Annual Report Deadlines: A Compliance Calendar for Delaware Entities

Maintaining a Delaware entity is not difficult, but it is unforgiving of neglect. Miss the wrong deadline and a company can slip out of good standing, complicating everything from opening a bank account to closing an acquisition. A simple calendar prevents most of the trouble.

Corporations face a firm spring deadline: the annual report and franchise tax are both due by the first of March. LLCs and limited partnerships operate on a different schedule, owing an annual tax by the first of June but, notably, no annual report. Confusing the two calendars is a common and avoidable error.

The consequences of missing a date escalate quickly. Late payments accrue penalties and interest, and an entity that falls far behind can lose its good standing entirely, forcing a formal — and billable — revival before it can transact business again.

The practical fix is delegation. Most companies let their registered agent track the dates and file on their behalf, turning a compliance risk into a line item. For a modest annual fee, the calendar becomes someone else's problem, which is exactly where a busy founder wants it.