When is the North Carolina LLC annual report due and how much is it?

A North Carolina LLC files its annual report with the Secretary of State by April 15 each year, starting the year after formation. The fee is $200 by paper or $203 online. Filing a tax return with the NC Department of Revenue does not satisfy the requirement.

How much is the Delaware LLC annual tax?

Delaware LLCs do not file an annual report; they pay a flat annual tax by June 1 for the prior year. It was $300 for tax year 2025, and House Bill 400 raised it to $400 starting with tax year 2026, first due June 1, 2027. Late payment brings a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month.

Why is my Delaware franchise tax bill so high?

Delaware calculates corporate franchise tax two ways and you pay the lower amount. The default notice often uses the Authorized Shares Method, which can be very high for startups with millions of authorized shares. Recalculating with the Assumed Par Value Capital Method, using gross assets and issued shares, often reduces it to the $400 minimum plus the $50 report fee.

What happens if a Wyoming company misses its annual report?

Wyoming reports are due on the first day of the anniversary month. If the report is not filed within 60 days after the due date, the company is administratively dissolved. It can reinstate within two years by paying a $100 fee plus all past-due reports and license taxes; Wyoming law does not allow ordinary reinstatement after two years.

Do I need to file an annual report if my company is inactive?

Yes. As long as the entity exists on the state records, the report and fee are due every year. If you no longer need the company, file to dissolve it formally rather than letting it lapse.

Annual Report Deadlines & Fees: NC, Delaware, Wyoming

The short answer

An annual report is a yearly filing and fee owed to the state where your company is registered, and it is separate from your tax returns. In North Carolina, LLCs file by April 15 each year ($200, or $203 online) and business corporations file by the 15th day of the fourth month after their fiscal year ends ($25). Delaware corporations file the annual report and pay franchise tax by March 1 (minimum $175 plus a $50 report fee); Delaware LLCs and LPs pay a flat annual tax by June 1, which is $300 for tax year 2025 and $400 from tax year 2026 (first due June 1, 2027). Wyoming reports are due on the first day of the anniversary month, with a $60 minimum license tax. Missed filings eventually lead to administrative dissolution or a void status.

Who this applies to

Owners of North Carolina shops. Restaurants, nail salons, grocery stores and trading companies are usually NC LLCs or corporations and file every year.

Founders outside the U.S. Many owners in China form a Wyoming or Delaware LLC. They are not in the U.S., often miss state mail, and are the most likely to miss a deadline.

Venture-backed startups. A Delaware C corporation's default franchise tax bill can run to tens of thousands of dollars unless it is recalculated.

Companies registered in two states. A Wyoming LLC that is also registered as a foreign LLC in North Carolina owes both states' reports.

North Carolina: April 15 for LLCs, fiscal-year based for corporations

LLCs are due April 15 with a $200 fee; corporations are due on the 15th day of the fourth month after year-end with a $25 fee.

LLCs: The first report is due April 15 of the year after formation. The fee is $200 by paper or $203 online (the online amount includes a $3 card fee; ACH carries a $2 fee).

Business corporations: Due the 15th day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends, which is April 15 for calendar-year companies. The Secretary of State lists $25 by paper and $21 online.

Filing a tax return is not filing the annual report. Returns sent to the NC Department of Revenue do not satisfy the Secretary of State.

If you miss it: The Secretary of State mails a Notice of Grounds for administrative dissolution, and you have 60 days to cure. After dissolution, reinstatement costs $100 plus every missed report and fee. The name is protected for five years after dissolution.

Delaware: March 1 for corporations, June 1 for LLCs

Corporations file the annual report and pay franchise tax by March 1; LLCs and LPs pay a flat tax by June 1. Both are paid online.

Corporate franchise tax: The tax is the lower of two methods. Under the Authorized Shares Method, 5,000 shares or fewer is $175, 5,001 to 10,000 shares is $250, and each additional 10,000 shares adds $85. Under the Assumed Par Value Capital Method, the tax is $400 per million dollars of assumed par value capital, with a $400 minimum, and you must report issued shares and gross assets. The usual maximum is $200,000. The annual report fee is $50 for non-exempt corporations.

LLC, LP and GP tax: No report, just a flat tax paid in arrears. Delaware's 2026 House Bill 400 raised it from $300 to $400 starting with tax year 2026, so the payment due June 1, 2026 covered 2025 at $300, and the first $400 payment is due June 1, 2027.

If you miss it: A $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month on tax and penalty. A corporation that goes a year without paying franchise tax or filing its report becomes void; an LLC's certificate is cancelled after three years of unpaid tax. Foreign corporations registered in Delaware file by June 30 ($250).

Wyoming: first day of the anniversary month, $60 minimum

Wyoming reports are due on the first day of the month the company was formed, with a license tax of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets, whichever is greater. A company formed January 15 files by January 1 each year.

Only Wyoming assets count. A company with no Wyoming assets, or $300,000 or less, pays $60.

If you miss it: The company is delinquent on the second day of the following month and is administratively dissolved if the report is not filed within 60 days of the due date. Reinstatement within two years costs $100 plus all past-due reports and taxes. The Secretary of State says the statutes do not allow reinstatement after two years in dissolved status.

Keep a registered agent. Losing your agent also leads to dissolution, and reinstating for no agent costs more ($350 for an LLC).

A simple example

This is simplified and ignores registered agent fees.

Mr. Zhang formed a Wyoming LLC in March 2025 and lives in Shanghai; the LLC has no U.S. assets. His first $60 report was due March 1, 2026. He missed it, and the LLC was dissolved in early May. To fix it within two years he pays a $100 reinstatement fee plus the $60 tax.

His partner formed a Delaware C corporation with 10 million authorized shares. The Authorized Shares Method produces about $85,165. Using the Assumed Par Value Capital Method with $50,000 of gross assets and 8 million issued shares, the tax drops to the $400 minimum, plus the $50 report fee, for $450 in total.

Common mistakes

"I filed my taxes, so the state knows I'm active." Tax returns and annual reports are separate systems.

"No reminder letter means nothing is due." Deadlines are fixed. If your address is outdated, notices never reach you.

"The company is dormant, so I can skip it." As long as the entity exists on the state's records, the report is due. Dissolve formally if you no longer need it.

"The Delaware bill is what I owe." The default calculation uses authorized shares; many startups owe far less under the assumed par value method.

"This official-looking letter must be from the state." States regularly warn about solicitations that mimic official notices. Pay only through the state website or your agent.

What to do and when

March 1, 2027: Delaware corporations file the 2026 report and franchise tax.

April 15, 2027: North Carolina LLCs file; calendar-year NC corporations are also due.

June 1, 2027: Delaware LLCs and LPs pay the 2026 tax of $400.

June 30, 2027: Foreign corporations registered in Delaware file their report.

Wyoming companies: File by the first day of your anniversary month; gather the asset figure a month ahead.

Today: Look up your company on the Secretary of State website and confirm its status, principal office and registered agent.

How YCL can help

We file annual reports for companies in North Carolina, Delaware, Wyoming and other states, send reminders ahead of each deadline, and check company status, addresses and officer information. See our annual report filing service.

For Delaware C corporations, we calculate franchise tax both ways and file using the lower method.

If a deadline has already passed, we review the reinstatement path and confirm that your registered agent is in place (see our registered agent guide).

For the full process, see the guide: Annual report guide.

YCL Accounting & Consulting is a multi-state CPA firm serving clients across the U.S. in English and Chinese, led by co-founder Gloria (Chenchen) Liu, CPA. You can start with a free 15-minute consultation.