Pennsylvania Decennial Report: What Replaced It and What Businesses File Now

Pennsylvania businesses still need to stay on top of state compliance, but the old decennial report system no longer applies to most business entities. In its place, Pennsylvania now requires annual reports for many domestic and foreign filing associations. If you formed a business in Pennsylvania, foreign qualified in the state, or manage ongoing compliance for an entity that does business there, understanding the new filing rules is essential.

This guide explains what the Pennsylvania decennial report used to be, what changed under current law, who must file annual reports, what information the state asks for, and how to stay in good standing without missing a deadline.

What Was the Pennsylvania Decennial Report?

The Pennsylvania decennial report was a periodic filing that certain business entities submitted every 10 years to confirm that they were still active and operating in the Commonwealth. For years, it functioned as a state-level compliance checkpoint and was tied to Pennsylvania’s name availability rules.

That system is now part of Pennsylvania’s filing history, not the current routine for most entities. The state repealed the decennial report requirement for domestic and foreign filing associations and replaced it with a recurring annual report requirement beginning in 2025.

What Changed in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania’s Act 122 of 2022 created annual reports for most domestic and foreign filing associations and repealed the decennial report requirement for those entities. In practical terms, this means:

• Most business entities no longer file a decennial report.
• Many entities now file an annual report instead.
• Deadlines are based on entity type.
• Filing is part of the ongoing compliance process for active entities.

This change brought Pennsylvania closer to the reporting structure used in many other states. For business owners, it also means compliance has shifted from an infrequent 10-year filing to a predictable yearly obligation.

Who Must File Pennsylvania Annual Reports?

Pennsylvania annual reporting applies to a broad group of domestic and foreign filing associations. In general, the filing requirement covers:

• Domestic business corporations
• Domestic nonprofit corporations
• Domestic limited liability companies
• Domestic limited liability general partnerships
• Domestic electing partnerships that are not limited partnerships
• Domestic limited partnerships, including limited liability limited partnerships
• Domestic professional associations
• Domestic business trusts
• Foreign business corporations
• Foreign nonprofit corporations
• Foreign limited liability companies
• Foreign limited partnerships, including limited liability limited partnerships
• Foreign limited liability general partnerships
• Foreign professional associations
• Foreign business trusts

Some filing types are not required to submit annual reports, including fictitious names, general partnerships that are not limited liability partnerships, authorities, name reservations, land banks, financial institutions, credit unions, name registrations, trademarks, and certain insignias and marks.

If you are unsure whether your entity is in scope, it is best to confirm the entity’s filing type and status before the deadline arrives.

Pennsylvania Annual Report Deadlines

Annual report due dates depend on the entity type:

• Corporations, domestic and foreign: June 30
• Limited liability companies, domestic and foreign: September 30
• All other domestic filing entities and foreign filing associations: December 31

A company does not have to file its annual report in the same calendar year it is formed or foreign registered. The first annual report is generally due the following year.

That makes formation date and entity classification especially important when planning compliance. A new entity may not owe a report immediately, but it still needs a filing calendar so it does not miss the first due date.

What Information Goes on the Annual Report?

Pennsylvania’s annual report asks for core entity information, including:

• Business name
• Jurisdiction of formation
• Registered office address
• Name of at least one governor, such as a director, general partner, manager, or member with material management responsibility, depending on the entity type
• Names and titles of principal officers, if any
• Principal office address
• Pennsylvania entity number

The information must be current as of the date the report is filed. That means the annual report should reflect the business’s real-time status, not last year’s records.

What Does the Annual Report Cost?

The filing fee is $7 for:

• Business corporations
• LLCs
• LPs
• LLPs

There is no fee for nonprofit corporations and no fee for LPs or LLCs with a not-for-profit purpose.

Fees can change, so it is smart to verify the current amount before filing, especially if your entity has multiple compliance obligations in the same year.

How Do You File in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania strongly encourages electronic filing through the Department of State’s Business Filing Services portal. The process is straightforward:

1. Log in to the state filing system.
2. Search for the company name.
3. Open the annual report filing.
4. Confirm or update entity information.
5. Pay the filing fee, if required.
6. Download the filed report from the business work queue after processing.

Paper filing is still available for some filers, but electronic filing is faster and reduces the chance of errors or mailing delays.

Why This Filing Matters

Annual reports are not just administrative paperwork. They help the state keep business records current and support public transparency around active entities.

Missing the deadline can create unnecessary problems, including compliance issues and administrative consequences. It can also complicate name availability and make it harder to maintain clean records with the state.

If your business relies on limited liability protection, contract credibility, or good standing certificates, annual compliance should be treated as a priority rather than a back-office afterthought.

Is the Decennial Report Still Relevant at All?

For most business entities, no. The decennial report requirement for associations has been repealed.

That said, Pennsylvania law still uses the term in limited contexts outside ordinary business entity reporting, so it is easy to run into older references online. If you see a page or checklist discussing decennial reports for LLCs or corporations, verify whether the content predates the annual reporting changes.

For current business compliance, the key question is not whether you owe a decennial report. It is whether your entity must file an annual report and by what deadline.

How Zenind Can Help

Staying compliant is easier when filing deadlines are tracked in one place. Zenind helps business owners and entrepreneurs manage formation and ongoing compliance tasks with a process designed to reduce missed deadlines and filing confusion.

For Pennsylvania entities, that means keeping annual reporting on your radar, organizing the information needed for each filing, and helping you stay focused on running the business instead of tracking state deadlines manually.

Pennsylvania Compliance Checklist

Use this checklist to stay organized:

• Confirm whether your entity is required to file an annual report
• Verify your filing deadline based on entity type
• Review your registered office and principal office information
• Identify at least one governor or responsible person for the report
• Gather your Pennsylvania entity number
• File early enough to avoid last-minute delays
• Keep your compliance calendar updated for next year’s deadline

Final Thoughts

The Pennsylvania decennial report is no longer the main compliance filing for most business entities. Today, annual reports are the filing to watch, and the deadline depends on whether your business is a corporation, LLC, or another filing association.

If your entity is active in Pennsylvania, now is the time to review your status, confirm your due date, and put a repeatable annual compliance process in place. A small filing today can help prevent larger problems later.