Warner issues final notice to business owners to file Annual Report before July 1st deadline

Charleston, W.Va. —Secretary of State Mac Warner is issuing an additional notice to business owners to file their Annual Report before the statutory deadline of July 1st. For a business to avoid the $50 late filing fee, the Annual Report must be postmarked or submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on July 1, 2021.

All 135,262 for-profit and non-profit entities conducting business in West Virginia are required to file an Annual Report with the Secretary of State's Office. The cost to file the Annual Report is $25 and the deadline to file is by the end of the day on July 1 of each year. For-profit organizations filing after the deadline are assessed a $50 late fee in addition to their $25 filing fee. In addition to their filing fee, non-profit organizations that submit their annual report after the deadline are charged $25.

"We are here to help business owners stay compliant with the registration process and the deadlines," said Penney Barker, director of the Business & Licensing Division. "We never enjoy having to assess a late fee."

Over the last four years, the Secretary of State's Office has made substantial improvements to the user-friendly nature of the website with a particular focus on the ability for business owners to file Annual Reports online. Business owners can file online 24-hours a day and on weekends by visiting the following website: https://onestop.wv.gov/b4wvpublic/.

"Thousands of business owners file their Annual Report during the last week of the filing period," Barker said. "Those who call in by phone this time of year may experience long wait times. We now have a very popular ‘call back’ feature which allows a member of our staff to call the business owner back without them having to hold for extended periods of time."

According to Barker, the office would prefer that all businesses file their Annual Report online. However, filing by mail is still an option for business owners. To avoid the late fee, annual reports must be filed online by 11:59 p.m. or via U.S. mail postmarked by no later than July 1, 2021.

Those wanting to contact the WVSOS Business & Licensing Division can do so by calling (304) 558-8000.