Business Registration

Click below for step-by-step instructions on how to file an online annual report for either a business corporation or LLC.

How To File An Online Report

Below is a summary of the Online Annual Report Process

Summary of Online Annual Report Process
The process to file your annual reports online is simple. The steps include:

• Searching for your business entity name;
• On the search result page, in the last column entitled 'Actions/Type” click on the monitor icon. If you scroll your cursor over each icon it will tell you what you can do.
• If your entity doesn’t have a monitor icon, open the profile by clicking on the underlined company name and view annual report filings by clicking “File an Annual Report/Amend an Annual Report at the top of the page. You will see all annual reports previously filed including the creation document. Your company may have already filed or your entity type is not required to file an annual report. Check out the information above regarding due dates. Only those entities listed are required to file annual reports.
• Click the button “File Most Recent Annual Report” to be guided through the online process.

Note: When you are at the payment screen, do not double click or go back in your browser and move forward again after you have already clicked to submit the annual report with payment as you may be billed twice.

Yes, we accept major credit cards and checking account (ACH) payments online.

The process to file a paper annual report takes longer and costs more than filing online. The steps include:

• Searching for your business entity name;
• On the search list window, double-click on the company name;
• This is the profile page for the company. At the top of the page you will see links. One of these links is “File an Annual Report.” Seasonally, we also provide a quick link from the Main Secretary of State’s Home Page. Click this and it will take you to a listing of all annual reports previously filed for the company and the initial creation document.
• At the top of the page is a statement directing you to click the statement to print out a pre-populated annual report. Click the link.
• The PDF will have downloaded, you may need to click at the bottom of the screen to open the document.
• As you can see, we have some information already populated. Check the report for fiscal year date and all information showing. If you see a blank field, other than the listing of additional officers, company officials or partners, fill them in.
• Once completed, make sure it is signed, dated, and the signature and capacity of the signer is included on the document.
• Mail to P.O. Box 29525, Raleigh, NC 27626-0525 or bring it into the office. Include the appropriate filing fee for your specific company type.
  • Business Corporation $25.00
  • Limited Liability Company $200.00
  • Limited Liability Limited Company $200.00

The annual report lets businesses update information on file with us so we can make it available to the public.

The filing fees for the annual report are set by NC General Assembly.

Yes, there are several kinds of business entities that don’t have to file annual reports. Some of them are:

• Professional Corporations
• Professional Limited Liability Companies
• Nonprofit Corporations
• Limited Partnerships
• General Partnerships (not registered at the Secretary of State’s Office)
• Sole Proprietorships (not registered at the Secretary of State’s Office)

The General Assembly makes the decisions about when the annual reports are due.

The due date for an annual report depends upon the type of business entity your company is.
The chart below explains the due dates by entity type.

Business Corporations and Banks

The business Corporation annual report is due to the Secretary of State’s Office the 15th day of the fourth month following the entity’s fiscal year end.

Start with the day your fiscal year ends. Then add 4 months. Your report is due on the 15th day of the 4th month.

Fee

Online $21.00*

Paper $25.00

Limited Liability Company (LLC or L3C )

Your report is due on April 15th of each year after the year of creation.

Fee

Online $203.00*

Paper $200.00

Partnerships (LLP and LLLP)

Start with the day your fiscal year ends. Then add 4 months. Your report is due on the 15th day of the 4th month.

Online $203.00*

Paper $200.00

N.C.G.S. Chapter 54, Article 16, Cooperative Associations (with common stock)

Before the 1st day of March of each year to the NC Secretary of State’s Office and copied to the Marketing Division at the Department of Agriculture.

Fee

Paper only $10.00

* Fee includes a $3.00 electronic filing fee for credit cards. The electronic fee for ACH transactions is $2.00

You “submit” an annual report when you send it to us. We “file” it after we check to see that it is complete. Filing is our official government action.

If you submit your annual report online, we file it almost immediately. That is because our system is set up so you can’t submit the report online unless it has all the required information.

We file annual reports in the order in which we get them. Because we have limited resources, it can take up to 180 days from the day you submit the report until it is filed. Submitting the report online provides immediate filing.

Yes. The annual report is required as long as the entity is in existence.

We reject annual reports for different reasons. You should have received a letter from us explaining why we rejected the report. We sent the letter to the principal office mailing address in our files or to the person listed on the cover letter you submitted with the report. You can see the principal office address of record by going to our website and looking up your company. Once you get to your company’s page, scroll down to the “Principal Office Address.”

You can call our customer service department if you didn’t get the rejection letter. You can reach them at: 919-814-5400. They will explain the reasons in the letter and arrange to get you a copy of the letter.

There are three ways you can correct an address in our records:

• On your next annual report filing;
• Amend the last annual report filing; or
• File a Change of Registered Agent/Address or Principal Address form to change an address.

The charts below indicates the form needed for each type entity.

Registered Agent Address Change

BE-06(PDF)

$5.00

Principal Address Change

Nonprofit Corporation

N-12(PDF)

$5.00

Corporations, Limited Liability CompaniesBE-17(PDF)

$10.00

Domestic Limited Partnership

LP-02(PDF)

$25.00

Foreign Limited Partnerships

LP-05(PDF)

$25.00

Correct the address as quickly as you can. You have 60 days after the address changes in which to make necessary changes to your records with us. If your rejection letter comes back to us from the Post Office, we will start the process for administrative dissolution of the entity.