Maryland Annual Report Filing: Due Date, Fee & How to File

Every LLC and corporation registered in Maryland files an annual report with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). Maryland has no Secretary of State handling business filings, so SDAT is the agency your report goes to. The report itself is Form 1, formally the Business Entity Annual Report, and in some situations it travels together with a Business Personal Property Return. This page walks through the 2026 due date, the fee, the penalty rules, and the filing steps.

What Is the Maryland Annual Report?

Form 1 is the yearly filing that keeps your entity in good standing with SDAT. It confirms your entity's basic information, including the principal office and your registered agent (Maryland statutes call this role the resident agent). Corporations also complete Section II, which lists officers and directors. LLCs skip Section II entirely.

The same form doubles as the Business Personal Property Return, but only when it needs to. Section III asks whether your business owned, leased, or used personal property in Maryland or held a trader's or other local license. Answer no to both questions and Form 1 functions as a straightforward annual report. Answer yes to either one and you complete the property return sections as well.

Maryland Annual Report Due Date

The report is due April 15 each year, the same day as personal income taxes. The filing window opens January 1, so you can take care of it early in the year. If you need more time, SDAT offers a free 60-day extension to June 15, requested online.

Maryland Annual Report Fee

The official Maryland annual report fee is $300 for LLCs and most for-profit entities, a flat amount that does not depend on property values or revenue. Paying online adds a 3% service charge, which brings the total to roughly $309. Nonstock and nonprofit corporations file at no charge. The fee authority sits in Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-203, and the property return requirement traces to Md. Code, Tax-Property § 11-101.

How to File a Maryland Annual Report

You can file online or on paper. Online filings clear review in about 3 to 5 business days, and a same-day expedited option is available for $325. The steps:

1. Gather your SDAT ID number and confirm your entity information, including your registered agent's name and Maryland address.
2. Log in to Maryland Business Express, SDAT's online filing portal, or download the paper Form 1 instead.
3. Answer the Section III questions about Maryland personal property and local licenses.
4. Complete the personal property sections only if a Section III answer was yes. LLCs leave Section II blank either way.
5. Pay the $300 fee and submit by April 15, or by June 15 if you requested the extension.

Full details live on SDAT's Annual Report and Personal Property Return page.

Late Filing Penalties and Forfeiture

Maryland's late penalty is unusual. Rather than a flat late fee, SDAT applies an initial penalty of 1/10 of 1% of your county property assessment, plus interest of 2% of that initial penalty for every 30 days the filing runs late. It is a property-tax style penalty tied to the county assessment, not a fixed dollar amount.

The bigger risk is forfeiture. Keep skipping the report and Maryland forfeits your charter, which means loss of good standing for a domestic entity and loss of the right to do business here for a foreign one. Restoring a forfeited entity means reinstatement filings plus every overdue report, so staying current is far cheaper in effort.

The Personal Property Return Connection

Because Form 1 combines the annual report and the property return, some owners assume they owe personal property tax to the state every year. They do not. The tax on business personal property is a county and municipal tax. SDAT only assesses the value and certifies it to your county, which handles any billing. The only amount due to SDAT with the report itself is the $300 filing fee.

How We Help

For $99 per year, we serve as your Maryland registered agent and back you up on compliance. We track the April 15 deadline and send reminders in time for you to gather what you need. Any notice SDAT mails about your filing status arrives at our address, gets scanned the same day, and lands in your online portal with an email alert.

Our service includes:

• Compliance reminders for the annual report and other deadlines
• Same-day scanning of legal documents and state mail
• Online portal access to all correspondence
• Privacy protection, with our address on public filings instead of yours
• A physical Maryland registered office address

Get Started

Keep your Maryland entity in good standing without watching the calendar yourself. Sign up for our $99 annual registered agent service, or reach us at support@mdregisteredagent.org with questions about the annual report.