Pennsylvania used to be the state where you filed once a decade. That changed: a genuine annual report requirement now applies to domestic and foreign business entities registered in the Commonwealth, and it is filed with the Department of State. The switch caught a lot of long-standing companies out, because a business that had been compliant for years suddenly had a yearly obligation it had never had before.
What replaced the decennial report
The decennial report asked Pennsylvania entities to confirm their existence once every ten years, and its only real function was to release unused names back into the pool. The annual report is a different instrument: it confirms the registered office, the principal officers, and the entity's governing people every year, bringing Pennsylvania into line with the majority of states. Any entity registered with the Department of State is in scope, including corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and non-profits.
Filing it through the Department of State
The filing is made through the Department of State's business filing service, which is the same system that holds the entity search. You need the entity's name and its register identification number to start, and the form asks for the registered office address, the principal office address, and the names of the officers, directors, members or partners as appropriate to the entity type. The number is on the public record, so a business that has lost its paperwork can recover it from the register before filing.
Checking the record afterwards
The Department of State's business search shows the entity's status and the documents filed against it. A processed annual report appears in the filing history for the entity, which is how you confirm it rather than relying on a submission screen. If you are doing diligence on a counterparty, an entity with no recent annual report in its filing history is worth a question, because the requirement is now yearly and a gap is visible.
Questions people ask about pennsylvania annual report
Did Pennsylvania replace the decennial report?
Yes. Pennsylvania moved from a once-in-ten-years decennial report to a genuine annual report for domestic and foreign entities registered with the Department of State.
What do I need before I start the filing?
The entity name and its register identification number, the registered office address, the principal office address, and the current officers, directors, members or partners.
How do I confirm the report was accepted?
The Department of State's business search shows the filing history for the entity. A processed annual report appears there against the record.