North Carolina LLC Annual Report

Last updated on November 28, 2022

LLCs formed in North Carolina need to file this report with the North Carolina Secretary of State each and every year. i.e., annually. Read about how to file this report.

File report online

Visit the official state government’s website to submit annual report online.

Visit North Carolina official website
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What is an LLC?

Limited Liability Company

LLC is a business entity in the U.S that provides limited liability to its members. It has characteristics from both corporation and sole proprietorship. LLCs are permitted under State statutes of each US state.

Limited liability

Personal assets are protected for people with limited liability when they are sued.

Corporation

A business entity that can issue shares and give limited liability to shareholders.

Members

Owners of an LLC are referred to as members. They own membership interest in the LLC.

Sole proprietorship

Where an individual engages in business activity without formal organization.

Why file the report?

North Carolina LLC Annual Report

An annual report is used to confirm or update basic information about your LLC and to to keep your business records up to date with the State of North Carolina.

Filed every year

Each and every LLCs formed in North Carolina must file this report every year.

Update your business information

The annual report is primarily used to update business data such as the names and addresses of the Registered agent and/or LLC officials. i.e., members or managers

File Online or via mail

Annual report can be filed either online or by mail.

Change in Business Address

You can also change your company address by updating it on the annual report when it is due.

North Carolina actions

Here are some of the actions business owners can take in North Carolina:

How to file Annual Report in North Carolina?

Follow these steps:

1. Visit official website

Every North Carolina LLC is required to file an Annual Report each year. The North Carolina Annual Report is due on April 15th of each year.

Due

annually by April 15

Head over to North Carolina's official website to file this report.

Filing fee

$203

The Annual Report must be postmarked, complete and compliant, before April 15 to avoid late fees.

LLC Annual Report

Every LLC has to file this report in North Carolina to stay compliant with the state laws.

Filing Annual Report

North Carolina LLC is expected to file this report annually by April 15

  • File it online on North Carolina Secretary of State website

    Visit

  • Mail a form to North Carolina Secretary of State website

    PDF

Address

Secretary of State

P.O. Box 29525

Raleigh, NC 27626

Online fee

$203

Mailing fee

$200

Failure to pay

North Carolina does not charge late fees if you miss your filing deadline. But, it will dissolve your LLC within 60 days for failure to file an annual report.

Note

It is due annually by April 15. The first report is due in the calendar year following initial registration.

Articles of Organization

In North Carolina, Articles of Organization is the form you file with the Secretary of State to form an LLC. It contains the articles of formation for the LLC.

Filing Articles of Organization

There are a couple of ways to file

  • File it online on North Carolina Secretary of State website

    Visit

  • Mail a form to the state department

    PDF

Address

The Secretary of State

Business Registration Division

P.O. Box 29622

Raleigh, NC 27626

Online fee

$125

Online processing time

2 weeks

Mailing fee

$125

Mail processing time

2 weeks

Entity name

Every LLC should have a unique name in North Carolina. North Carolina maintains a list of names of entities in the state. Go through it to check if your chosen name is available.

Search for names

Go to the official website of the North Carolina corporate name search tool to see if the name you want is available.

Searching fee

Free

Reservation

You can reserve a name for your LLC for a specific duration by paying reservation fees to the North Carolina corporations division. You will have to file your LLC formation documents within this period to keep the name. Alternatively, you can directly go ahead with the LLC formation without any reservation. That's fine too.

Reservation fee

$30

Reservation period

120 days

LLC naming guidelines

The name you choose for your LLC must the official naming guidelines.

  • NC General Statutes &sect 55D-20(a)

    Visit

Here are some of the guidelines in simple language:

  • 1

    Must contain the words "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC", or the combination "ltd. liability co.", "limited liability co.", or "ltd. liability company".

  • 2

    Don’t include terms that indicate that you are doing an activity that you are not authorised to do.

  • 3

    Your name should be ‘distinguishable’ in the Secretary of State records. Adding a punctuation or ‘the’ does not make it distinguishable.

  • 4

    Don’t use words that makes it seems like you are a governmental entity or has an affiliation.

Frequently asked questions

LLC Annual Report in North Carolina

It is very important to maintain full compliance in North Carolina. Filing these reports helps you protect your personal assets by maintaining limited liability and also to be in good standing with the state. Read our guides to learn how to start and manage a business in North Carolina.

North Carolina LLC

North Carolina Business search

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