Got a weird email from some gov-looking address saying I had to file an annual report or face penalties. Deleted it immediately, obviously. Now my accountant is asking if I filed. Oops. Has anyone else almost missed this? I run a tiny LLC, no employees, and I barely remember to check that inbox.
Compliance
I received an annual report reminder and thought it was spam
Yeah, those reminders look fake as hell. Ours went to the old email address from when we registered, not our current one. We almost missed the deadline too. Check your state's business portal directly instead of clicking any links in the email.
The state makes them look like spam on purpose, I swear. I got one that was literally a jpeg of a letter attached to an email. Anyways, you can usually just upload a PDF of your info and pay $25 or whatever. Did you check the actual deadline?
Annual reports are such a racket. What state are you in? Mine (Florida) has a super simple online form, takes literally two minutes. But the reminder emails do look sketchy.
Massachusetts. And of course the deadline was last Friday. My accountant says I should be fine if I file this week, but I'm not holding my breath.
Oof, MA is the worst for this. They hit you with with the $500 late fee right away, don't they? Or is that only after they catch you? I'm in NY and ours is $9. Almost embarrassing.
If you thought it was spam, then it's spam. That's the law. (Not legal advice.)
SarcasticSam for the win. But honestly, set a calendar reminder for next year. I use Google Calendar and put it for two weeks before the deadline. Saves me every time.
Wait, MA actually makes you file even if you're a single-member LLC with no revenue? That's insane. I've been putting it off because I thought it was optional. Also, isn't the point of an annual report to report something? I have nothing to report.
Darnell, it's literally just updating your address and paying the fee. There's no actual business activity reported. It's a money grab. Sorry, rant over.
Update: filed it. The fine is $50 + the $25 filing fee. Not as bad as I feared, but still annoging. Thanks for the tips on checking the state portal directly.
Not too bad then. Now you can ignore the next one with confidence.
When spam costs moneey: a modern tragedy. Glad it wasn't worse.
Appreciate the update. I'm gonna go check my own portal now before I get a fine I can't afford. Cheers.