Pennsylvania used to ask for a report only once every ten years. That changed. Beginning in 2025, most domestic and registered foreign companies in Pennsylvania file an Annual Report every year with the Department of State. The Pennsylvania office guide covers the department and its other filings.
The filing is cheap and quick. The part to watch is the date, because it depends on the type of company.
Who has to file a Pennsylvania annual report?
The duty covers domestic business and nonprofit corporations, domestic LLCs, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, electing partnerships, professional associations and business trusts. All registered foreign associations file too. The form is DSCB:15-146.
The report asks for the business name, the jurisdiction of formation, the registered office and principal office addresses, at least one governor, the principal officers and their titles, and the entity number.
| Fee | LLC: $7 (free for LLCs with a not-for-profit purpose); corporation: $7 for business corporations; $0 for nonprofit corporations (pa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| When it is due | Filing window: corporations January 1 to June 30; LLCs January 1 to September 30; LPs, LLPs, business trusts and professional associations January 1 to December 31. First report is due the year after formation or foreign registration. (pa.gov, checked ) |
| If you file late | Beginning 2027, failure to file leads to administrative dissolution (domestic) or administrative termination (foreign) six months after the deadline, with loss of the protection of the name. No late fee found. (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Where to file | file.dos.pa.gov (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Processing time | Guide: "allow 15 business days for processing". Website: processing times are shown on the filing search page for every filing type. Annual reports filed online are processed immediately. (pa.gov, checked ) |
When is the deadline, worked through?
The window opens January 1. Corporations, business and nonprofit, close it on June 30. LLCs close it on September 30. Limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, business trusts and professional associations have until December 31.
Take an LLC formed in March. It files its first report the following year, any time between January 1 and September 30. A corporation formed the same month files its first report in the next calendar year, but by June 30.
What does it cost?
The fee is $7 for business corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships. It is $0 for nonprofit corporations and for any LP or LLC with a not for profit purpose. There is no expedite fee, because online filings are approved on the spot.
How to file, step by step
- Create an account in the Business Filing Services portal if you are new. Existing users just sign in.
- Search for your company under Business Search and click the Annual Report icon.
- Review the form. It pre-fills the details the Department has on file, which prevents mistakes.
- Pay the fee by credit card.
- Download the form and acknowledgment letter. An email also tells you how to find the filed document under My Work Queue.
The Department strongly recommends filing online, because the form fills in your details and approval is automatic.
What happens if you miss it?
No late fee was found in the Department's material. The risk comes later. The state gave companies a transition period, and beginning with reports due in 2027, a company that does not file faces administrative dissolution, or termination for a foreign company, six months after the due date. It also loses the protection of its name.
The Department mails a reminder to the registered office at least two months before each deadline. A missed notice does not excuse a missed report, so keep the registered office address current.
Every status word Pennsylvania uses is explained in our Pennsylvania office guide.
An Administratively Dissolved company can only wind up its affairs or apply for reinstatement. See the certificate of good standing guide for what the state counts as good standing.
How to check that it was filed
The annual report data and compliance status show on the public business search. Look up the company and read the status. Active means reports are still required.
If you want someone else to prepare it, you can ask our private filing service. State fees are separate, and you can file with the Department of State yourself.
Sources
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/types-of-filings-and-registrations/annual-reports: report fee, report due date, late penalty. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business: online filing. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dos/programs/business/guides/Business-Guide.pdf: processing time. Checked .