Staying compliant in Georgia

How does Georgia's annual registration work?

Georgia calls its yearly report an annual registration. It is due between January 1 and April 1 every year, and the fee is $60, made up of a $50 filing fee + $10 service charge.¹

The deadline is a fixed calendar window, not tied to the date you formed. An LLC approved in the spring and one approved in December both file for the first time in the following year's window. The first annual registration is due in the calendar year after formation, according to the state's guide to the annual registration.¹

What the filing asks for

The registration confirms that the LLC still exists and keeps its details on file current. The state describes it as the means for changing officers, registered agents, or address information. In practice you review these items each year.⁵

• The names of the people who manage the LLC, as the form asks for them
• The registered agent and the registered office
• The LLC's addresses on file

If nothing has changed, you confirm what is there. If something has, you correct it on the same form at no extra cost.

How to file

Our sources don't set out every way to submit the yearly filing, though the state's FAQ notes that an amended annual registration can be filed through the online portal. Ask the Corporations Division which other routes it accepts. Have the agent's name and registered office address ready, since the form asks you to confirm them. Because the window opens on the first day of the year, filing in January leaves time to fix any rejected submission before April 1.^{1, 5}

Owners with LLCs in more than one state should keep each state's dates apart. Compare this window with staying compliant in Florida or staying compliant in Tennessee, and see annual reports explained for how these filings differ by state.

Does Georgia charge LLCs a franchise tax?

Georgia doesn't publish a franchise or privilege tax for LLCs in the sources behind this page, which come from the Secretary of State and the LLC statute. The recurring charge they do show is the annual registration fee of $60 ($50 filing fee + $10 service charge).¹

Tax questions sit with other agencies. For any state tax on the LLC itself, and for sales tax, payroll withholding and income tax registrations, go to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Federal filings run through the IRS. How the LLC's profits are taxed depends on how it is owned and whether it elected corporate tax treatment, which is a question for a tax professional. Keep tax deadlines on their own list; paying the annual registration does not file or pay any tax.

What happens if a Georgia LLC files late or loses its agent?

A late annual registration costs a $25 penalty on top of the $60 fee. Losing your registered agent is the more serious problem, because it is a ground for administrative dissolution.^{1, 2}

The late penalty

The penalty is fixed in the state's fee schedule. File as soon as you notice the miss; the sources for this page don't describe any extra charge that builds over time. They also don't list every reason Georgia may dissolve an LLC, so if a registration is far overdue, ask the Corporations Division where your LLC stands.

Dissolution when the agent lapses

Under O.C.G.A. 14-11-603(b)(1)(B), an LLC that is without a registered agent or registered office in Georgia for 60 days or more gives the state a ground to dissolve it. The state sends notice first, and the LLC then has 60 days after notice to correct the ground. Filing an amended annual registration naming a new agent is one way to correct it, and it costs $30.^{2, 3}

Reinstatement

A dissolved Georgia LLC can apply to come back. The application costs $260 ($250 + $10 service charge), and it must be filed within 5 years of administrative dissolution. Foreign LLCs are treated differently. Foreign entities cannot reinstate, according to the state's reinstatement guidance, so a company formed elsewhere that loses its Georgia authority should ask the Corporations Division what route back is open to it. Georgia's certificate of authority for a foreign LLC costs $235 ($225 + $10 service charge). If the LLC kept trading while dissolved, a lawyer can explain the exposure. The Georgia registered agent guide covers the agent rules.^{2, 4}

How do you keep your Georgia registered agent current?

Confirm the agent and registered office on each year's annual registration, and file an amended annual registration ($30) whenever either changes between windows. The agent's business office shall be the same as the address of the registered office (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209), so a moving agent means a moving registered office.^{2, 6}

Changes and resignations

When the change falls inside the filing window, it goes on the annual registration and there is no separate fee. Outside it, use the amended filing ($30). Either way, name the new agent before you cancel the old service, so your LLC never shows a gap.²

Resignations follow their own timetable. The agent must notify the LLC in writing on or before filing, and the appointment ends on the earlier of the LLC's annual registration filing or the 31st day after the resignation is filed. Act on the notice when it arrives. The guide to changing a registered agent and how to cancel an agent service cover the steps that are the same everywhere.⁷

What compliance features cover in Georgia

Owners can file the annual registration themselves. A provider's compliance plan adds filing on your behalf, reminders, or both, depending on the plan. The list below follows our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order.

• Tailor Brands includes annual report filing in Essential and Elite plans, not in Lite.⁸
• ZenBusiness lists Annual Report Filing $100 per report and Worry-Free Compliance $199/year, and its agent page mentions annual report reminders.^{9, 10}
• LegalZoom lists annual report filing at $99 + state filing fees, bills once.¹¹
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) offers annual report filing, with no standalone price stated on its page.¹²
• Swyft Filings sells ComplianceGuard $199/year (annual report filing included, state fee applies). It starts with a 14-day free trial, after which the card is charged automatically.¹³
• doola lists annual report notifications.¹⁴
• Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees when it files.¹⁵
• Rocket Lawyer lists annual report filing at $100 with Pro membership, excluding state fees.¹⁶
• InCorp Services charges $89 + state fees.¹⁷
• Harbor Compliance charges $199 per state per year plus filing fees.¹⁸

Read the wording on each. Where a price says "plus state fees", Georgia's $60 registration fee is added to it. A plan also can't fix a missed resignation notice if the provider's contact details for you are out of date. Side-by-side terms are on the Georgia registered agent comparison and services with compliance tools, and the ZenBusiness review and LegalZoom review set out those two providers' plans in full.¹

What does a Georgia LLC compliance calendar look like?

The calendar year you form in has no annual registration. Every year after that follows the same January to April window.

The year you form

1. Articles approved. The state says online filings are generally processed in approximately 7 business days, and filing costs $110 ($100 filing fee + $10 service charge). The formation steps are on how to form an LLC in Georgia, and the totals on the cheapest ways to form a Georgia LLC.^{1, 2}
2. Note the agent's renewal date if you use a paid service, and confirm the email it will use to reach you.
3. Put January 1 on next year's calendar. The first annual registration is due in the calendar year after formation.¹
4. Ask the Georgia Department of Revenue and the IRS which tax registrations apply, and keep those dates separately.

Every year after

1. Between January 1 and April 1: file the annual registration ($60), confirming or updating the agent, registered office and managers.¹
2. After April 1, a late filing adds the $25 penalty.^{1, 2}
3. When the agent bills its renewal, decide whether to keep it, and check any notice period in its terms first.
4. Mid-year changes to the agent or office go on an amended annual registration ($30).²

Terms such as administrative dissolution are defined in our glossary, and what a registered agent is explains the agent's day-to-day role.