How to File an Annual Report in Missouri? (Full Guide)
To remain in good standing, corporations must file annual reports through the Missouri annual report service. LLCs are not required to file annual reports in Missouri.
As a business attorney who has guided over 40 Missouri businesses through their annual report filings in the past 4 years, I understand the common pitfalls and exact steps needed to stay compliant. I collaborated with 3 other business formation specialists to ensure this guide covers every critical detail for Missouri business owners.
This article will cover everything you need about annual report forms and help you finish this process easily.
Quick Summary
- Filing an annual report is mandatory for corporations registered in Missouri to remain in good standing with the Missouri Secretary of State.
- In Missouri, corporations pay $20 for online annual report filing and $45 for paper filing. Non-profit corporations pay $10 online and $15 by paper.
- Missouri charges a $15 late fee for every 30 days an annual report is filed late.
- According to 2025 data from LendingTree, Missouri ranks third in the nation for business failure rates, with 27.1% of businesses failing within their first year compared to the national average of 21.5%.
What Is Missouri Annual Report?
A Missouri annual report is a required filing for corporations registered with the Missouri Secretary of State. LLCs and partnerships are exempt from this requirement in Missouri.
Companies update any information that has changed since their last annual report filing, such as the Missouri business address, the LLC's ownership information, etc.
How To File A Missouri Annual Report?
To file a Missouri annual report, you must submit all the required documents to the Secretary of State by mail or online.
1. Online Filings
You can use the annual report service to file an annual report online by following these steps:
- Visit the Missouri Business online portal and log in.
- Enter the charter number or search by the name of foreign and domestic corporations for the business you are filing your report for.
- Click “File an annual report online.”
- If you have previously filed, your information will populate; if not, there will be a blank annual report. Ensure all the details match your entity and the report type is correct.
- Submit and print the annual report.
To complete the online filing process, pay the filing fees using one of the following methods:
- Visa
- Discover
- Mastercard
- American Express
"For our initial annual report filing, we chose to file online and paid the filing fee with a credit card; we incurred an additional $1.25 fee for the online payments."
- Jon Morgan, CEO, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Venture Smarter
Once you submit the yearly report online, you will be able to access all forms on the dashboard or have them emailed or mailed to you.
2. Mail Filings
In our second round of filing, we submitted our annual report through the mail by downloading the annual renewal paper form and mailing it to the state.
This is how to do mail filings, step by step:
- After creating an account and logging in on the Missouri Secretary of State website, go to the business filings landing page
- Look for the box titled Registration Reports
- Click “Print Registration Report”
- Enter the charter number or search by the name of the entity
- Click print Blank Annual Report
- Make sure the entity details match your entity; the report type is your chosen type
- Click “Print Blank Annual Report”
We appreciate that the Secretary of State accepts different payment methods for mail filing, including:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Check
- Cash
- Money order
Direct your paper Missouri LLC annual report to the following address:
Missouri Corporations Unit
James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
P.O. Box 778
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Drawing from our experience, the Missouri Secretary of State takes about 5 business days to approve mailed annual reports.
What to Include in the Annual Report?
You must provide the following information when filing a Missouri LLC annual report:
- Company/business name
- The principal executive office address
- Missouri registered agent full name and office address
- Email address
During our filing, we were also updating/changing our registered agent information, and we had to include written consent from the new registered agent.
How Early Can I File my Annual Report?
In Missouri, you can file your annual reports as early as the start of 1st month following the registration anniversary month. State corporations are required to file an Annual Registration Report within three months of their anniversary month each year.
LLCs and partnerships are not required to file this type of report in Missouri. Missouri ranks third in the nation for one-year business failure rates at 27.1% and second for five-year failure rates, according to LendingTree's 2025 analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data [1].
Adhering to filing deadlines is one strategy that could enhance the long-term survival of businesses in Missouri.
What Is the Filing Fee for the Report?
The corporation annual report filing fee in Missouri is $20 for online filing and $45 for paper filing.
Corporations also have the option of biennial report filing for $40 online and $90 by paper.
For non-profit corporations, there is a $10 online filing fee for the annual report or $15 for paper submissions.
What is the due date for submitting the annual report?
The due date for submitting the annual report is at the end of the month your business was initially filed.
For corporations like Venture Smarter that were incorporated after July 1st, 2003, the annual report is due at the end of the month the business was filed.
For any company incorporated before July 1st, 2003, the annual report deadline is at the end of the month indicated by your last yearly report filing online.
What are the penalties for not filing the Corporation Annual Report?
The penalties for not filing an annual report in Missouri include administrative dissolution, among other things.
If a corporation fails to file its Annual Report, the state may administratively dissolve the corporation. This means the corporation would lose its legal status as a registered business entity in the state.
Venture Smarter team also lists the following implications as a point of concern:
- Loss of Good Standing: Not filing the Annual Report can result in the corporation losing its good standing with the state. This can impact the corporation's ability to conduct business, enter into contracts, and access financing.
- Potential Penalties and Fees: Any late-filed annual reports are charged a $15 filing fee for each 30 days that the annual report is late with the Corporations Division.
Related articles:
- How to Set Up an LLC in Missouri
- Premium LLC Formation Services in Missouri
- Cost of an LLC in Missouri
FAQs
Will You Receive a Reminder to File the Missouri Annual Report?
Yes, you will receive a reminder to file the Missouri annual report. These reminders might be sent via email or through other communication methods registered with the Secretary of State's office.
Who Is Authorized to File the Corporation Annual Report in Missouri?
A corporate officer, director, or a qualified representative such as an accountant or attorney is authorized to file the corporation annual report in Missouri.
How Can I Verify That My Corporation Annual Report Was Successfully Filed in Missouri?
You can verify that your corporation annual report was successfully filed in Missouri through the Secretary of State's online filing system. Once you submit you should also receive a confirmation of the filing via email.
References:
- https://www.lendingtree.com/business/small/failure-rate/
