The decennial report is a Pennsylvania filing requirement that no longer exists. Pennsylvania replaced it with a new $7 Annual Report starting January 1, 2025. If you received a bill for $70, it almost certainly came from a third-party service — not the state.
Getting unexpected mail about your LLC is disorienting, especially when it looks official. Here’s exactly what the decennial report was, why you might still be seeing bills for it, and what you actually owe.
What the Decennial Report Was
For decades, Pennsylvania required every registered business entity to file a “Decennial Report of Continued Existence” once every 10 years. It was essentially a check-in — proof that your LLC or corporation still existed and wanted to remain registered. The fee was $70, and the filing was due in years ending in 1 (2001, 2011, 2021, etc.).
Pennsylvania’s Business Corporation Law had required this filing for decades. Miss it, and your entity risked being marked inactive on the state’s records.
What Changed: The Decennial Report Is Gone
Pennsylvania passed Act 122 in 2022, which took effect January 1, 2025. Act 122 eliminated the Decennial Report entirely and replaced it with a new Annual Report — a much smaller filing due every year by September 30, at a cost of $7 for LLCs.
The Pennsylvania Department of State does not send bills for the decennial report anymore. There is no decennial report due. If your LLC was active through 2025 and you haven’t received any state notices about an unfiled decennial report, there’s nothing to pay there.
So Who Sent You the $70 Bill?
Almost certainly a third-party compliance service, not the Pennsylvania Department of State. This is very common. When you register a new LLC, your name and address become part of the public record. Third-party companies purchase or scrape that data and mail official-looking notices.
These notices often:
The giveaway: look at the return address. If it’s not from pa.gov or the Pennsylvania Department of State in Harrisburg, it’s not an official state notice.
What If You Have an Actual Unfiled Decennial Report?
If your LLC existed before 2025 and you missed a prior decennial filing (for example, the 2021 filing cycle), you may have had a compliance issue on record before the law changed. The best approach: log in to the PA Department of State’s Business Filing Services portal at file.dos.pa.gov and check your entity’s current standing. If the status shows “Active,” you’re fine. If it shows any inactive or dissolved status, contact the Department of State directly.
What You Actually Owe Going Forward
| Filing | Amount | Due Date |
| Annual Report (replaces Decennial) | $7 | September 30 each year |
| Decennial Report | $0 — no longer exists | N/A |
For 2025 and 2026, Pennsylvania is not enforcing late penalties on the Annual Report. Full enforcement begins in 2027. Your first Annual Report as a new LLC owner is due September 30, 2026 if your LLC was formed in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The PA Department of State does not send invoices or bills by mail. All official PA state filings are completed through the Business Filing Services portal at file.dos.pa.gov, and you initiate them — the state doesn’t chase you with a bill. Any invoice in the mail asking you to pay for a state filing is from a third party.
Not always a scam in the traditional sense — some third-party services are legal businesses charging for administrative help. But the pricing and presentation are often misleading. For a filing that no longer exists, paying $70 to a third party makes no sense. For the $7 Annual Report that replaced it, you can file directly at file.dos.pa.gov yourself.
The 2021 decennial filing cycle was the last one before Act 122 eliminated the requirement. If your LLC was formed after the 2021 deadline, the decennial report would not have applied to you. Check your entity status at file.dos.pa.gov to confirm your LLC is in good standing.
The Annual Report is a short filing through the PA Department of State portal at file.dos.pa.gov. It confirms your LLC’s continued existence and keeps basic registration information current. The fee is $7, due by September 30 each year.
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