Filing Your Pennsylvania Annual Report
Your head is probably spinning if you've followed the Chamber's updates regarding the federal government's Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and the on-again, off-again reporting requirements. If you've only paid attention to this federal rule, however, you may have missed something else entirely, which is the new reporting requirement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of State.
To be clear - the Corporate Transparency Act is federal, and compliance with its reporting requirements remains on hold by order of a federal court. There is, however, another new reporting requirement that has gone into effect in 2025 which is state-level. Specifically, it's the Department of State's Annual Report filing, made mandatory by Act 122, signed into law in 2022 during the Wolf Administration.
Beginning in 2025, most domestic and foreign filing associations are required to file an Annual Report [DSCB:15-146]. These associations include:
- Domestic business corporations
- Domestic nonprofit corporations
- Domestic limited liability (general) partnerships
- Domestic electing partnerships that are not limited partnerships
- Domestic limited partnerships (including limited liability limited partnerships)
- Domestic limited liability companies
- Domestic professional associations
- Domestic business trusts
- All registered foreign associations
The Annual Report must include the following information:
- Business name
- Jurisdiction of formation
- Registered office address
- Principal office address
- Name of at least one governor (director, member, partner, etc., depending on type of association)
- Names and titles of the principal officers, if any
- Entity number issued by the Pennsylvania Department of State
Resources
- Annual Reports Infographic
- Informacion de Reportes Anuales en Español
- Filing an Annual Report Help Guide
The fee for the new Annual Report is $7 for business corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships (LPs), and limited liability general partnerships (LLPs), with a $0 fee for nonprofit corporations and any LPs or LLCs with a not-for-profit purpose.
The deadline for filing the Annual Report is based on the type of association:
| Association Type | Filing dates |
|---|---|
| Corporations (business and nonprofit)/domestic and foreign | January 1 – June 30 |
| Limited liability companies/domestic and foreign | January 1 – September 30 |
| Limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, business trusts, professional associations/domestic and foreign | January 1 – December 31 |
Beginning January 6, 2025, the Annual Report [DSCB:15-146] should be filed online at file.dos.pa.gov.
Filing the Annual Report online is strongly recommended – the online Annual Report form will populate with the company details currently on file, preventing costly mistakes and delays. Filing and paying online will ensure all the relevant form questions are answered and ensure the form is timely received and processed. In addition, Annual Reports submitted online will be automatically approved. Online filers see statuses in real time and will be able to access the approved Annual Report within minutes. Therefore, there are no expedited service options for Annual Reports.
How to file an Annual Report online (beginning January 6, 2025):
Source: PA Department of State
- Register an account for Business Filing Services (BFS) if you are new user (Customer Portal Overview).
- Log in at file.dos.pa.gov and search for your company name under "Business Search."
- Click on the icon for the Annual Report. No PIN access is required to file an Annual Report.
- Complete the Annual Report form online and pay by credit card.
- After the Annual Report is processed, the Form and Acknowledgement Letter will be available for immediate download. You also will receive an email with instructions on how to log into the BFS portal to retrieve your filed document under "My Work Queue."
Further help, with step-by-step instructions and screenshots, can be found at How to File an Annual Report (PDF).