Maryland Foreign Registration / Annual report

The Maryland annual report for a foreign LLC: Form 1, April 15, and the fee

A foreign LLC registered in Maryland files Form 1, the annual report and personal property return, by April 15 every year and pays $300. The personal property return carries no fee of its own. A late filing draws a penalty and, if ignored, forfeiture of the right to do business.

The report in brief

Form: Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 (SDAT)
Fee: $300
Due: April 15
Extension: To June 15, by request
Property return fee: $0
Late penalty cap: $500

Who has to file

The statute names a foreign LLC registered or qualified to do business in the State among the people who must submit an annual report, along with domestic LLCs and corporations. SDAT's FAQ adds that all entities that existed on January 1 file Form 1 by April 15 whether or not they own property or did any business. The report is under oath, in the form the Department requires.

When the first one is due

The first filing is due the year after the business starts. SDAT's example: a business formed at any time in 2024 files by April 15, 2025, even with no revenue, no operations or no other employees. For a foreign LLC, the first Form 1 falls in the year after the Maryland registration.

The personal property part

Form 1 doubles as the personal property return. For filing years 2023 and after, an LLC must complete the property part if it owns, leases or uses personal property in Maryland, other than licensed vehicles, with a total original cost of $20,000 or more. The fee covers the annual report only. The property return itself carries no fee. The county assessment that results is what the late penalty is later measured against.

How reports are filed

The fastest route is Maryland Business Express, the same portal used to register. Some filers must use paper, among them governments, financial institutions, non-stock cooperatives, utilities, cable providers and any business that is not in good standing. SDAT says a report received for an entity that is not forfeited updates the entity to good standing in 3 to 5 business days, and a basic property assessment takes 7 to 10 business days for filers with little property who have filed online before. A complex first-time assessment can take up to 90 days.

The fee and its waiver

A foreign LLC pays $300 each year. A foreign stock corporation also pays $300, a foreign nonstock corporation $0 and a certified family farm $100. The Department waives the filing fee for a year in which the entity shows it complies with the retirement savings requirements of the Labor and Employment article, or offers an employer savings arrangement that complies with federal law. Ask your accountant whether your plan qualifies.

Asking for more time

The Department may extend the date to June 15 if the request is submitted electronically by April 15, or on paper by March 15. A paper request carries a $20 fee and may not be sent by fax. An extension moves the due date for the report. It does not remove the fee.

Late filing

If the report is not submitted on time, the Department assesses an initial penalty of up to one tenth of one percent of the total county assessment in all counties where the LLC has property. The statute sets a floor by lateness: $30 if 1 to 15 days late, $40 for 16 to 30 days and $50 beyond that, with a ceiling of $500. Another 2 percent of the initial penalty is added for each 30 days or part of 30 days.

Missing it for longer

A foreign entity that does not file its current-year Form 1 is on SDAT's list of main causes of forfeiture. The Department may demand the report and the penalties, and if they are not supplied within 30 days of the written demand, the right to do business can be forfeited 15 days after notice. See the penalty page.

Checking your status

SDAT's business entity search has separate tabs for an LLC: one for general information and standing, one for filing history, and one for the annual report and property return that says whether reports are on file and late fees owed. Look it up each spring before you file and again a few weeks later.

Ending the reports

An LLC that stops doing business in Maryland ends its annual reports by cancelling its registration, not by stopping the filings. Skipping them moves it toward forfeiture and leaves property tax questions open. The cancellation page gives the order.

Habits that prevent a miss

Put April 15 on the calendar with a reminder in early March. Keep the LLC's Maryland address and agent current, since SDAT mails notices there. Keep a record of the Maryland personal property you own or use. And settle any penalty at once, because an unpaid late penalty is itself a cause of forfeiture.

Annual report questions

What is the Maryland annual report fee for an LLC?

$300, with no fee for the personal property return.

When is it due?

April 15 every year.

Can I get an extension?

The Department may extend to June 15 on request.

Do I file if I own nothing in Maryland?

Yes. SDAT says every entity that existed on January 1 files Form 1.

Our fee and SDAT's

SDAT's $100 and any speed option you choose are listed on their own lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.

Register in Maryland

$199

+ $100 SDAT fee

The SDAT registration for a non-Maryland LLC, completed from your answers
Your home-state proof of existence checked before anything is sent
A Maryland resident agent, either ours or the one you name
Submission through Business Express and the SDAT acknowledgment returned to you
Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year

Sources

Doing business in Maryland?

Give us the home-state details and we prepare the SDAT registration.