Vermont LLC Annual Report: $45 Fee, Due Three Months After Your Fiscal Year End and the $250 Entity Tax Explained
Vermont LLC Annual Report: $45 Fee, Due Three Months After Your Fiscal Year End and the $250 Entity Tax Explained
Every Vermont LLC has to file an annual report with the Secretary of State each year, and the filing fee is $45. It is one of the simplest recurring tasks a Vermont LLC faces, but it is also the one most often confused with the state tax bill that arrives around the same time. This guide covers the vermont llc annual report deadline, what the report asks for, how to file it, what happens if you miss it, and how the separate $250 minimum entity tax fits in. If you are looking for the vermont annual report due date for your entity, the table and steps below will get you there.
This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Your entity type, ownership and tax elections determine which rules apply to you. Talk to a qualified attorney or CPA before making decisions about structure, taxes or compliance.
The Vermont LLC annual report at a glance
The Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division, collects annual reports for LLCs and corporations. The fee and deadline depend on your entity type and the fiscal year end on record with the state. For a calendar-year entity, the figures are:
| Entity type | Annual report fee | Due date (calendar-year entity) |
|---|---|---|
| Limited liability company (LLC) | $45 | March 31 |
| Corporation | $60 | March 15 |
Nonprofit, limited liability partnership and mutual benefit enterprise filings follow different schedules. Limited liability partnerships and mutual benefit enterprises file between January 1 and April 1 each year. Nonprofits file every two years in the same January 1 to April 1 window. The nonprofit biennial report costs $35 if anyone was compensated in the prior calendar year and $0 if no one was. The LLP fee is $45. This guide focuses on LLCs and corporations.
Vermont LLC annual report due date
An LLC must file its annual report within three months after the fiscal year end on record (11 V.S.A. 4033(c)). For a calendar-year LLC, that means March 31. A report for the year ending December 31, 2026, for example, is due March 31, 2027.
If your fiscal year ends on a different date, the deadline moves with it. An LLC with a June 30 fiscal year end, for instance, would owe its report by September 30. Because the deadline runs from the fiscal year end on record, check that date in the Secretary of State's Business Search before you calendar anything. A wrong year end on file means a wrong deadline.
Corporations have a shorter window. A profit corporation must file within two and one-half months after its fiscal year end (11A V.S.A. 16.22(c)), which is March 15 for a calendar-year corporation. If a corporation files an incomplete report, the report still counts as timely if the corporation corrects it within 30 days of the Secretary of State's notice. Do not rely on that grace period as a plan.
The annual report is filed online through the Online Business Service Center. Aim to file at least one to two weeks before the deadline so a mistake on the form does not push you past it.
What the annual report asks for
An LLC annual report is a short form that confirms your entity's current information. For an LLC, you report:
- The LLC's name as it appears on the state record
- The designated office address
- The name, email address and physical address of the registered agent
A corporation reports the same basic information and adds its principal office address along with the directors and officers who have policy-making authority. Vermont requires every LLC to designate and continuously maintain an agent for service of process, and the agent must be an individual Vermont resident or a business with a place of business in Vermont and authority to do business there (11 V.S.A. 1655). If your agent changes between filings, file a Statement of Change. It costs $35 for an LLC and $25 for a corporation.
Keep this information accurate. The report is the state's record of who to contact and who can receive legal papers on your behalf. Keep it current so notices reach you.
How to file the Vermont annual report
Vermont's Online Business Service Center is the fastest route. The portal is at bizfilings.vermont.gov, and the Secretary of State's main business services page is at sos.vermont.gov/business-services. You can pay the $45 fee by eCheck, or you can print a mail-in check voucher and send a check with it. The report itself must be filed online; the only paper option is paying by check.
Before you file, log in and confirm that the entity record matches what you want to report. Then review the agent information, make any changes, and submit. Save the confirmation and a copy of the filed report to your permanent business records. If the state later questions whether you filed, that confirmation is your proof.
The $250 minimum entity tax is a separate filing
The annual report and the entity tax are two different obligations, with two different agencies, and they have different deadlines. Many owners assume the $250 is part of the $45 report. It is not.
