Wisconsin: LLC Annual and Biennial Report Requirements
The short answer
Yes. Every Wisconsin LLC must file an annual report each year with the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) — Wisconsin runs its business registry through DFI, not a Secretary of State. A domestic LLC's report is due at the end of the calendar quarter that contains its formation anniversary, and the online fee is $25 ($80 for a foreign LLC). Wisconsin charges no late fee, but an LLC that leaves its report unfiled for a year past the due date can be administratively dissolved.
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This is the general rule in Wisconsin. Ezel applies current Wisconsin law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Periodic report obligation | Yes — an annual report. Every Wisconsin LLC and registered foreign LLC must deliver an annual report to the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) each year (Wis. Stat. § 183.0212). Wisconsin recreated its LLC law effective Jan. 1, 2023 (the Wisconsin Uniform Limited Liability Company Law, 2021 Wis. Act 258); the annual-report duty carried over |
|---|---|
| Frequency and first report | Annual — no biennial option. A domestic LLC's first report is due the year following the calendar year in which its articles of organization became effective, and then every year after that (Wis. Stat. § 183.0212(3)(a)) |
| Due date and filing window | A domestic LLC files during the calendar quarter that contains the anniversary of its articles' effective date — so the deadline is the end of that quarter: March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31 by formation date. A registered foreign LLC files in the first calendar quarter (by March 31) each year (Wis. Stat. § 183.0212(3)). DFI emails a reminder to the registered agent, but the duty does not depend on receiving it |
| Filing office and method | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate & Consumer Services — Wisconsin has no Secretary of State business registry. File online through the DFI portal (apps.dfi.wi.gov) on Form 5; a paper filing adds a $15 surcharge |
| Required information | The company name; the street address, name, and e-mail of its registered agent; and, if the LLC is member-managed, the name of at least one member, or if manager-managed, the name of at least one manager (a foreign LLC also gives its governing jurisdiction and any fictitious name) (Wis. Stat. § 183.0212(1)). The report is required even if nothing has changed |
| Filing fee and related charges | $25 per year for a domestic Wisconsin LLC filed online; $80 for a registered foreign LLC. Filing on paper adds a $15 surcharge, effective March 1, 2024 under Wis. Admin. Code DFI-CCS 10.01(6) (DFI Form 5 annual-report fee schedule, as of 2026-07-16). Any Wisconsin income tax the LLC's members owe is a separate Department of Revenue matter |
| Late fee and delinquency | No late fee — Wisconsin assesses no penalty for a late annual report (DFI). The consequence is status-based: a missed deadline drops the LLC out of good standing on the public DFI record, and once the report is more than one year overdue, DFI may begin administrative dissolution (Wis. Stat. § 183.0708(1)(b)) |
| Dissolution, reinstatement, and cure | If an LLC has no annual report on file within one year after it is due (or lets its fees or registered agent lapse for a year), DFI may start administrative dissolution: it notifies the registered agent, and the LLC has 60 days to cure or show the ground does not exist before DFI dissolves it (Wis. Stat. § 183.0708). A dissolved LLC continues to exist only to wind up and loses the exclusive right to its name, but it may apply for reinstatement under § 183.0709 by curing each ground and paying all fees and penalties owed; reinstatement relates back to the dissolution date as if it never occurred. There is no separate reinstatement fee beyond the back reports and fees owed, and no fixed deadline to apply |
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The Wisconsin annual report, one requirement at a time
Wisconsin requires every LLC to file a short annual report, and the first thing to know is
where it goes: the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate &
Consumer Services. Wisconsin has no Secretary of State handling business filings, so DFI is the
office that holds your formation record and receives the report.
Who must file, and the current law. Under Wis. Stat. § 183.0212, "a limited liability company
or registered foreign limited liability company shall deliver to the department for filing an
annual report." Wisconsin rewrote its entire LLC statute effective January 1, 2023 — the
Wisconsin Uniform Limited Liability Company Law, 2021 Wis. Act 258, which repealed and recreated
Chapter 183 — but the annual report survived the overhaul, now housed in § 183.0212.
