The Virginia LLC annual report is a common point of confusion, but Virginia LLCs don't actually file one. They pay a $50 Annual Registration Fee to the State Corporation Commission instead. As of 2026, here's the deadline, the cost, the payment process, and the penalties for paying late.
Does Virginia Require an Annual Report for LLCs?
Virginia does not require LLCs to file an annual report; every Virginia LLC instead pays a $50 Annual Registration Fee to the State Corporation Commission each year. The state reserves the annual report for stock and nonstock corporations, which file that report on top of their own registration fee. LLCs skip the report and owe only the fee.
The obligation lives in the Virginia Limited Liability Company Act, specifically Va. Code Title 13.1, Chapter 12, Article 11, titled “Annual Registration Fees.” The agency that collects it is the Office of the Clerk within the SCC. Because the first fee isn't due until the year after formation, it pays to understand the obligation while you're still starting a Virginia LLC.
Virginia separates its entity types more cleanly than most states. The table below shows who files a report and who only pays a fee.
| Virginia entity | Annual report? | Registration fee? | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic LLC | No | Yes | $50 |
| Foreign LLC | No | Yes | $50 |
| Stock corporation | Yes | Yes | Share-based |
| Nonstock corporation | Yes | Yes | $25 |
| LLP or LLLP | Continuation Report | Separate filing | $50 |
I get more “wait, do I file an annual report?” questions from Virginia LLC owners than almost any other state I work with. The confusion is fair because the SCC uses similar compliance language for different entity types.
Virginia uses “annual report” language for stock and nonstock corporations.
Virginia LLCs do not file that report. They pay the $50 Annual Registration Fee instead.
Near deadline season, I also see official-looking mailers offering to file a “Virginia annual report” for a padded fee. The SCC warns business owners about third-party solicitations, so my advice is simple: pay the $50 directly through the Clerk’s Information System and recycle the letters.
Virginia LLC Annual Registration Fee Deadline and Formation Month Rule
Virginia doesn't use a single statewide due date. Your deadline is the last day of the month your LLC was formed or, for a foreign LLC, registered in the state.
Va. Code § 13.1-1062 sets the first fee due on the last day of the twelfth month after formation. So nothing is owed in your formation year, and the first payment lands the next year. Here's how that anniversary rule plays out:
| Your LLC formed or registered | First $50 fee due | Recurring deadline |
|---|---|---|
| January 5, 2025 | January 31, 2026 | January 31 each year |
| April 10, 2025 | April 30, 2026 | April 30 each year |
| September 2025 (foreign LLC) | September 30, 2026 | September 30 each year |
One timing detail trips up organized owners. The SCC assesses the fee on the first day of the second month before your due month, and you can't pay before that. A January due date means the fee posts the prior November 1.
Worth flagging: the due date is the last day of the month, even when that lands on a weekend or holiday. Because the penalty applies the moment a payment posts late, it's safest to pay a few days early when your deadline falls on a weekend.
How to Confirm Your Virginia LLC's Due Date in the Clerk's Information System
If you're not sure of your formation month, you can verify it in seconds. A Virginia business entity search returns your LLC's formation date, current status, and the SCC entity ID you'll need to pay. If you formed recently and the company isn't showing yet, check how long a Virginia LLC takes to process before assuming something went wrong.
Virginia LLC Annual Registration Fee Cost: $50 in 2026
The 2026 Annual Registration Fee for a Virginia LLC is a flat $50. It's the same for domestic LLCs and for foreign LLCs registered to transact business in the state, per the SCC's Annual Registration Fees FAQ.
The fee doesn't move with your revenue, your assets, or your number of members. Virginia LLCs also don't pay a separate state franchise tax, which throws off owners coming from states that do. Fifty dollars, once a year, and nothing more on the SCC side.
Against the rest of the country, $50 a year sits on the low end. It still belongs in your running tally of Virginia LLC costs, and because the amount stays fixed, you can budget it like any other annual line item.
How to Pay the Virginia Annual Registration Fee in the Clerk's Information System
Most Virginia LLC owners pay online in a few minutes. The SCC accepts the fee three ways, and the method you pick mainly affects how fast you get confirmation.
Paying Online Through the SCC Clerk's Information System
The fastest route is the Clerk's Information System, the SCC's online portal. After logging in, choose Online Services, then Pay Registration Fees, and search for your LLC by name or entity ID.
From there you'll select the business, enter an entity email and contact number, review the Registration Fee List, and move the fee to your cart. You pay by credit card, confirm the acknowledgment, and the system returns a confirmation screen once payment processes. That screen is your receipt; save it.
Paying the Virginia Annual Registration Fee by Mail or In Person
Prefer paper? You can mail a check or money order to the Office of the Clerk, P.O. Box 1197, Richmond, VA 23218. In-person payment at the SCC's Richmond office is also an option. Mailed payments take longer to reach the Commission, so build in lead time rather than sending a check the week it's due.
Here’s the timing quirk I see catch organized owners off guard: for the regular annual payment, you usually can’t just pay the Virginia Annual Registration Fee whenever you feel like it.
The SCC assesses the fee on the first day of the second month before your LLC’s due month.
An LLC with a January deadline usually sees the fee post on November 1, not in September.
I tell clients to set the reminder for the assessment date, not just the final deadline, so the fee gets paid as soon as the window opens. Note: if CIS shows an available multi-year prepayment option, treat that as a separate online prepayment feature. The key point is still the same: check CIS instead of assuming the fee can be paid on any random date.
