Home / Management / Annual report & renewals
Annual compliance
Annual reports and renewals, never missed.
A US company has recurring formalities. Missing one can cost you your good standing. We keep your calendar and prepare each filing with you.
At a glance
What is included.
Your compliance calendar
Every date that applies to your company and your state, in one place.
Reminders
We contact you ahead of each deadline, not after it.
Annual report filing
We prepare the state report with you and file it.
Registered agent renewal
Tracked alongside your state filings.
The basics
What annual compliance means for your company
Every company registered in the United States, the United Kingdom or Hong Kong has to confirm to its registry, at regular intervals, that it still exists and that the information on record is correct. The filing has a different name in each place: an annual report or franchise tax in most US states, a confirmation statement and annual accounts in the UK, an annual return and business registration renewal in Hong Kong.
These filings are usually short, and they carry real weight. A company that misses them loses its good standing, and a registry can eventually dissolve or strike off a company that stays silent. For an online business the practical consequences often arrive before the registry’s own penalties, because banks and payment providers re-verify the companies they serve from time to time and consult public records when they do.
Founders who live abroad are the most exposed. Official reminders go to the registered agent or the registered office, often by post, in a country you do not live in. Atiko keeps a compliance calendar for each client company, prepares the filings with you and submits them before they fall due, so that the company stays in good standing while you concentrate on the store.
By jurisdiction
How annual compliance works in each jurisdiction
| United States | United Kingdom | Hong Kong | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main registry filing | Annual report or franchise tax, depending on the state | Confirmation statement to Companies House | Annual return to the Companies Registry |
| Financial filings | Federal return to the IRS; state returns where they apply | Annual accounts to Companies House; Company Tax Return to HMRC | Audited financial statements; profits tax return to the Inland Revenue Department |
| Yearly renewals | Registered agent service in the state of formation | Registered office and registered email kept valid | Business registration renewal; Hong Kong company secretary retained |
| Local variation | Rules differ by state; a Delaware LLC pays a flat $400 tax | One set of rules for every private limited company | One set of rules for every private company |
| Where reminders arrive | Registered agent’s address in the state | Registered office and registered email address | Registered office and company secretary |
| If nothing is filed | Loss of good standing, then administrative dissolution | Late filing penalties, then possible strike-off | Penalties, then possible striking off the register |
Government fees are set by the state or the registry, are the same whoever files, and are shown separately from Atiko’s own fee.
The risks
What goes wrong when compliance is neglected
The cost of a missed filing is rarely limited to the late fee.
The company loses good standing
A missed report or return changes the company’s public status. Anyone who looks the company up, including a bank, can see it.
Penalties accumulate quietly
Late fees and interest are added by the state or the registry without further warning. Notices go to an address abroad, so many founders learn of them late.
The registry can close the company
A company that stays out of compliance can be administratively dissolved in the US or struck off the register in the UK and Hong Kong. Restoring it afterwards is slower and more expensive than filing on time.
Bank and payment accounts are reviewed
Banks, Stripe and Shopify Payments run their own periodic checks. A company that is no longer in good standing can face requests for documents, limits on the account or a pause in payouts, at the provider’s discretion.
Later transactions are delayed
Opening a new account, bringing in an investor or selling the business usually requires proof of good standing.
From you
What we need from you each year
Most of the information is already in your Atiko file. We ask you to confirm it, because you are the owner and the filings are made in the company’s name.
The process
How the compliance year runs
We build your compliance calendar
When your company joins Atiko, we record every recurring obligation for its jurisdiction and state, with the due date of each one.
We send an early reminder
Well ahead of each due date we write to you with what is coming, what it involves and what we need from you.
You confirm the company’s details
You check the information on record and tell us about any change during the year. Any change is filed first, so that the annual filing is accurate.
We prepare the filing
A filing specialist drafts the annual report, confirmation statement or annual return and sends it to you for review. In Hong Kong the company secretary signs the annual return.
We file and pay the registry
After your approval we submit the filing and settle the government fee on the company’s behalf.
You receive the confirmation
We send you the filed copy or the registry’s acknowledgment and update your calendar for the following year.
In practice
How Atiko handles it
Each client company has a file with its formation documents, its ownership and its due dates. A filing specialist monitors that calendar, prepares the registry filings in-house and keeps the supporting services running: the registered agent in the US, the registered office in the UK, the company secretary and registered office in Hong Kong.
Registry filings are administrative work, and that is what we do. Accounts, audits and tax returns are a different matter. They are prepared and signed by independent licensed accountants and auditors, and Atiko coordinates with them so that deadlines and documents line up. If a question calls for legal or tax judgment, we tell you so and you take it to a qualified professional.
Avoid these
Common mistakes to avoid
Assuming a dormant company has nothing to file
A company with no sales still has to file its registry documents, and in most cases its tax filings as well.
Treating registry filings and tax filings as one task
The annual report or confirmation statement goes to the registry, while tax returns go to the tax authority.
Letting the registered agent or office lapse
If the address service is cancelled or unpaid, official mail stops reaching you.
Filing with outdated information
Confirming last year’s details when a director, shareholder or address has changed creates an inaccurate public record.
Waiting for a reminder from the government
Some registries send notices and some do not, and none of them promise that you will receive one.
What Atiko does not control
Atiko prepares and submits registry filings, and it does not prepare tax returns, accounts or audits, which are the work of independent licensed professionals. Registries, tax authorities, banks and payment providers make their own decisions about your company. We can file on time only when the information and approvals we request reach us before the due date.
Questions about annual compliance
Does my company have to file if it made no sales?
Yes, in almost every case. Registry filings are owed because the company exists, whatever its revenue. Tax filings are generally still required as well, and your accountant confirms what applies to a company with no activity.
When is my first annual filing due?
It depends on the jurisdiction, and in the US on the state. Some due dates follow the anniversary of formation and others fall on a fixed calendar date. Atiko confirms the dates for your company.
What does a Delaware, Wyoming or New Mexico LLC owe each year?
A Delaware LLC pays a flat annual tax of $400. A Wyoming LLC files an annual report with a minimum fee of $60. A New Mexico LLC has no annual report to file. In every state the registered agent must be maintained, and federal filings are separate.
What is a UK confirmation statement?
It is a filing in which the company confirms to Companies House that the details on the public register are correct, including its directors, shareholders, registered office and persons with significant control. The annual accounts and the Company Tax Return are separate filings.
What does a Hong Kong company file every year?
It delivers an annual return to the Companies Registry and renews its business registration. It also has audited financial statements prepared and files a profits tax return with the Inland Revenue Department when one is issued.
What happens if a deadline has already passed?
In most cases the overdue filing can still be submitted with the late fee or penalty set by the registry. The sooner it is done, the lower the cost usually is.
Can a dissolved or struck-off company be restored?
Often it can, through reinstatement in the US or restoration in the UK and Hong Kong. The process requires the missing filings and outstanding fees, takes longer than ordinary compliance, and is decided by the state or registry.
Can Atiko take over compliance for a company formed elsewhere?
Yes. We review the company’s current status and filing history, move the registered agent, registered office or company secretary service if you ask us to, and build the calendar from there.
Related pages
This page is general information, last reviewed in October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice and may not reflect the latest rules in every state. Atiko is not a law firm or an accounting firm. Please consult a licensed attorney or tax adviser about your own situation.
Ready to start your company?
Book a 20-minute call. We tell you exactly what we set up, and how fast.