When it is due. Wisconsin does not use a single statewide date. For a domestic LLC, the
report is due "during the calendar year quarter in which the anniversary date of the articles'
effective date occurs" (§ 183.0212(3)(a)) — practically, the last day of that quarter:
- Formed January–March → due March 31
- Formed April–June → due June 30
- Formed July–September → due September 30
- Formed October–December → due December 31
A newly formed LLC files its first report the year after the year it was organized. A
foreign LLC registered in Wisconsin files in the first quarter (by March 31) each year
(§ 183.0212(3)(b)).
The fee. Filing online, a domestic Wisconsin LLC pays $25 and a foreign LLC pays $80.
Since March 1, 2024, filing on paper adds a $15 surcharge. The report itself just confirms the
company name, the registered agent's street address and e-mail, and at least one member (if
member-managed) or manager (if manager-managed) — and it must be filed even if nothing changed.
What trips people up
- There is no Secretary of State to file with. Wisconsin business owners used to other states
will look for a "Secretary of State annual report" and not find one. The filing is a DFI
filing, done through the DFI online portal on Form 5. - Your due date is not December 31 for everyone. It is tied to the quarter you formed in.
An LLC organized in May is due June 30; one organized in November is due December 31. Filing on
the wrong quarter's schedule is a common way to fall out of good standing without noticing —
and DFI's e-mail reminder only reaches you if the registered agent's e-mail on file is current. - No late fee is not the same as no consequence. Wisconsin charges no penalty for filing late
(DFI's own guidance says "There are no late fees or penalties"). But a missed report immediately
drops the LLC out of good standing, and once it is more than a year overdue, DFI can move to
administratively dissolve it (§ 183.0708(1)(b)). - Administrative dissolution costs you your name. On dissolution the LLC's "right to the
exclusive use of its name terminates" (§ 183.0708(4m)) — so another business can take it while
you are dissolved, which can complicate reinstating under your original name.
Common questions
Where and how do I file my Wisconsin LLC's annual report?
With the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), online through the DFI business portal on
Form 5. The online fee is $25 for a domestic LLC; paper filing costs $15 more.
When exactly is it due?
The last day of the calendar quarter that contains your LLC's formation anniversary. Look up your
articles' effective date on DFI's public entity search, and the quarter it falls in sets your
deadline every year (§ 183.0212(3)(a)). Foreign LLCs are due March 31.
What happens if I just don't file?
No immediate fee, but your LLC loses good standing right away, and if the report stays unfiled for
more than a year, DFI can start administrative dissolution: it notifies your registered agent,
and you get 60 days to file the report (cure the ground) before DFI dissolves the LLC
(§ 183.0708).
My Wisconsin LLC was administratively dissolved — can I bring it back?
Yes. Under § 183.0709 you apply to DFI for reinstatement, confirm each ground for dissolution is
cured, and pay all fees and penalties owed (the back annual reports). Reinstatement relates back
to the dissolution date, as if it never happened — but if another business took your name while
you were dissolved, you may have to choose a new one.
Statutes and sources
- Wis. Stat. § 183.0212 — the annual-report duty for domestic and registered foreign LLCs, the
information required, and the quarter-of-anniversary due date.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/183.0212 (accessed 2026-07-16) - Wisconsin DFI Form 5 (annual report) instructions — the fee schedule ($25 domestic / $80
foreign LLC online, $15 paper surcharge effective March 1, 2024) and the due-date table.
https://dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Forms/CORP5i.pdf (accessed 2026-07-16) - Wis. Stat. § 183.0708 — administrative dissolution for a report more than one year overdue
(and related grounds), the notice to the registered agent, the 60-day cure, and loss of the
exclusive right to the LLC's name.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/183.0708 (accessed 2026-07-16) - Wis. Stat. § 183.0709 — reinstatement after administrative dissolution: cure the grounds,
pay all fees and penalties owed, with relation-back to the dissolution date.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/183.0709 (accessed 2026-07-16) - Wisconsin DFI — Administrative Dissolutions. Agency statement that there are no late fees or
penalties for a late annual report and description of the dissolution/reinstatement process.
https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/AdministrativeDissolutions.aspx (accessed 2026-07-16)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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