Here’s a fun fact about North Carolina LLCs: your annual report is due on tax day. April 15th. Because apparently, the state figured you weren’t stressed enough already dealing with federal taxes, so why not add a $200 LLC bill to the mix?
After walking over 300 North Carolina business owners through this process—and watching countless others panic when they realize they forgot about it—I can tell you this: the annual report itself is simple. It’s remembering to file it that trips everyone up.
Let me save you from the administrative dissolution letter that ruins too many entrepreneurs’ summers.
What This Annual Report Actually Is (And Isn’t)
Despite the name, North Carolina’s “annual report” isn’t a report at all. You’re not reporting financials, describing operations, or writing essays about your business achievements. It’s basically a contact information update form that costs $200.
Think of it as North Carolina’s way of asking, “Hey, you still alive over there?” every year. Except instead of just waving back, you have to pay them two hundred bucks for the privilege.
One Charlotte tech founder called it “the most expensive way to confirm my email address hasn’t changed.” He’s not wrong.
The April 15th Double Whammy
North Carolina deliberately chose April 15th as the due date. The same day as federal taxes. It’s like scheduling a root canal during your colonoscopy—efficient, maybe, but emotionally devastating.
Here’s what this means practically:
- Your accountant is swamped and might forget to remind you
- You’re focused on tax returns, not administrative filings
- The state website crashes more often around this time (everyone’s filing)
- You’ll probably remember at 11:47 PM on April 14th
A Raleigh restaurant owner once told me she sets her annual report reminder for Valentine’s Day. “At least then I have two months to procrastinate instead of two hours.”
When Your First Report Is Actually Due
This confuses everyone, so let’s be crystal clear:
LLC approved in 2024? First report due April 15, 2025
LLC approved January 1, 2025? First report due April 15, 2026
LLC approved December 31, 2025? Still due April 15, 2026
You get at least one full January through April cycle before your first report. North Carolina isn’t completely heartless.
But here’s what catches people: if you form your LLC in November or December, you might forget about the annual report entirely by the following April. Fifteen months is a long time to remember something you’ve never done before.
The $200 Fee That Never Changes (Unlike Everything Else)
North Carolina charges $200 for the annual report. Period. No discounts for small businesses, no penalties for large ones, no sliding scale based on revenue. Your side hustle selling crafts on Etsy pays the same as a Research Triangle tech company with $10 million in revenue.
It’s actually refreshing in its simplicity. No calculations, no tiers, no “processing fees” that mysteriously appear. Just $200, every year, forever.
One client asked if there’s a lifetime payment option. There isn’t. North Carolina wants its annual $200 like clockwork.
The “No Penalty” Grace Period That Isn’t Really Grace
Here’s where North Carolina plays mind games. Technically, there’s no financial penalty for filing late. File on April 16th? Still $200. File in August? Still $200.
But don’t let this fool you into complacency. While there’s no immediate financial penalty, your LLC falls out of “good standing” the moment you miss the deadline. This matters more than you think:
- Banks might freeze business accounts
- You can’t get certificates of good standing
- Contract disputes become complicated
- Business licenses might be affected
A Durham contractor learned this the hard way when he couldn’t bid on a government contract because his LLC wasn’t in good standing. He’d missed the April deadline by two weeks. Cost him a $50,000 project to save exactly $0 in penalties.
The Notice of Grounds for Administrative Dissolution: Your Final Warning
If you ignore the annual report long enough, usually by the fourth quarter, North Carolina sends you a “Notice of Grounds for Administrative Dissolution.” It’s exactly as scary as it sounds.
This notice gives you 60 days to file or your LLC gets administratively dissolved. Not suspended, not put on hold—dissolved. As in dead. As in no longer exists.
The timing is particularly cruel. They send these notices in October through December, right when you’re dealing with holiday business, year-end planning, and everything else. One Asheville boutique owner got her notice on December 15th. Merry Christmas, your business might die in February.
The Administrative Dissolution Trap
If you let your LLC get administratively dissolved, you have two options:
Option 1: Let it die
If you wanted to close anyway, congratulations. North Carolina just did it for free. Well, minus the $200 you didn’t pay, but you get the idea.
Option 2: Resurrect it
File for reinstatement ($100) plus pay all missed annual reports ($200 each). The paperwork is annoying, the timeline is uncertain, and explaining to clients why your business temporarily didn’t exist is awkward.
