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Any Iowa LLC doing business in Iowa must file a Biennial Report every 2 years.
You can file your LLC’s Biennial Report by mail or online. We’ll guide you through filing online step-by-step below.
What is a Biennial Report for Iowa LLCs?
The Iowa LLC Biennial Report is a business filing that helps keep your LLC in legal compliance and Good Standing with the state.
The Biennial Report does this by keeping your LLC’s contact information current with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office.
This filing includes basic contact information about your LLC (like your principal office address and your Iowa Registered Agent’s name and business address).
Note: Some states require LLCs to file this report every year instead of every 2 years. Those states call this filing the Annual Report or Annual Renewal, but Iowa calls it the Biennial Report. These documents refer to the same filing information. The only difference is whether you file it every year, or every other year.
What is the purpose of a Biennial Report in Iowa?
You need to file an Iowa LLC Biennial Report in order to keep your LLC in compliance and in good standing with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office.
How much is the Iowa Biennial Report fee for LLCs?
How much it costs to file a Biennial Report in Iowa depends on which filing method you choose:
- If you file your Biennial Report by mail, the filing fee is $45 and the processing time is 7-14 business days.
- If you file your Biennial Report online, the filing fee is $30 and the processing time is immediate.
We recommend the online filing because the filing fee is cheaper and the processing time is much quicker.
Note: The Iowa Biennial Report fees used to be $15 more, however, that changed in 2023. Check out Iowa LLC Cost to learn about other other LLC fees.
When is the Iowa Biennial Report due for LLCs?
Iowa LLC Biennial Reports are due between January 1 and April 1, every odd-numbered year.
And your LLC’s first Biennial Report is due between January 1st and April 1st of the first odd-numbered year after the year your LLC was formed.
After that, Biennial Reports must be filed every odd-numbered year with the Iowa Secretary of State.
Examples:
- If your Iowa LLC is approved in 2024, your first Biennial Report is due between January 1st and April 1st of 2025 (and then every 2 years after that).
- If your Iowa LLC is approved in 2025 or 2026, your first Biennial Report is due between January 1st and April 1st of 2027 (and then every 2 years after that).
- If your Iowa LLC is approved in 2027 or 2028, your first Biennial Report is due between January 1st and April 1st of 2029 (and then every 2 years after that).
How early can you file the Iowa LLC Biennial Report?
You can file your LLC Biennial Report with the Iowa Secretary of State anytime after the 1st Monday in January, on odd-numbered years.
What happens if I don’t file the Iowa Biennial Report?
If you don’t file your Iowa LLC Biennial Report by April 1st, your LLC will go into a “Delinquent” status.
If you continue to ignore this requirement and do not file by August 8th, the Iowa Secretary of State will administratively dissolve (shut down) your Iowa LLC.
How to File an Iowa LLC Biennial Report (Online Filing Instructions)
You can file an Iowa Biennial Report in 7 easy steps:
Login
- Visit the Iowa Secretary of State: Fast Track Filing page
- Under “Business Filings“, click “File a document“
- Look under “Existing Entities” and click “Biennial Report“
- Search your LLC by name (or by Iowa Business Number)
- Click on your LLC name and then begin the filing
Remitter
Enter your contact information in this section.
The state will use your email address for future Biennial Report reminders.
Principal Office
Complete – or update – your LLC’s principal office address.
Note: You can’t change your Registered Agent in the Biennial Report. If you need to change your Registered Agent, you need to separately file this form: Change of Registered Agent.
Sign the Biennial Report
Agree to the terms and enter your name to electronically sign the report.
Review
Review your report for accuracy and check for typos.
If you need to make any changes, you can edit your filing.
If everything looks good, proceed to the next step.
Payment
Select your method of payment, enter your contact and payment information, and submit your Biennial Report to the state.
Save Receipt
After you pay the filing fee, your Biennial Report is processed and filed immediately.
On the next page, you can click “View submitted filing” if you want to download a copy of your filed Biennial Report.
Note: You can also search your LLC here. Then click on your LLC’s Business Number, click the “Filings” link at the top, look for “Biennial Report” and click on the “Certificate Number” to download a copy.
Repeating Calendar Reminder for Business Filings
The state will send email reminders about future Biennial Report due dates.
If you don’t receive a reminder though, it is still your responsibility to file your Biennial Report on time every 2 years. If you don’t, the state will administratively dissolve your LLC.
For this reason, we recommend putting a repeating reminder on your calendar.
Iowa Secretary of State Contact Info
If you have any questions, you can contact the Iowa Secretary of State – Business Services Division at 515-281-5204.
Iowa Biennial Report for an LLC FAQs
Is a Biennial Report the same thing as an Annual Report in Iowa?
A Biennial Report and an Annual Report are pretty much the same thing.
Annual Reports and Biennial Reports share the same purpose: to keep your LLC’s contact information up-to-date with the Secretary of State’s office.
The 2 filings simply differ in how often they’re filed. While Annual Reports are filed every year, Biennial Reports are filed every 2 years.
So since the Iowa Secretary of State requires this filing every 2 years, it’s called the Iowa Biennial Report instead of the Iowa Annual Report.
Am I required to file an Iowa Biennial Report?
Yes, all Iowa LLCs are required to file a Biennial Report every 2 years to keep the LLC in compliance and Good Standing with the Iowa Secretary of State.
If you don’t file your report and pay the filing fee by the due date, the state can shut down your LLC.
References
Iowa LLC Act Amendments
Iowa LLC Act: Section 489-209
Iowa LLC Act: Section 721-40.8
Iowa Secretary of State: How do I file a Biennial Report
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
Matt. I formed an LLC in 2014 and have not used it. I don’t remember receiving post cards or email as to a renewal fee. I may use the LLC in the future but am not sure. Could you let me know what fee I owe to keep it open? Thanks Jim
Hey Jim, in this case, you’ll need to call the Secretary of State and check the status of the LLC. If it’s not in good standing, you may just be able to file to bring it back in good standing. Or there’s a change you’ll need to file a reinstatement. The Secretary of State’s office will be the one to tell you though. Hope that helps.
Hi, Matt,
I read your comment that the purpose of the LLC biennial report is to keep the state updated on the address of its Registered Agent. Is that the only content that the state wants to see?
My brother and I had a very small handyman service last year. We are uncertain about it’s continuance this year. There was not much to discuss in terms of formal meetings.
Will the state want to see formal meetings in this report?
Thanks in advance,
– Bret
Hey Bret, the Biennial Report just has basic info like name of LLC, address, and Registered Agent info. They don’t need any info on formal (or informal) meetings. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your detail in how to file the Bi-ennial Report. But why is this report necessary? I have a very small publishing company set up under an LLC. To have to pay $30 a year to answer two agriculture questions totally unrelated to my business seems unnecessary if not a racket! Maybe I should be writing my state representatives. Thanks!
Hey Renatta, I hear you on the 2 questions lol! The purpose of the Annual Report is to keep the state updated with your Registered Agent address in case your business is served a lawsuit (also known as Service of Process). And yes, they do make some money. However, for $30 (every other year), I would say it’s not too bad. Take a look at the LLC annual fees in all the other states. These are every year: $800 in CA, $300 in DE, $250 in IL, $300 in MD, $500 in MA, $500 in NV the first year, $200 in NC, $300 in TN, and $300 in DC. I’d say Iowa is quite reasonable ;)
Thanks, Matt. Okay, I see the bigger picture now and yes, Iowa is one of the better states for the amount of fees thet charge.
Thanks for your reply and for answering so promptly!
Awesome :) You’re very welcome Renetta. We’re here if you have any other questions!