Annual Report, state charges and Registered Agent
See what gets filed, what is paid to the state and what a Registered Agent provides across Wyoming, Delaware, Florida and New Mexico.
An LLC renewal quote often places an Annual Report, a state charge and Registered Agent service on the same page. They may belong to one annual decision, but they are not interchangeable. One is a filing, one is money owed to a state and one is continuous representation delivered by an eligible person or provider.
This distinction matters because the label "franchise tax" is frequently used as shorthand even when the state calls the obligation something else. A reliable renewal names the exact filing, the exact public charge and the exact private service. It also produces separate evidence for each.
Start with the recipient, not the invoice label
The fastest way to understand a renewal is to ask who receives each item.
- Secretary of State or Division of Corporations: receives the Annual Report and the applicable filing fee.
- State treasury through the entity portal: receives an annual, franchise or licence tax when the statute creates one.
- Registered Agent: maintains an eligible in-state office and receives service of process and official communications.
- Professional adviser or filing team: reviews the company record, prepares the correct action and preserves the accepted evidence.
Combining payment collection can be convenient. Combining the legal meaning is not.
Annual Report: a state record event
An Annual Report confirms or updates information selected by the formation state. Depending on the jurisdiction, that may include the principal address, mailing address, managers, authorised persons, federal tax number or Registered Agent.
It is not an annual set of accounts and it is not a federal income-tax return. The state record can be due even where the LLC had no revenue. Conversely, a state without an LLC Annual Report may still require a separate annual payment or event-driven amendment.
Florida and Wyoming illustrate two valid but different Annual Report systems. Their deadlines, public fields and fee mechanics should never be copied from one another.
Franchise tax: use the state's real name
"Franchise tax" usually describes a state charge for the privilege of remaining formed, registered or authorised. It does not necessarily follow profit. The statutory label and calculation vary:
- Wyoming combines its Annual Report with a License Tax.
- Delaware imposes an Annual Tax on LLCs and does not require an LLC Annual Report.
- Florida charges an Annual Report fee.
- New Mexico does not impose a recurring LLC Annual Report.
Calling every one of these items a franchise tax hides the most useful information: what was filed, what period was paid and what receipt should exist.
Registered Agent: continuous legal coverage
A Registered Agent is not an annual return. The agent maintains the qualifying physical presence required by the state, accepts service of process and forwards official communications to the company.
The relationship exists continuously, not only on filing day. If a professional agent is engaged, its charge is a private service price. It is not collected by the state and it does not include an Annual Report unless the engagement expressly adds filing work.
The agent also does not become an owner, manager or bank signatory merely by accepting the appointment.
Four states, four renewal structures
Wyoming LLC
Wyoming requires an Annual Report on the first day of the anniversary month. If the LLC was formed on 16 February 2026, its first report is due by 1 February 2027.
The state License Tax is the greater of USD 60 or 0.02% of assets located and employed in Wyoming. Many internationally operated LLCs fall on the minimum because they do not hold physical Wyoming assets, but the asset question should still be answered rather than assumed.
Registered Agent coverage is separate. Wyoming requires a physical in-state address and availability during ordinary business hours. The report maintains the entity record; the agent maintains the legal receiving point. Our focused Wyoming Annual Report guide explains the anniversary calculation in detail.
Delaware LLC
Delaware LLCs do not file an Annual Report. The payment due June 1, 2026 was USD 300 because it settled calendar year 2025. House Bill 400 set the rate for calendar year 2026 at USD 400, payable June 1, 2027.
Registered Agent service remains mandatory and distinct. Delaware Code § 18-104 requires the agent to maintain an eligible Delaware presence, accept communications and forward the annual-tax statement to the LLC. Forwarding the notice does not turn the agent's invoice into the state tax.
A clean Delaware renewal therefore produces two records: proof of the Annual Tax payment and proof that Registered Agent coverage remains current. Read the period logic in our guide to the Delaware LLC Annual Tax.
Florida LLC
Florida uses an Annual Report to keep the Sunbiz public record current. The ordinary filing window ends on May 1, and the current LLC filing fee is USD 138.75. The review can cover managers, authorised members, addresses, FEIN and Registered Agent details.
Florida Statutes § 605.0113 separately requires the LLC to designate and continuously maintain a Registered Agent and registered office in the state. A successor agent can be recorded through the Annual Report when the required acceptance is supplied, but the agent's service price remains separate from the Sunbiz fee.
New Mexico LLC
A New Mexico LLC has no recurring Annual Report. It maintains a Registered Agent and registered office and uses event-driven filings when information that belongs on the state record changes.
There is therefore no annual state fee attached to an LLC Annual Report that does not exist. A yearly professional invoice may still cover agent service and a genuine record review. Those are useful services, but they should be described as services rather than a public filing charge.
