Is this annual report notice real? How to tell

State warning pages checked Oct 22, 2026

Quick answer

Real notices come from the state filing agency itself. Check the sender and any web address against your state's official site. That site is usually a .gov domain, but not always: Florida files on sunbiz.org, and Colorado files on sos.state.co.us. Look-alike notices come from private companies, charge several times the real fee, and bury a disclaimer that they are not the government. A fee that matches the official amount is not proof a notice is genuine, because a scammer can quote the real fee. A private filing service solicitation is not necessarily an official notice, and it is not necessarily fraud. Verify the sender and any service fee on the state's official filing page before paying.

Five checks before you pay

The state warning pages we reviewed describe the same pattern. These five checks come from those pages.

1. Check the fee against the real one

The notice business model is a markup. California's LLC Statement of Information costs $20; the look-alike "Annual Order Form" charges nearly 10x that. Oregon's LLC annual report is $100; the mailers add an $85 to $95 processing fee the state never charges. Texas's Attorney General flagged a $90 mailer for a form the Secretary of State sells for much less.

2. Check the domain and the envelope

Most government sites use .gov, but not all of them. Oregon's real notices always carry the Oregon state seal, the words "Secretary of State Corporation Division," and the phone number 503-986-2200. New York's Attorney General says to find the agency through the state's main site (ny.gov) and to never trust a sponsored link.

3. Read the fine print

The disclaimers are often right there. Connecticut warns that scam mailers say they "do not officially represent the State of Connecticut or other government entity." California's look-alikes admit the offer "is neither approved nor endorsed by any governmental agency." Colorado law forces these solicitations to print that disclaimer in at least 24-point type.

4. Watch for manufactured urgency

"OPEN IMMEDIATELY," "TIME SENSITIVE," threats of fines, suspension, or "your entity could be taken." Connecticut's consumer protection commissioner calls pressure tactics "almost always the signs of a scam."

5. Know what the state never does

New York's Department of State: government agencies "will never partner with for profit businesses to solicit consumers," and "will never send consumers solicitations for engagement in the mail." Oregon's Secretary of State mails one annual report notice a year, about 45-50 days before the business anniversary date, and that is the only thing they send.

What this looks like in an email

These notices do not only arrive by mail. They also arrive by email. The two screenshots below are a real example, received Oct 18, 2026, for an Illinois LLC. The recipient's name, entity number, and email address are redacted. The sender domain is left visible on purpose, because that is the tell. Both images are centered below, each with a caption that says what to look at.

Gmail header for an Illinois filing email. The subject line, with the LLC name redacted, reads Last chance to file for an Illinois LLC, Illinois Filing Overdue, with a Spam label. Gmail says the message is similar to messages identified as spam in the past. The sender domain is illinoisfilingpoint.com, not a state domain. The recipient name and email address are not in the image. — Gmail flagged this Illinois filing email as spam. The sender domain is illinoisfilingpoint.com, not a state domain. Recipient name and email removed by cropping.

Start with the header, because that is where the first check fails. The subject line reads Last chance to file for an Illinois LLC, Illinois Filing Overdue, with the LLC name redacted in the screenshot. Gmail put a Spam label next to Overdue, and Gmail's own note says the message is similar to messages identified as spam in the past. That flag alone is not proof, but it is a reason to stop and check. The sender is not the Illinois Secretary of State. The sender domain is illinoisfilingpoint.com. The state's official filing site is ilsos.gov. A domain that sounds official is not the same as the state's domain.

Body of the same Illinois filing email. A red banner reads Your Illinois Filing Is Overdue. Below it, Dear is followed by a redacted LLC name, then a paragraph saying the Illinois Annual Report filing is overdue. A Filing Details box lists Filing Type Annual Report, Status Overdue, and Days Overdue 75 days, with the business name and entity number redacted. A Risks of Non-Compliance box starts below the table. — The same email body. The red overdue banner, the filing details table, and the risks list are the pressure tactics. LLC name and entity number redacted.

Then read the body the same way you would read a mailed notice. A red banner in all caps reads Your Illinois Filing Is Overdue. The email addresses the LLC by name, redacted in the screenshot, and says the Illinois Annual Report filing is overdue. A Filing Details box lists Filing Type Annual Report, Status Overdue, and Days Overdue 75 days, with the business name and entity number redacted. Those details look specific, and they probably are, because business names and entity numbers are public record. Accurate details do not make a sender official. Below the table, a Risks of Non-Compliance box lists business suspension by the Illinois Secretary of State, loss of legal rights to operate, inability to enforce contracts, and additional penalties and reinstatement costs. The email then points to a button that reads File My Annual Report, and the footer brand is IllinoisFiling.

Two limits on this example, stated plainly. First, the screenshots show no fee, so this example alone does not prove a fee markup. Do not use it to claim one. Second, this is a private filing service solicitation, not a state notice, and a private solicitation is not necessarily fraud. The check that matters here is the same as for mail: verify the sender and the fee on the state's official filing page, and check where the button actually goes, before paying anything.

If you already paid

Oregon: the company behind the mailers (Workplace Compliance Services / C.P.S.) offered refunds for anything paid over the $100 state fee. If they refuse, file with the Oregon DOJ Financial Fraud section, 1-877-877-9392.
Texas: report it to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, 1-800-621-0508.
Connecticut: report it to dcp.frauds@ct.gov or 1-800-842-2649.
California: mail a written complaint with the full solicitation to the CA Attorney General, Public Inquiry Unit, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244-2550.
Any state: the FTC takes these reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Know the real fee and the real date

Every check above gets easier when you already know what your LLC actually owes and when. That is what LLC Keeper tracks: the real deadline and the real fee for your LLC, with an email before it is due. If a notice in your mail shows a different fee or a different date than your reminder, it is not from the state.

Look up your LLC and get reminded · See the deadline guide for your state

Frequently asked questions

I got an "Annual Report Instruction Form" in the mail. Is it real?

Probably not, if it asks for more than the state fee. Workplace Compliance Services / C.P.S. and similar companies have mailed this exact form in Oregon, Connecticut, and elsewhere. Run it through the five checks above before paying anything.

The notice has my correct business name and entity number. Doesn't that make it official?

No. California's Secretary of State says the look-alikes "may include accurate prepopulated information about the business entity." That information is public record, and the real state fee is the tell, not the letterhead.

It quotes a state law. Isn't that proof?

No. California's warning says the solicitations reference "California law, some of which are accurate and some of which are false." Connecticut's Attorney General says scammers use "seals, bar codes, and references to statutes and regulations" to look official.

A website copied my state's filing site. How do I know which is real?

Check the URL for .gov. In 2023 New York's Attorney General shut down two sites impersonating the Department of State that charged $135 for a certified copy the state sold for $10. The fake sites copied the agency's seal, logo, and even used an Albany-area phone number.

The real deadlines, by state

Each guide lists the real fee, the real due date, and the state's own warning about look-alike notices.

Sources

Not legal advice. Fees and warning pages change; the linked official pages are the authority.