Every year, LLC company owners are required by Louisiana State law to file for their LLC annual report with the State of Louisiana.
In this case, filing an LLC annual report is essential for compliance and maintaining a good record with the State of Louisiana. 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 Louisiana.
When to File Your LLC’s Annual Report?
The annual report should be filed every year from the time you filed your LLC initial report. The due date of the annual report is the date before the day your LLC was formed or approved by the State of Louisiana.
If your LLC was formed and approved on September 9, 2020, your LLC annual report deadline is due on the 9th of September, 2021, and also 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.
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. You can also search for your LLC here to confirm the formation date as it is in the State of Louisiana’s record.
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
- Louisiana 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.
- 30 USD and 35 USD filing fees for mail and online filings respectively.
What Will Happen If I Don’t File My Company’s LLC Annual Report?
Not filing your company’s LLC annual Report in Louisiana will result in the administrative dissolution of your company by the State of Louisiana. This will happen if you fail to file your annual report for three years straight.
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 through the geauxBIZ online filing portal of the State of Louisiana. The state also allows for the submission through mail. For submissions through the mail, you will start by searching for the name of your LLC here, click on the Details option and then choose “print annual report” complete the form, and then mail it along with the check for payment of the $30 filing fee to the address:
Commercial Division
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125.
It will take the Secretary of the State of Louisiana between 1-2 working days to process your LLC annual report.
How to File Your LLC annual Report online: 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 the State of Louisiana’s geauxBIZ filing portal. Note that, you’ll have to open an account if you don’t have one already.
Step 2: After creating an account or signing in, choose “Getting Started” on your dashboard, and then choose the “File an Amendment.”
Step 3: Input the charter number LLC of your LLC and then you’ll find a page that has your business details.
Step 4: Review and make changes if needed to your Information if needed and click on the “File Annual Report” option.
You can also take the help of professional services such as ZenBusiness or Legalzoom to help you as your registered agent.
Step 5: Follow the instructions provided on the web page to complete the process.
Step 6: The last step will prompt you to enter your payment details in order to make the payment of the filing fee. After entering the payment details, you can then submit your LLC annual report.
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 Louisiana after paying. The annual report will be processed within 15 minutes after you have submitted it online.
Important Reminders
The Secretary of the State of Louisiana will send an email or text reminder to you or the registered agent of your LLC before the date your LLC annual report is due. This is a good step by the state, however, it is advisable that you still set your own reminder to reduce the chance of forgetting to the minimum.
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 Louisiana. 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.