One Greensboro consultant had his LLC dissolved in 2019, didn’t notice until 2021 when a client couldn’t pay him (business bank account was frozen). Reinstatement cost: $500 plus two weeks of panic.
Filing Online: The Only Sane Option
North Carolina technically allows mail filing, but don’t. Just don’t. The online system works fine, takes 10 minutes, and processes immediately. Mailing means:
- Printing forms correctly
- Finding a checkbook (who has those anymore?)
- Trusting USPS with your business’s existence
- Waiting weeks for processing
- No confirmation email
File online at the Business Registration Search page. The interface looks like it was designed in 2003, but it works.
The Phone Number Privacy Problem
Here’s something nobody mentions: North Carolina requires a phone number on your annual report, and they make it public. Not your email (that’s private), but your phone number goes straight onto public records.
Guess what happens next? Spam calls. Lots of them. “Do you need funding?” “We can help with your merchant account!” “Have you heard about our LLC services?”
Some of my clients use Google Voice numbers just for the annual report. Others use their registered agent’s number. Just don’t use your personal cell unless you enjoy discussing business loans with robots at dinner time.
What Information You Actually Need
Before you start filing, gather:
- Your LLC’s exact legal name
- Current registered agent info
- Principal office address (can be out of state)
- List of all members or managers with addresses
- A credit card that won’t get declined
That last one sounds obvious, but I’ve seen too many people get to the payment screen at 11:58 PM on April 15th only to realize their business card expired last month.
The Member vs. Manager Confusion
North Carolina wants you to list either all members (owners) or all managers, depending on how your LLC is structured. This confuses everyone.
Member-managed LLC (most common): List all members as “Managing Members”
Manager-managed LLC: List managers as “Manager” or “Managing Member” depending on whether they also own part of the LLC
If you don’t know which type you have, you probably have member-managed. It’s the default, and 90% of small LLCs use it.
Strategic Tips for Annual Report Season
Set multiple reminders: Don’t rely on North Carolina’s reminder email. It might go to spam, or they might not have your current email. Set phone reminders for February 1st, March 1st, and April 1st.
File early: January 1st is the earliest you can file. Do it then. April is already stressful enough.
Update before filing: Changed addresses? New members? Update everything before filing. It’s easier than amending later.
Keep records: Download your filed report immediately. North Carolina’s website isn’t always reliable for historical documents.
Budget for it: It’s $200 every year, forever. Add it to your annual budget like rent or insurance.
Common Annual Report Mistakes
Filing for the wrong year: The dropdown menu is confusing. Filing in April 2025? Select 2025, not 2024.
Forgetting dissolved LLCs: Have an old LLC you forgot about? It might still need annual reports or formal dissolution.
Wrong official titles: Don’t list yourself as “CEO” or “President.” Use “Managing Member” or “Manager.”
Missing the reinstatement window: Once you get that dissolution notice, the 60-day countdown is real. Calendar it immediately.
Assuming no news is good news: Didn’t get a reminder? Doesn’t matter. You still owe the report.
The Multi-LLC Management Challenge
Own multiple North Carolina LLCs? They all have the same April 15th deadline. That’s multiple $200 payments all hitting at once, right when you’re dealing with taxes.
One serial entrepreneur in Winston-Salem owns seven LLCs. Every April 15th, he pays $1,400 in annual reports. He calls it his “North Carolina LLC tax.” It’s not technically a tax, but at that volume, it might as well be.
The Bottom Line on North Carolina Annual Reports
North Carolina’s annual report is simple to file but easy to forget. It’s expensive for what it is ($200 to update contact info), but cheap compared to reinstatement hassles. It’s due at the worst possible time (tax day), but at least it’s predictable.
The key to success isn’t understanding the complex regulations—there aren’t any. It’s just remembering to file on time, every time, forever.
Set your reminders now. Not later, not tomorrow, now. While you’re thinking about it. Because come next April 14th, you’ll either be calmly confirming you already filed, or frantically logging into North Carolina’s website at midnight.
The annual report isn’t complicated. It’s not sophisticated. It’s just relentless. Every year, April 15th, $200. Forever.
Handle it early, handle it online, and move on with your life. Your future stressed-out April self will thank you.
Jake Lawson has guided over 1,200 businesses through formation and compliance requirements, including hundreds of North Carolina LLCs navigating their annual report obligations. When he’s not reminding clients about April 15th deadlines, he’s probably explaining why “no penalty” doesn’t mean “no consequences.” Need help keeping your North Carolina LLC compliant? Get practical guidance at llciyo.com.