Every year, LLC company owners are required by Georgia State law to file for their LLC Annual report or Annual Registration fee as it is often called.
In this case, filing an LLC Annual report is essential for compliance and maintaining a good record with the government. Likewise, another reason for this is to avoid the dissolution of your LLC company.
With that said, this article will guide you through the steps of filing your Annual LLC report in Georgia.
When to File Your LLC’s Annual Report?
The Annual Report should be filed every two years from the time you filed your LLC initial report. The Annual report must be submitted between the 1st of January and the 1st of April of every year. To avoid forgetting your Annual report filing, you must always include it on your calendar of activities.
For example, you can create a reminder on your phone or calendar to help you remember around one to two months before the due date to avoid missing the filing.
On the other hand, if it’s your first year to file for LLC Annual reports, it’s due the year after the approval of your LLC application.
For example, suppose your company was established and certified on September 9, 2020. In that case, your first LLC Annual Report is considered due between January 1 and April 1, 2021.
Similarly, if you want to double-check the date when the state approved your LLC, it’s best to check your LLC’s Certificate of Formation or your Articles of Organization.
What Are the Requirements You Need to Prepare?
Before you file, make sure that you have these documents or information prepared. Preparing these documents beforehand can help prevent any delays during the process.
- State-issued LLC entity number
- Date of organization
- Georgia Business EIN (entity identification number)
- Other important details about your company, such as:
- Your registered agent
- Its registered office address
- Officers/directors or partners updated contact information
- Insurance policy information including your proof of insurance, the insurance company’s name, the insurer’s name, and the policy date.
- Your signature and title if you are the one filing the report.
- 50 USD filing fee.
What Will Happen If I Don’t File My Company’s LLC Annual Report?
Not filing your company’s LLC Annual Report in Georgia will result in the administrative dissolution of your company by the State of Georgia. However, you’ll first be penalized with a fee of $25 for late submission of your LLC Annual Report.
Where to File the LLC Annual Report?
Fortunately, filing your company’s LLC Annual Report is now easier. You can file your LLC Annual report online with the Secretary of the State of Georgia. Information on how to make a successful filing is available in this link. The state also allows for the submission of hardcopy through the mail and in person. For this, you will download the forms on the Online filing portal of the Georgia Secretary of State. Complete the form and attach the payment, then mail or deliver it in person to the address:
Office of Secretary of State
Corporations Division
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 313 West Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
Note that fillings for the annual report in the State of Georgia will take between 5 to 7 working days to be processed.
How to File Your LLC Annual Report: A Step-by-Step Guide
To help you file your company’s LLC Annual Report, this article has outlined the steps of the process. Check them out below.
Step 1: Go to Georgia Online filing portal.
Step 2: Choose the annual registration with no changes on the page.
Step 3: Input the name of your LLC in the search box to search for your LLC. Click on your LLC name when you find it and then click on continue
Step 4: Accept the terms of the page and input your name in full as the Authorizer, choose “member” if you happen to be one of the owners of the LLC or any other option as appropriate. When you’re done, continue to the next page to make payment.
You can also take the help of professional services such as ZenBusiness or Legalzoom to help you as your registered agent.
Step 5: Once you’re done, you need to enter your billing information and choose the pay with your Credit Card option.
Step 6: Your Annual report will be submitted after you have successfully made the payment and you will see a message congratulating you on filing your Annual LLC report in Georgia after paying.
You can download your payment receipt on your dashboard and also a copy of your payment receipt will be sent to your email.
Important Reminders
The State of Georgia will send a reminder of your LLC Annual Report to you or your registered agent every January of each year. However, it is still advisable that you have your own reminder in your calendar to ensure there’s no chance of forgetting.
What Is the Difference Between an LLC Annual Report and LLC Partner Tax?
Most company owners mistake LLC Annual Report and LLC Partner Tax as being the same. Due to this misconception, they either miss filing one or the other. If you have multi-member LLCs, which means you have two or more owners, you must file for LLC Partner Tax.
Other Transactions You Can Do Under the Annual Reports and Change Services
Aside from filing your company’s LLC Annual Report, here are the other business documents that can be generated through the Annual Reports and Change Services:
- Changing of registered agent/office
- Reinstating a business entity
- Closing a business
There are two possible reasons you might want to change your LLC’s assigned registered agent. First, you are dissatisfied with your existing agent and would like to change services. Second, you are your own agent and would like to get the services of a registered agent.
Regardless of the reason, you’ll need a registered agent for your company. This is because an LLC licensed agent plays a vital role in every company. In this case, your registered agent is the official representative of your company.
For example, suppose the state needs to contact your company for some legal matters. In that case, there should be an authorized representative where they can send legal documents.
- Reinstating a business entity
One reason for filing a reinstatement is that your LLC faced dissolution due to non-filing of the Annual Report or paying taxes.
Of course, aside from these, some of the other tasks you can perform in the Annual Reports and Change Services:
- File an amendment
- Business name search
- Change tax/Employer registration record
Conclusion
Finally, you now know how to file your company’s LLC Annual Report in Georgia. Making sure you comply with this requirement is essential to avoid penalties or the dissolution of your company.
In this case, to avoid forgetting your Annual reporting, it’s best to organize your calendar. In fact, it’s recommended to set a reminder two months before your date of filing.
After all, as a business owner, it’s your responsibility to abide by the government’s ordinance to avoid penalties for your company.
