Delaware compliance for company secretaries

Research steps taken and summary of findings: I ran a targeted web search focused on Delaware-specific compliance for company secretaries and for US business owners/LLC founders. I prioritized official Delaware Division of Corporations pages and reputable professional/legal compliance resources.

The search gathered authoritative details on Delaware filing deadlines, fees, penalties, registered agent requirements, corporate recordkeeping duties, Delaware statutes and guidance, and federal beneficial-ownership (BOI) reporting requirements.

Summary of key, state-specific compliance requirements and practical guidance for company secretaries (Delaware): 1) Core Delaware filing and tax deadlines - Corporations (domestic): File the Delaware Annual Report and pay the Annual Franchise Tax by March 1 each year.

The annual report filing fee for non-exempt domestic corporations is $50; the minimum franchise tax is $175 and the maximum is $200,000. Taxpayers owing $5,000 or more must pay estimated taxes in quarterly installments (40% due June 1, 20% due September 1, 20% due December 1, remainder due March 1).

Penalty for not filing a completed Annual Report by March 1 is $200; interest accrues on unpaid tax at 1.5% per month. (Source: Delaware Division of Corporations — Annual Report & tax instructions/paytaxes pages.) - LLCs/LPs/GPs (domestic and formed in Delaware): No annual report required, but they must pay a flat annual tax of $300 due on or before June 1 each year.

Penalty for late or non-payment for these entities is $200, and interest accrues at 1.5% per month. (Source: Delaware Division of Corporations — frtax/paytax pages.) - Foreign corporations doing business in Delaware: Annual report due June 30 and a $125 filing fee; penalties apply for late filing. (Source: corp.delaware.gov/paytaxes/frtax pages.)

Research steps taken and summary of findings: I ran a targeted web search focused on Delaware-specific compliance for company secretaries and for US business owners/LLC founders. I prioritized official Delaware Division of Corporations pages and reputable professional/legal compliance resources.

The search gathered authoritative details on Delaware filing deadlines, fees, penalties, registered agent requirements, corporate recordkeeping duties, Delaware statutes and guidance, and federal beneficial-ownership (BOI) reporting requirements.

Summary of key, state-specific compliance requirements and practical guidance for company secretaries (Delaware): 1) Core Delaware filing and tax deadlines - Corporations (domestic): File the Delaware Annual Report and pay the Annual Franchise Tax by March 1 each year.

The annual report filing fee for non-exempt domestic corporations is $50; the minimum franchise tax is $175 and the maximum is $200,000. Taxpayers owing $5,000 or more must pay estimated taxes in quarterly installments (40% due June 1, 20% due September 1, 20% due December 1, remainder due March 1).

Penalty for not filing a completed Annual Report by March 1 is $200; interest accrues on unpaid tax at 1.5% per month. (Source: Delaware Division of Corporations — Annual Report & tax instructions/paytaxes pages.) - LLCs/LPs/GPs (domestic and formed in Delaware): No annual report required, but they must pay a flat annual tax of $300 due on or before June 1 each year.

Penalty for late or non-payment for these entities is $200, and interest accrues at 1.5% per month. (Source: Delaware Division of Corporations — frtax/paytax pages.) - Foreign corporations doing business in Delaware: Annual report due June 30 and a $125 filing fee; penalties apply for late filing. (Source: corp.delaware.gov/paytaxes/frtax pages.)

Registered agent requirement - Every Delaware corporation and LLC must maintain a Delaware-licensed registered agent with a physical address in the state. The registered agent receives official state correspondence including franchise tax notices; many registered-agent firms provide compliance reminders and filing services. (Source

Delaware Division of Corporations and Delaware registered agent service guides.)

Corporate secretary duties and recordkeeping (practical guidance) - Core recordkeeping duties that a company secretary should manage

maintain the certificate of incorporation (or formation), bylaws (or operating agreement for LLCs), corporate minute books (minutes of shareholder and board meetings), resolutions, stock certificates and a shareholder/stock ledger (for corporations), officer and director registers and contact information, and annual meeting records. These records support corporate formalities that protect the corporate veil. (Sources: Delaware statutory guidance and corporate compliance resources such as IncNow, Harvard Business Services.) - Delaware corporations: Annual meetings of stockholders to elect directors and director/board meetings to appoint officers are standard practice under the DGCL; minutes and resolutions should be retained in the minute book. - Delaware LLCs: While fewer statutory formalities are required, best practice is to adopt and maintain a written operating agreement, keep member/manager decision records, and maintain financial and member ownership records in a company file.

Franchise tax calculation and payment notes (corporations) - Delaware corporations can calculate franchise tax using the authorized shares method or the assumed par value method; the Division of Corporations provides instructions and online payment portals. Substantial variation in tax can arise depending on authorized shares and par value choices. (Source

corp.delaware.gov/frtax and Division of Corporations resources.)

Penalties and reinstatement / void status - Failure to file/pay can result in loss of good standing, monetary penalties, interest accrual, and, for prolonged noncompliance, administrative voiding/dissolution. To reinstate an entity, outstanding taxes, reports, penalties and interest must be paid and revival filings completed. (Source

Delaware Division of Corporations pages and practice resources.)

Beneficial Ownership (Federal — Corporate Transparency Act / FinCEN) - The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) / BOI reporting requirements (FinCEN) went into effect Jan 1, 2024 and require covered entities to report beneficial owner information to FinCEN. Delaware’s Division of Corporations points Delaware filers to CTA/FinCEN resources for guidance. Company secretaries must coordinate BOI filings where the entity is required to report. (Source

Delaware Division of Corporations CTA guidance and FinCEN BOI resources.) 7) Practical checklist recommendations for company secretaries (actionable items) - Maintain an annual compliance calendar with: March 1 (corporate annual report & franchise tax due), June 1 (LLC/LP/GP annual tax due), quarterly estimated franchise tax payments if required, registered agent renewal date, BOI filing deadlines (per FinCEN), and federal tax filing deadlines (IRS). - Keep and organize: Certificate of Incorporation/Formation, bylaws/operating agreement, minute book and meeting minutes, resolutions, stock certificates and stock ledger (corporations), member ledgers and capital accounts (LLCs), registered agent records, filings receipts, and annual franchise tax records. - Prepare templates and processes: sample board/shareholder minutes, officer appointment resolutions, stock issuance forms and ledgers, operating agreement checklist, and an internal escalation process for missed filings/penalties. - Use registered-agent services or a compliance provider to receive state notices and reminders; consider legal counsel for franchise tax optimization if large authorized share counts or complex capital structures exist. Caveats and items to confirm when preparing the final blog/newsletter content: - Exact amounts, fees and penalties are set by the Delaware Division of Corporations and may be updated; always confirm current amounts and dates on the Division of Corporations website before publishing. - The CTA / BOI filing rules have federal scope and specific exemptions — counsel or compliance specialists should confirm whether an entity is covered and the exact reporting timeline. Next step: I have sufficient gathered information from authoritative Delaware sources and reputable compliance resources. I have summarized the findings above and included action-oriented guidance for company secretaries. The final content (blog post and newsletter copy) can now be drafted using these findings and linked citations.