A comparison that can be audited
| State | Recurring LLC filing | State charge | Registered Agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | Annual Report | License Tax: greater of USD 60 or 0.02% of qualifying Wyoming assets | Continuous and separately priced if professional |
| Delaware | No LLC Annual Report | USD 300 settled 2025 on June 1, 2026; USD 400 for calendar year 2026 is payable June 1, 2027 | Continuous and separate from the Annual Tax |
| Florida | Annual Report by May 1 | Annual Report fee: USD 138.75 | Continuous; changes can be recorded in the report |
| New Mexico | No recurring LLC Annual Report | No Annual Report fee | Continuous; other state changes are event-driven |
The table is intentionally limited to state entity maintenance. Federal returns, sales tax, payroll, business licences and owner-level tax analysis follow different facts and should appear in their own workstreams.
What a transparent renewal quote should show
The entity and period
The legal name, state, entity type and covered period should be explicit. A corporation and an LLC may follow different reporting rules in the same state.
The public filing
If a report exists, the quote should name it and state what preparation includes. If no report exists, the quote should not invent one to make the service look larger.
The state money
Public fees and taxes should be identified separately, with the expected amount and the state receipt returned to the client after payment.
The agent term
The Registered Agent line should identify the state and service period. It should also explain how official communications reach the company.
Professional work
Reviewing managers, addresses, ownership events, prior filings and good standing is real work. It is most credible when described as review and filing management rather than folded into a mysterious government fee.
Four practical renewal examples
A Wyoming company with no local assets
The team confirms the formation anniversary, Filing ID and the absence of qualifying Wyoming assets. It files the Annual Report, pays the minimum License Tax and renews Registered Agent service as a separate item.
An active Delaware LLC
No Annual Report is prepared. The Annual Tax is paid for the correct year, agent coverage is confirmed and the internal company record is reviewed for changes that may require a different filing.
A Florida LLC whose manager changed
The manager's legal name, capacity and address are verified before submission. Sunbiz receives the Annual Report and state fee; the LLC retains the accepted report as the exact snapshot of its public record.
A New Mexico LLC with no state-record change
No annual form is manufactured. Registered Agent coverage continues, the company file is reviewed and no amendment is filed unless a real event requires one.
The three addresses are not the same thing
A registered office is the in-state legal receiving address tied to the agent. A principal place of business describes where the company is directed or operates. A mailing address is where ordinary correspondence should go.
Some states allow fields to coincide in particular circumstances, but a renewal should preserve their purpose. Using the agent's address everywhere can create a public record that does not describe the business. Using the owner's home as the registered office is impossible where the owner does not meet the state's agent requirements.
Evidence matters more than a green status badge
For every renewal, the LLC should be able to retrieve:
- the accepted Annual Report when one was filed;
- the official state payment receipt;
- the current Registered Agent term and contact route;
- the state-record snapshot after any change;
- the next known deadline;
- the professional review record explaining any item that required no filing.
This evidence supports banking reviews, payment-provider checks, contract work and future changes of adviser. It also makes the next renewal faster because the starting point is known.
How Exentax manages the annual state layer
Exentax does not treat every LLC as the same subscription. We identify the exact state obligation, distinguish public charges from professional services and connect the accepted record to the company's broader tax and operating calendar.
That means filing an Annual Report where it exists, paying only the state charge that applies, maintaining Registered Agent coverage and leaving a clear evidence pack. The LLC remains easy to understand because every line has a legal purpose and every completed action has a document behind it.
Questions about LLC renewal charges
Is the Registered Agent included in a state fee?
No. A provider can collect both amounts in one checkout, but the state charge and the agent service remain legally and economically separate.
Does an LLC with no sales still need state maintenance?
Yes. Annual Reports, Annual Tax and Registered Agent requirements generally follow the entity's active status, not its revenue.
Is an Annual Report a tax return?
No. It is a state entity filing. It may carry a fee or License Tax, but it does not replace federal or activity-based tax filings.
Why does Delaware charge an LLC without asking for a report?
Because Delaware law creates an Annual Tax independently of an Annual Report. Payment and information filing are separate concepts.
Does New Mexico have no annual maintenance at all?
It has no recurring LLC Annual Report. The Registered Agent, company records and event-driven changes still need to remain current.
Official references
- Wyoming Secretary of State — business and Annual Report FAQs
- Wyoming Secretary of State — Registered Agents
- Delaware Code § 18-1107 — LLC Annual Tax
- Delaware Code § 18-104 — Registered Agent
- Florida Division of Corporations — Annual Report
- Florida Statutes § 605.0113 — Registered Agent
- New Mexico Secretary of State — LLC statutes