The MN Secretary of State Business Renewal for LLCs must get filed by December 31st each year for an LLC to remain in good standing with the state. For most jurisdictions, the Business Renewal, or what Minnesota calls the “LLC Annual Renewal,” is referred to as the "Annual Report." Although its name may be different, it serves the same purpose as it does in all other states. 

Two Ways to File Your Annual Renewal

You have two filing options—either online or through the mail. Although you can choose the method that will serve you best, the encouragement is for more businesses to file online. The reasons are that it allows for a faster processing time, and it is more straightforward to complete. When you submit through the mail, it can take anywhere from four to seven days to process, whereas, the online filing has an immediate turnaround time.

Does Filing for LLC Business Renewal Cost Anything?

Providing your company is in good standing, there is no required fee for the Annual Renewal. On the other hand, if you did not renew your LLC previously and as a result have been shut down or dissolved administratively by the state, you must remit a filing fee of $25 for a mailed submission, or $45 to submit the online form. Once your payment is received, and after the appropriate processing time for your chosen filing method, your LLC will be reinstated. 

What Happens If You Do Not Renew?

If you do not have your Annual Renewal submitted by December 31st, your LLC's administrative functionality will get terminated. A year following the approval of your limited liability company, you must begin compliance filing annually for business renewal. So for some businesses, this could mean being shut down by the state after being in operation for only one year by missing the deadline. For other companies, it could happen any given year, if the Office of the Secretary of State does not get a submitted form in time. 

In the fall of each year, the Minnesota Secretary of State, through either emails or mailed postcards addressed to your Minnesota LLC Registered Agent, sends out reminders prompting you to file. However, to avoid the risk of getting dissolved administratively by the state of Minnesota for failure to comply, it is advisable to submit at earlier times of the year, perhaps as soon as January 1st, to ensure your LLC remains in good standing.

Information Required to Complete the Mail-in Annual Renewal 

If you decide to mail in your Annual Renewal form, there is a printable PDF version available for download by visiting the website for the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State at http://www.sos.state.mn.us/media/1569/llcdomesticforeignrenewal.pdf. 

Once you have printed out the form, using only a black or blue pen, fill it out it completely and sign. You can also use the computer to type in the information and then print out the filled form to sign and mail. The PDF is for mailing and cannot be submitted online. When printing out the document, make sure you use regular, 8.5" x 11" white paper.

On the form, give the following details: 

  • Provide your LLC's File Number, which you can locate from your original LLC approval paperwork. 
  • Your “Home Jurisdiction” refers to the state where your LLC got organized, and you will enter "Minnesota" in this section. 
  • The full name of your LLC goes on the first line where the form reads “Business Name,” meaning you must include the designator, such as "Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” “LLC,” and so forth as well. 
  • Leave the “Alternate Name” field blank, unless your LLC is foreign, which would mean your company is from another state but registering in Minnesota. 
  • The “Office Address” and “Registered Agent” boxes should get filled with a physical street address—not a P.O. Box—and the full name of your Minnesota Registered Agent. If your company's Registered Agent is another business, the company must be authorized to conduct business in Minnesota. Otherwise, if your agent is a person, he or she needs to be a resident of the state. 
  • Either the address of your Registered Agent, an office address, or your residential address can be put down for the “Principal Executive Office Address.” 
  • The “Chief Manager” portion must get filled with a name and address of the person who handles the responsibility of running the business from day-to-day.

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