Iowa Certificate of Authority / Biennial report
The Iowa biennial report: which year, which fee, for each entity type
Once authorized, every outside entity in Iowa files a biennial report between January 1 and April 1, but the year and the fee depend on the type: LLCs and nonprofits file in odd-numbered years, with the LLC paying $30 online or $45 on paper and the nonprofit paying no filing fee, and business corporations file in even-numbered years for $60.
The report by entity type
| Entity | Year | Window | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC | Odd | January 1 to April 1 | $30 online, $45 paper |
| Limited liability partnership | Odd | January 1 to April 1 | $30 online, $45 paper |
| Nonprofit corporation | Odd | January 1 to April 1 | No filing fee |
| Business corporation | Even | January 1 to April 1 | $60 |
When is the first one due?
The first LLC report falls between January 1 and April 1 of the first odd-numbered year after the calendar year in which the foreign LLC registered; the first corporation report falls between January 1 and April 1 of the first even-numbered year after the calendar year in which the foreign corporation registered.
What the LLC report states
The company name, the name and street address of the registered agent and the consent of any new agent, the street address of the principal office, and for a foreign LLC the jurisdiction of formation and any alternate name. The information must be current on the day the report is delivered. Each biennial report covers the two-year period before the year in which it is filed.
What the corporation report states
The corporation name and any alternate name, the jurisdiction of formation, the principal office and any office required at home, the registered office and agent in Iowa, and the names and business addresses of the president, secretary, treasurer and one director. Compared with the LLC, the corporation adds the officers and a director.
What the nonprofit report involves
A nonprofit's report is free to file but not optional: sixty days of delay give the state a ground to revoke the certificate of authority.
Filing online or by mail
A walkthrough on how to file the report online sits on the Fast Track help site. For paper, a biennial report can be printed from Fast Track and mailed; in the entity search step the paper choice brings up a PDF.
When a report is returned
A report that lacks required information is returned for correction, and a corporation that corrects it within thirty days after the notice becomes effective is treated as timely. The same form can carry a change of registered agent: the report form may be used to change the registered agent or its address, and the Secretary of State files that change before returning a report that is otherwise incomplete.
A report calendar for several entities
An organization with a nonprofit, an LLC and a corporation in Iowa has reports in both odd and even years. Odd years bring the nonprofit and LLC reports, even years the corporation report, all in the same January to April window. Assigning each to a named person, with a reminder in December, keeps the window from arriving unplanned.
The cost of a missed report
For an LLC or corporation, a report sixty days overdue lets the state start termination, which cannot take effect until sixty days after the notice certificate reaches the agent. For a nonprofit, revocation follows notice, and the corporation has sixty days from service to correct the ground. For an LLC or corporation the state files a certificate of termination that states the grounds and sends a copy to the agent, or to the main office when no agent exists. See the penalty and termination page.
An entity with two papers
Across a group that holds a nonprofit, an LLC and a business corporation in Iowa, a report falls due every year. One person owning the calendar for all of them keeps the dates straight.
Report questions
Which year does my entity report?
LLCs, LLPs and nonprofits report in odd years, business corporations in even years.
How much is it?
$30 online for an LLC, $60 for a corporation and no filing fee for a nonprofit.
What if I miss it?
Termination or revocation can begin once the report is sixty days late.
Our fee and Iowa's
We tell you which Iowa fee applies before you pay. An LLC and a nonprofit pay different amounts. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Get Iowa authority to operate
IA$199
+ the Iowa fee for your entity type, from $25
- The Iowa paper that fits your entity type, drafted from what you tell us
- The certificate of existence from home, ordered so it lands inside Iowa's ninety days
- An Iowa registered agent or office: ours, or your current one
- The filing sent and the state's record returned, with your report year marked
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Sources
- Iowa Form 635_0106, nonprofit application for certificate of authority
- Iowa Form 635_0010, LLC foreign registration statement
- Iowa Code 489.903, foreign registration statement
- Iowa Code 490.1503, foreign corporation registration statement
- Iowa Code 504.1503, application for a certificate of authority
- Iowa Form 635_0110a, foreign profit corporation registration statement
- Iowa Code 490.122, business corporation fees
- Iowa Fast Track Filing help, how to file a biennial report
- Iowa Code 489.212, biennial report
- Iowa Code 490.1621, biennial report of a corporation
- Iowa Secretary of State, business entity forms and fees
- Iowa Code 504.1531, grounds for revocation of a certificate of authority
- Iowa Code 489.911, administrative termination of registration
- Iowa Code 504.1532, procedure for and effect of revocation
Not sure which Iowa paper you need?
Name your entity type and home state and we will say what Iowa asks.