August 2026 FinCEN finalized a rule under which “U.S. companies are exempt from BOI reporting requirements.” Only certain companies formed under the laws of another country and registered to do business in the US still report. An LLC from another US state that registers in a new state is not one of them.
How to stay on top of it
- Note your state’s due date as soon as you form the LLC. Some states send reminders (Wyoming emails them 60, 30 and 10 days before), but don’t count on it.
- Make sure your registered agent forwards state notices promptly. Delaware, for instance, sends its tax notices to the registered agent.
- Check your LLC’s status in your state’s online business search once a year.
What each state charges
| State | Formation | Every year | Every two years | One time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $200 | Business privilege tax (exempt when $100 or less): $0 | — | Name reservation (required before filing): $28 |
| Alaska | $250 | State business license: $50 (from year 1) | Biennial report: $100 | — |
| Arizona | $85 | No regular report | — | Newspaper publication of the articles: Not confirmed |
| Arkansas | $45 | Annual franchise tax report: $150 | — | — |
| California | $70 | Annual LLC tax (Franchise Tax Board): $800 (from year 1) | Statement of Information: $20 (from year 1) | — |
| Colorado | $50 | Periodic report: $25 | — | — |
| Connecticut | $120 | Annual report: $80 | — | — |
| Delaware | $110 | Annual LLC tax: $400 | — | — |
| District of Columbia | $99 | — | Biennial report: $300 | — |
| Florida | $125 | Annual report: $138.75 | — | — |
| Georgia | $110 | Annual registration: $60 | — | — |
| Hawaii | $50 | Annual report: $15 | — | State Archives fee: $1 |
| Idaho | $100 | Annual report (free but required): $0 | — | — |
| Illinois | $150 | Annual report: $75 | — | — |
| Indiana | $95 | — | Business entity report: $32 | — |
| Iowa | $50 | — | Biennial report: $30 | — |
| Kansas | $85 | — | Information report: $90 | — |
| Kentucky | $40 | Annual report: $15 Limited liability entity tax (minimum): $175 | — | — |
| Louisiana | $125 | Annual report: $35 | — | — |
| Maine | $175 | Annual report: $85 | — | — |
| Maryland | $100 | Annual report: $300 | — | — |
| Massachusetts | $520 | Annual report: $520 | — | — |
| Michigan | $50 | Annual statement: $25 | — | — |
| Minnesota | $155 | Annual renewal (free but required): $0 | — | — |
| Mississippi | $50 | Annual report (free but required): $0 | — | — |
| Missouri | $50 | No regular report | — | — |
| Montana | $35 | Annual report: $0 | — | — |
| Nebraska | $100 | — | Biennial report: $30 | Newspaper publication of the notice of organization: Not confirmed Proof of publication filing: $25 |
| Nevada | $75 | Annual list: $150 State business license renewal: $200 | — | Initial list: $150 State business license: $200 |
| New Hampshire | $102 | Annual report: $102 | — | — |
| New Jersey | $100 | Annual report: $75 | — | — |
| New Mexico | $50 | No regular report | — | — |
| New York | $200 | — | Biennial statement: $9 | Newspaper publication (two newspapers): Not confirmed Certificate of publication: $50 |
| North Carolina | $125 | Annual report: $200 | — | — |
| North Dakota | $135 | Annual report: $50 | — | — |
| Ohio | $99 | No regular report | — | — |
| Oklahoma | $100 | Annual certificate: $25 | — | — |
| Oregon | $100 | Annual report: $100 | — | — |
| Pennsylvania | $125 | Annual report: $7 | — | — |
| Rhode Island | $156 | Annual report: $52.5 Minimum annual tax: $400 | — | — |
| South Carolina | $110 | No regular report | — | — |
| South Dakota | $150 | Annual report: $55 | — | — |
| Tennessee | $300 | Annual report: $300 Minimum franchise tax: $100 | — | — |
| Texas | $300 | Franchise tax Public Information Report (no tax due below the threshold): $0 | — | — |
| Utah | $59 | Annual renewal: $18 | — | — |
| Vermont | $155 | Annual report: $45 | — | — |
| Virginia | $100 | Annual registration fee: $50 | — | — |
| Washington | $200 | Annual report: $70 | — | — |
| West Virginia | $101 | Annual report: $26 | — | — |
| Wisconsin | $130 | Annual report: $25 | — | — |
| Wyoming | $100 | Annual report license tax (minimum): $60 | — | — |
Amounts from each state's official fee schedule, checked Oct 8, 2026. Charges marked "from year 1" are due in the first year; the rest start the year after you form. See every source and note in thecalculator.
To see these charges added to what each formation service costs in your state, use the calculator.
Sources
Checked October 8, 2026. State fees in the table come from each state’s official fee schedule; every source is listed in the calculator.
- Washington Secretary of State, Business entity filings
- California Secretary of State, Business entities FAQs and Statements of Information
- California Franchise Tax Board, Limited liability company
- Delaware Division of Corporations, LLC tax instructions, Tax FAQ and Entity status definitions
- Tennessee Department of Revenue, Franchise and excise tax
- Texas Comptroller, Franchise tax and Filing requirements; Texas Secretary of State, Termination and reinstatement FAQs
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business FAQs
- Colorado Secretary of State, Glossary
- New York Department of State, Certificate of status
- IRS, Single member limited liability companies, Limited liability company and Instructions for Form 1065
- FinCEN, Beneficial ownership information