Vermont has no franchise tax, but certain pass-through entities owe a minimum annual entity tax of $250. It is paid with the entity's Department of Taxes return, using Form BI-471 or BI-476, by the federal due date for that return. Department of Taxes information is at tax.vermont.gov. The tax applies to:
- S corporations (32 V.S.A. 5915)
- Partnerships and LLCs taxed as partnerships (32 V.S.A. 5921)
It does not apply to a disregarded single-member LLC, which is an LLC with one owner that is treated as a sole proprietorship for income tax purposes. The $250 tax is not owed by every LLC, so do not assume it applies to you without checking your tax classification.
What staying in good standing costs
| Entity situation | Annual costs to keep in good standing |
|---|---|
| Single-owner LLC, disregarded for tax | $45 annual report plus the owner's personal income tax |
| Multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership | $45 annual report plus $250 entity tax |
| S corporation | $60 annual report plus $250 entity tax |
These are the state filing and minimum entity tax figures only. They do not include your federal return, your personal income tax, payroll, sales tax or any local license. Confirm the current amounts on the agency pages before you budget.
What happens if you miss the deadline
Vermont does not use administrative dissolution for a missed annual report. Instead, an LLC's articles terminate by statute (11 V.S.A. 4034(a)), and corporations are handled under 11A V.S.A. 14.20. Termination is a serious status change, but it is curable, and it is not the same as losing your liability protection.
To cure the problem, file the missed report or reports and pay the reinstatement fee for each year missed. The reinstatement fee is $35 for an LLC and $50 for a corporation. Reinstatement relates back as if the termination never happened, so the entity is treated as continuously existing. Confirm on the Secretary of State fee schedule whether the regular report fee is also owed for each missed year, because the state figures used for this guide do not settle that question.
Two points matter most. First, termination does not change the limited liability status of an LLC's members (4034(d)), so missing a report does not by itself expose members to personal liability. Second, you lose the right to the entity name only five years after the report was due, so reinstating quickly protects both the entity and its name. No separate late penalty appears in the fee figures used for this guide, but confirm that on the fee schedule before you file a late report.
Annual compliance checklist
- Calendar the deadline. March 31 for a calendar-year LLC, March 15 for a calendar-year corporation, or three months and two and one-half months after your fiscal year end, respectively.
- Verify your record. Check the fiscal year end, entity name and agent information in the Business Search.
- File early. Use the Online Business Service Center at least one to two weeks before the deadline.
- Pay $45 for an LLC or $60 for a corporation. Save the confirmation.
- Update the agent. If the agent changes, file a Statement of Change ($35 for an LLC, $25 for a corporation).
- Check your tax obligations separately. If your entity is an S corporation or a partnership-taxed LLC, calendar the $250 entity tax on its own Department of Taxes deadline.
- Watch for state notices. Keep your mailing and email contacts current so reminders reach you.
Frequently asked questions
Does every Vermont LLC owe the $250 entity tax?
No. The $250 minimum applies to S corporations, partnerships and LLCs taxed as partnerships. It does not apply to a disregarded single-member LLC. Your tax classification decides which group you fall into, so confirm it with a CPA if you are unsure.
Do I need a Vermont business license to file?
Vermont has no general statewide business license. You register your entity with the Secretary of State, open a Department of Taxes account if you collect tax or withhold, and then add the licenses and permits your specific activity requires. Vermont's 6% sales tax applies to goods and a short list of items, so many service businesses never collect it. Check whether your activity is covered before you assume you need a sales tax account.
Can I file the annual report and pay the entity tax at the same time?
You can handle both in the same month if your deadlines line up, but they are separate filings with separate agencies. The annual report goes to the Secretary of State. The entity tax goes with the Department of Taxes return. Keeping them on separate calendar entries prevents one from getting lost behind the other.
When should I get professional help?
Routine annual reports for a single-owner LLC are usually straightforward. Get help from a qualified attorney or CPA if you have several members, a partnership or S corporation tax election, multiple missed reports, or questions about how a reinstatement affects your tax position. A professional can also confirm that the figures in this guide still match the current fee schedules before you file.
For the authoritative fee and filing details, go directly to the Vermont Secretary of State's Business Services Division and the Department of Taxes. Their current pages override anything in this guide.