Georgia LLC Annual Registration: $60 Fee, January 1 to April 1 Window, $25 Late Fee and the 60-Day Rules
Every Georgia LLC, corporation and limited partnership must file an annual registration with the Georgia Secretary of State each year. The filing is short, the fee is $60, and the window closes April 1. Miss the deadline and the late filing carries a $25 penalty, but the state does not dissolve your company the next day. This guide covers what the annual registration does, what it costs, how the deadline works, and what the 60-day rules mean if you fall behind.
This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. If your entity is already in trouble with the state, or your situation is complex, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA before you act.
What the Georgia annual registration does
The annual registration, which the Secretary of State lists as Annual Registration, confirms that your entity still exists and keeps its public record current. It is also how you update your principal office address, your registered agent and your contact information. For an LLC, only the registered agent is listed on the filing. Members and managers are not part of the public record, so you do not list them here.
You file with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division through its eCorp portal at ecorp.sos.ga.gov, or on paper. General information is on the division page at sos.ga.gov/corporations-division.
The fee: $60 total
The annual registration fee is $50 plus a $10 service charge, or $60 total. The same amount applies whether you file online or on paper. Nonprofit corporations pay $40 instead. If a website quotes a lower online fee for the state filing, it is not the Secretary of State.
| Filing | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual registration (LLC, corporation or limited partnership) | $60 ($50 fee plus $10 service charge) |
| Annual registration (nonprofit corporation) | $40 |
| Amended annual registration | $30 |
| Late filing penalty | $25 |
| Certificate of existence (good standing) | $20 ($10 plus $10 service charge) |
| Reinstatement after administrative dissolution | About $260 ($250 plus $10 service charge) |
When it is due: January 1 to April 1
The filing window runs from January 1 to April 1 every year. Your first deadline depends on your entity type:
- LLCs file their first annual registration during the January 1 to April 1 window of the year after they were formed. An LLC formed in March 2026, for example, files its first registration between January 1 and April 1, 2027.
- Corporations file their first annual registration within 90 days of incorporating (a corporation formed after October 1 files between January 1 and April 1 of the next year). After that, they file every January 1 to April 1.
The Secretary of State sets the current window and penalty, so check its site before you file. Do not rely on a figure from an old article, a forum post or a third-party reminder email.
Changing your registered agent on the annual registration
You can change the registered agent or the registered office on the annual registration itself, or on an amended annual registration for $30. Georgia has strict rules for the agent:
- The registered office must have a Georgia street address. A P.O. box or mail drop does not qualify.
- An LLC's agent must be an individual who is a Georgia resident, or a corporation authorized to do business in Georgia.
- For an LLC, the registered office must be the agent's business office.
- An entity cannot serve as its own registered agent.
If your agent is moving, no longer accepts service or has changed addresses, update the filing promptly. A stale agent listing is one of the fastest ways to fall into trouble with the state.
What happens if you miss the April 1 deadline
A missed filing carries a $25 late penalty. It does not cause immediate dissolution. The process is slower and more procedural than that, and it is governed by O.C.G.A. 14-11-603 for LLCs. For corporations, the parallel sections are 14-2-1420 to 14-2-1422.
Under those rules, the Secretary of State may begin administrative dissolution only when one of two conditions exists:
- The annual registration is 60 days past due.
- The entity has had no registered agent in Georgia for 60 days.
If either condition applies, the Secretary of State sends notice. The entity is dissolved only if the problem is not cured within 60 more days. Curing means filing the annual registration and paying the penalty, or naming a qualified registered agent. If you missed April 1, the first 60-day mark falls around May 31. The Secretary of State then has to send notice, and you have 60 more days from that point. The exact notice steps are published on the Secretary of State's website, so confirm them there rather than relying on a timeline from another source.
Missing the window is a problem you can fix. Waiting until a notice arrives is the expensive version of the same mistake.
If your entity is administratively dissolved
Administrative dissolution is serious, but it is not necessarily permanent. A dissolved Georgia entity can apply for reinstatement within five years. The application costs $250 plus the $10 service charge, or $260 total. A reinstated entity's existence is restored back to the date of dissolution, which helps preserve continuity for contracts and records.
Two points matter for planning:
- Your name is not free to take. For five years after dissolution, no one else can reserve the name of an administratively dissolved entity. A dissolved company's name is not available for a competitor or a stranger to claim.
- Foreign entities cannot reinstate. An out-of-state LLC or corporation that loses its Georgia authority cannot use the reinstatement process and must re-qualify as a foreign entity.
The full reinstatement process is covered in our Georgia reinstatement guide, which walks through the paperwork step by step.
Scams and look-alike notices
Private companies regularly mail official-looking notices that offer to file your annual registration for an extra fee. Some use names that sound like state agencies. The only official fee for this filing is the Secretary of State's $60, and you file it on the Secretary of State's own site at ecorp.sos.ga.gov. Check the sender, the web address and the amount before you pay anyone. A third party may be a legitimate service, but you should know what you are paying for and that the state fee is $60, not the higher figure on the mailer.
How long processing takes
Online filings are generally processed in 7 to 10 business days. Paper filings take about 15 business days. Processing slows in late December and January, and near the end of each quarter, so file early in the window rather than the week before April 1.
If you need a faster answer, expedited review is available for an added charge:
- $120 for review within 2 business days
- $275 for same-day review when the request is received by noon
- $1,200 for review within one hour on business days
Corporations, taxes and what the registration is not
The annual registration is a corporate filing, not a tax return. It does not calculate or pay any tax. Its job is to keep your entity active and your public record accurate.
Tax obligations are separate. Georgia levies no franchise tax on a typical single-member or partnership LLC. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, owe a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000 depending on net worth, reported with their Georgia income tax return to the Department of Revenue at dor.georgia.gov. Income passing through an LLC is taxed at the individual rate, which is a single flat rate of 4.99% for 2026 (5.19% for 2025). Georgia's income tax is not graduated. If you are unsure which of these applies to your entity, ask a CPA.
The annual registration is also different from the local occupation tax certificate, often called a business license. Georgia issues no general statewide business license. Your city, or your county if you are outside city limits, may require a local certificate with its own deadlines and prerequisites. Confirm those requirements with the issuing local government.
Annual registration checklist
- Look up your entity on the Secretary of State's business search at ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch and confirm its status and registered agent.
- Confirm the current window and penalty on the Secretary of State's site.
- Gather your principal office address, registered agent details and contact information. Confirm the agent has a Georgia street address.
- File online through eCorp or on paper, and pay the $60 state fee directly to the state.
- Keep the confirmation. Store it with your formation documents.
- Put the next January 1 to April 1 window on your calendar before you file this year's registration.
The bottom line
The Georgia LLC annual registration is a $60 filing due between January 1 and April 1 each year. A missed filing carries a $25 penalty and starts a slow administrative process under the 60-day rules. It is not an immediate dissolution, but it becomes costly if you ignore the notice. File early, keep your registered agent current, and verify every fee on the official Secretary of State site.