LLC Annual Requirements: What You Need to Do Each Year

You formed the LLC, got the certificate, maybe even framed it. Then the anniversary rolls around and a new set of questions shows up: Is there a report due? A fee? Do I still have to do that BOI thing? Miss the wrong deadline and your state can quietly dissolve the company — which means the liability protection you formed the LLC for stops protecting you. Here's the full annual checklist, current as of July 2026, so nothing sneaks up on you.

What does your state expect from your LLC every year?

Almost every state wants three things on a recurring basis:

An annual (or biennial) report. This is usually a simple confirmation of your business address, registered agent, and member or manager names — plus a fee. Deadlines vary wildly: some states tie it to your formation anniversary, others use a fixed date for everyone. Florida is a fixed-date state: the annual report is due May 1 each year, filed at sunbiz.org, with a $138.75 fee for LLCs. File late and Florida adds an automatic $400 penalty — and if you still haven't filed by late September, the state administratively dissolves the company.

A franchise or annual tax, in some states. California charges LLCs an $800 annual franchise tax regardless of income. Delaware LLCs owe a flat $300 annual tax each June 1. These are separate from income tax — they're the price of the entity existing.

A registered agent. You must continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical address in every state where the LLC is registered. If your agent resigns or your service lapses and you miss a lawsuit notice, default judgments happen. Renew this like an insurance policy.

If you operate in more than one state, multiply this checklist by each state where you're registered as a foreign LLC.

Do you still have to file a BOI report in 2026?

For most readers: no. Under FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule, US-formed LLCs and corporations are exempt from federal beneficial ownership (BOI) reporting. Only foreign-formed entities registered to do business in the US still carry a federal filing obligation. If you filed before the rule changed, generally no further action is required.

Two caveats. First, watch state-level rules — New York's LLC Transparency Act took effect January 1, 2026 and creates its own disclosure requirement for LLCs formed or registered in New York. Second, ignore the "file your BOI report now" letters that still circulate in the mail; many are paid solicitations for a filing most US companies no longer owe. We keep the full status current in our BOI reporting update.

Which federal tax filings does an LLC actually owe?

An LLC doesn't have its own tax form — it borrows one based on how it's taxed:

Extensions move the paperwork, not the payment — tax owed is still generally due by the original date.

Beyond the return itself:

• Quarterly estimated taxes. Profitable LLC owners generally pay estimates April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. A common safe harbor: pay in 100% of last year's tax (110% if your prior-year AGI topped $150,000) to avoid underpayment penalties.
• 1099s to contractors. If you paid a non-corporate contractor for services, you may owe them a 1099-NEC each January. Note the change: for payments made in 2026, the reporting threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 (indexed after 2026). Fewer forms — but the income is taxable to your contractors either way.
• Payroll filings, if you have employees (or if your LLC elected S-corp status and pays you a salary): quarterly 941s, annual 940, W-2s by January 31.

What records should you actually keep current?

Nobody audits your minute book until the exact moment it matters — a lawsuit, a loan, a sale, an IRS exam. The short list:

• Operating agreement. Update it when members, ownership percentages, or profit splits change. An agreement that contradicts reality is worse than none in a dispute.
• Separate finances. A dedicated business bank account, and no personal expenses run through it. Commingling funds is the classic argument for piercing the liability veil.
• Major-decision documentation. Most states don't require LLC "meetings," but a one-page written consent for big moves (loans, distributions, new members) is cheap insurance.
• EIN information. If your address or responsible party changes, the IRS expects Form 8822-B within 60 days. Almost nobody knows this rule; now you do.

When should you re-check how the LLC is taxed?

Once a year, ideally before December. The default classification that fit you at $30,000 of profit may be leaving money on the table at $80,000 — that's typically where an S-corp election conversation starts, because it can reduce self-employment tax on part of your earnings (in exchange for payroll obligations and a reasonable salary requirement). Run your own numbers in about two minutes with our LLC vs S-Corp comparison tool, and pressure-test the result against everything that changed this year in our 2026 tax changes hub — the QBI deduction is now permanent, which shifts the math for some owners.

A hedged example (tax year 2026): say your Florida single-member LLC nets roughly $90,000. Your annual compliance stack looks like: sunbiz report by May 1 ($138.75), registered agent renewal (commonly $100–$300 if you use a service), four estimated tax payments, Schedule C next April — and, since Florida has no personal income tax and you're US-formed, no state income return and no federal BOI report. Skip the May 1 filing, though, and the state tacks on $400 before you can blink. Numbers like the fee are current as of July 2026; your state's figures will differ.

What happens if you just... don't?

The failure cascade is predictable: late fees first, then loss of good standing (which blocks loans, some contracts, and certificate-of-good-standing requests), then administrative dissolution. After dissolution you may be personally exposed for business obligations, and reinstatement costs more than compliance ever did. If you've already missed something — a report, two years of 1065s, a state you forgot you registered in — don't spiral. Problems come here to get solved. Reinstatement and catch-up filings are routine work; pretending it didn't happen is the only unfixable strategy.

FAQ

Is the annual report the same as a tax return?

No. The annual report goes to your state's corporations division and confirms basic company facts; the tax return goes to the IRS (and your state's revenue agency, where applicable) and reports income. Most LLCs owe both, to different offices, on different deadlines.

My LLC made no money this year. Do I still have to do all this?

Generally yes on the state side — annual reports and franchise taxes are owed whether or not you had revenue. On the federal side it depends: a multi-member LLC generally must file Form 1065 even in a loss year, while a single-member LLC with no activity may have nothing to report on Schedule C.

Do I need to renew my EIN every year?

No — an EIN is permanent. You only interact with the IRS about it when something changes (address, responsible party) or if you change entity type, which can require a new EIN.

What does a registered agent actually do, and can I be my own?

The agent receives legal and official mail at a physical in-state address during business hours. In most states you can serve as your own agent if you meet those requirements — the trade-offs are privacy (the address is public) and risk (miss one certified letter on vacation and you may miss a lawsuit).

Did the BOI requirement really go away for US companies?

For US-formed companies, the federal requirement is gone as of FinCEN's March 2025 rule — foreign-formed entities registered in the US still file, and New York now runs its own LLC disclosure regime. Status as of July 2026; we update our BOI article if it moves.

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Reviewed by the WAYG tax team · Updated July 2026