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What Information You Need to Pay the Virginia Annual Registration Fee
Because this is a fee payment and not a full entity report, the required information is short. Gather these before you log in:
- Your LLC's exact name or its SCC entity ID, used to locate the company in CIS
- A current entity email address and contact phone number
- A billing address and payment method: a credit card for online, or a check or money order by mail
Notice what's missing. The payment doesn't ask for your members, managers, NAICS code, or EIN, the way a corporate annual report might. It also isn't the place to update company records.
A change of registered agent goes on Form LLC1016, and a principal office address change uses Form LLC1018.1, both filed separately from the fee.
If your agent setup needs attention, weigh your options for a Virginia registered agent, and keep ownership changes recorded in your Virginia LLC operating agreement.
Virginia LLC Late Penalty and Automatic Cancellation Under Va. Code § 13.1-1050.2
Miss the deadline and Virginia adds a $25 penalty to the unpaid $50, under Va. Code § 13.1-1064. The SCC then mails a notice covering the penalty and the impending cancellation of your LLC.
The harder consequence is cancellation. If the fee stays unpaid through the last day of the third month after the due date, a domestic LLC's existence is automatically canceled under Va. Code § 13.1-1050.2, and a foreign LLC's certificate of registration is canceled under § 13.1-1056.1. No hearing, no extra step; it happens by operation of law.
Cancellation isn't cosmetic. A canceled domestic LLC's property and affairs pass to its members or managers as trustees in liquidation, and the company loses the standing it needs to sue or sign enforceable contracts under its name.
For a foreign LLC, cancellation also makes the Clerk of the Commission its agent for service of process on claims from its registered period. That adds up fast, all over a $50 bill.
Reinstating a Canceled Virginia LLC: The Short Version
A canceled Virginia LLC isn't gone for good. State law gives owners a five-year window to reinstate after cancellation, under Va. Code §§ 13.1-1050.4 and 13.1-1056.3. Reinstatement costs $100 plus every unpaid Annual Registration Fee and penalty that piled up while the company was canceled.
Once the SCC enters the reinstatement order, the LLC's existence is treated as continuous, as if the cancellation never happened. The deeper mechanics, including name-compliance checks and the reinstatement packet itself, are their own topic. If you're unsure whether your company is still active, a quick Virginia LLC status review confirms it well before any deadline slips.
The Virginia cancellation clock is shorter than many owners expect. If you miss the Annual Registration Fee deadline, you do not get a full year to fix it.
The annual amount your Virginia LLC should have paid on time.
Added after the deadline when the registration fee is unpaid.
Added if cancellation happens and you need to bring the LLC back.
The SCC can cancel a domestic LLC’s existence after the last day of the third month following the due date. By then, a small $50 fee has become the original fee, the $25 penalty, and a $100 reinstatement charge before you even count the loss of good standing.
I recommend calendaring the deadline the day you form the company. Virginia will assess the fee, but it will not chase you to pay it.
Virginia LLC Annual Report and Registration Fee: Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions Virginia LLC owners ask most once they learn the annual report isn't what they actually file. The answers below reflect SCC rules and the Virginia Limited Liability Company Act as of 2026.
Do Virginia LLCs file an annual report every year?
No, not the corporation-style annual report. Virginia LLCs skip that form, but they still owe a yearly $50 Annual Registration Fee to the State Corporation Commission, starting the year after formation.
How much is the Virginia LLC Annual Registration Fee?
The fee is a flat $50 per year. Foreign LLCs registered in Virginia pay the same $50, and the amount doesn't change based on revenue or company size.
When is my Virginia LLC Annual Registration Fee due?
It's due on the last day of the month your LLC was formed or registered. An LLC formed in March owes its fee by March 31 each year, starting the year after formation. The fee is assessed two months ahead, so the payment option appears in CIS before the deadline.
What happens if I miss the Virginia LLC Annual Registration Fee deadline?
Virginia adds a $25 penalty right away. If the fee stays unpaid through the last day of the third month after the due date, the SCC automatically cancels the LLC's existence or, for a foreign LLC, its registration.
Can I change my registered agent when I pay the Annual Registration Fee?
No. The fee payment and a registered agent change are separate filings. To switch agents, file Form LLC1016, the Statement of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent, which the SCC accepts at no charge.
Does Virginia send a reminder before the fee is due?
The SCC mails a Notice of Assessment of Annual Registration Fee to your LLC, but mail gets lost and addresses go stale. Treat the notice as a backup, not your primary reminder, and watch for lookalike mailers from private companies that aren't the SCC.
Do foreign LLCs pay the same Virginia Annual Registration Fee?
Yes. A foreign LLC registered to transact business in Virginia pays the same $50, due by the last day of its registration month. The cancellation rules for unpaid fees apply to foreign LLCs too, under Va. Code § 13.1-1056.1.
- Code of Virginia § 13.1-1050.4, Reinstatement of a canceled LLC
- Virginia SCC, Annual Registration Fees FAQ
- Virginia SCC, Maintaining Your Business
- Virginia SCC, Reinstatements FAQ
- Clerk's Information System (CIS)
- Code of Virginia § 13.1-1062, Assessment of annual registration fees
- Code of Virginia § 13.1-1064, Penalty for failure to timely pay
- Code of Virginia § 13.1-1050.2, Automatic cancellation of LLC existence
Looking for an overview? See Virginia LLC Services
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