August 2026  

As of 2025, Pennsylvania now requires all nonprofit corporations and certain other entity types formed in or doing business in Pennsylvania to file an annual report every year, regardless of whether the organization’s officers have changed.  There’s no filing fee for nonprofit entities that make timely filings.  

If you did not file your nonprofit’s Pennsylvania corporate annual report with the PA Department of State by the June 30, 2026 deadline, you’re not alone! Only about 22% of nonprofit corporations filed as required. It’s not too late — you can (and should!) still late file in 2026 with no penalty — and be sure to put a reminder in your organization’s calendar to file by the deadline in 2027 because consequences of non-filing will go into effect next year. And, if your nonprofit organization is organized as an LLC, you still have time to file by the September 30th deadline –but why wait? You can file now.   

Pennsylvania’s annual report filing requirement is still relatively new, and we’re still in the grace period before consequences kick in for non-filing in 2027. Most nonprofits are still not filing (though more nonprofits, as compared to for-profits percentage-wise, are complying with the annual report filing requirement). Failure to file in 2027 can lead to administrative dissolution.  

See below for filing instructions and important reminders and considerations.   

What this form is

A simple form designed to collect basic corporate information about your organization that can be filled out online in a manner of minutes, that lets the PA Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations know that your organization is still active and operating.  

What this form is not

This form is not Pennsylvania’s charitable solicitation registration or purely public charity filing requirement. This form is also not the CTA (Corporate Transparency Act) FINCEN/BOI reporting requirement, which is a separate federal filing (enforcement of which is for the most part currently suspended at the moment) and which does not impact most nonprofits. This form is also not a federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirement, nor the glossy annual report that many nonprofits produce for their boards and funders. Nor is it the report that public libraries in Pennsylvania file to maintain state aid eligibility.   

Consequences of not filing PA’s annual report

Pennsylvania’s annual report requirements have been completely revamped and are similar to most other states’ annual filing requirements, such that if you fail to file annually, your organization can be administratively dissolved — and your organization will have to reinstate its corporate entity status with Pennsylvania before it can continue to carry on business. Administratively dissolved organizations will not be able to close on real estate and financial transactions, and their funding streams may be impacted; organizations also risk losing their entity names if they fail to file.    

Consequences for non-filing will take effect beginning with the 2027 annual report (due June 30, 2027 for nonprofit corporations). The soonest we are likely to see administrative dissolutions of nonprofit corporations will be March 2028, for organizations that fail to file their 2027 annual report after receiving warning notices from the Pennsylvania Department of State (PA DOS). Administrative dissolutions that take effect in 2028 will be based solely on failure to file the 2027 annual report; however, any reinstatement will require that annual reports be filed for any missing years going back to 2025. Although there is no filing fee for nonprofits that timely file annual reports, there will be a filing fee of $15 for any missing reports that must be filed in order for administratively dissolved organizations to be reinstated. The Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations has not yet promulgated the forms or processes for administrative dissolution or reinstatement. Expect details to be made available by the Bureau in late 2026 or in 2027.   

Next steps and important considerations  
  • If your nonprofit did not file its 2026 report, it should file now.   
  • You should set up a system now (in your organization’s management playbook, calendar, etc.) so that you (and others at your organization, and your successors) will know to file this form each year and understand the implications of failing to file and failing to keep your organization’s registered address (and email contact) up to date with the PA-DOS.   
  • You should also inventory all of your nonprofit’s affiliate entities (if any) to be sure reports get filed for each of those entities, too. Sometimes organizational structures encompass many different entities, and you’ll want to be sure that all entities in your nonprofit’s corporate family tree are staying in compliance.   
  • If your organization is collaborating or contracting with another organizations, consider, too, whether there would be any implications for your organization if that other organization failed to file its annual report – does it make sense to give them a heads up and remind them about the requirement?   
How to file

Filing online is simple and best:   

  1. Go to: https://hub.business.pa.gov/  
  2. Login or Register (new users will need to register for a Business Filing Services (BFS) account; for account registration instructions, see the Customer Portal Overview). 
  3. Once logged in: click on “Complete Annual Form” (it’s in a blue box), then scroll down and click on “Continue to BFS” (it’s in another blue box); or you can just click on the keystone icon. Once you’re logged in, go to the PA Department of State’s Business Filing Services (BFS), which should take you to an entity “Search” bar. 
  4. Search for your organization by name (on the Pennsylvania Department of State database: https://file.dos.pa.gov/search/business).  
  5. Review the search results and find your organization’s name.  
  6. Click on your organization’s name (highlighted by a blue box) in the search results.  
  7. A panel on the right will appear, click on the gray “File Annual Report” icon (which will only appear if you are logged in and the Annual Report has not already been filed).   
  8. Follow the steps for filing the annual report.   

Need help filing online or want more details? See this helpful step-by-step guide from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

PA DOS Helpline: (717) 787-1057 (open 8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Mon.–Fri.)  

PA DOS email: RA******@**.gov