Arkansas LLC annual reports are due May 1. Missing the deadline adds a $25 penalty on the annual franchise tax report, plus interest of 0.000274 per day on the tax-plus-penalty total late fee with a None, penalties apply immediately after the deadline grace period. See details below.
How to cure a late Arkansas annual report, and what the state charges for missing it. Source: Arkansas Secretary of State.
Ready to file your annual report?
Go directly to the Arkansas Secretary of State portal.
$25 penalty on the annual franchise tax report, plus interest of 0.000274 per day on the tax-plus-penalty total
⏱
grace period
None, penalties apply immediately after the deadline
🚨
dissolution timeline
Failure to pay franchise tax can result in revocation of the authority to do business; Arkansas publishes no fixed interval
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Stage 1
After the May 1 deadline
Arkansas adds a $25 penalty to the annual franchise tax report, plus interest of 0.000274 per day on the tax-plus-penalty total.
✓ Fix:Yes. File the report and pay the $150 fee, the $25 penalty and accrued interest.
Stage 2
Continued non-payment
Failure to pay franchise tax can result in revocation of the authority to do business. The tax keeps accruing after revocation until the entity is dissolved, withdrawn or merged, and A.C.A. 26-54-114 bars any further Business and Commercial Services filings while franchise tax is unpaid.
✓ Fix:Yes. Pay all outstanding franchise tax, penalties and interest to lift the bar on further filings.
How to Fix It: Step-by-Step
1
File the Overdue Annual Report
Submit your Arkansas LLC annual report online at https://www.sos.arkansas.gov or by mail. Include all required information and pay the $150 base fee plus applicable late penalties.
2
Pay All Outstanding Fees and Penalties
Pay the $25 late fee (if within penalty period) or contact Arkansas SoS at (501) 682-3409 for current penalty amount. Accepted payment methods include check, money order, or online payment.
3
File for Reinstatement (if dissolved)
If your LLC was administratively dissolved, file an Application for Reinstatement with the Arkansas Secretary of State. Pay reinstatement fees and provide proof of compliance with all requirements.
4
Verify Good Standing Status
Request a Certificate of Good Standing from Arkansas SoS to confirm your LLC is properly reinstated. This document proves your LLC can legally conduct business and maintains its liability protections.
🚨 Reinstatement After Dissolution
Reinstatement Possible?
Yes
How Long Allowed
The filing office has not published a reinstatement deadline that we have been able to verify; confirm your entity's status with it before applying.
Reinstatement Fee
Set by the Secretary of State; A.C.A. 26-54-114 bars further Business and Commercial Services filings until all franchise tax is paid
What You Lose During Dissolution
Good standing, and with it the certificate of good standing that banks, lenders and licensing bodies ask for. The LLC continues to exist for winding up, so this does not by itself void the liability shield, but the company cannot carry on ordinary business and its name protection is at risk until it is reinstated.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because the penalty for missing a deadline can be administrative dissolution of the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Arkansas charges a $25 late fee on top of the standard $150 annual report fee, totaling $175 when filed after the deadline. This late fee is assessed by the Arkansas Secretary of State's Business and Commercial Services Division.
The annual franchise tax report is due on or before May 1 each year, for the preceding calendar year. If you miss that date, the $25 penalty applies immediately, and interest of 0.000274 per day runs on the tax-plus-penalty total. However, waiting longer creates compounding consequences: your LLC's good standing status lapses, which prevents you from suing in Arkansas courts, obtaining licenses, or opening business bank accounts. Continued non-payment can result in revocation of the authority to do business, and A.C.A. 26-54-114 bars any further Business and Commercial Services filings while franchise tax is unpaid. Arkansas publishes no fixed interval.
To resolve this, file your annual franchise tax report immediately through the Secretary of State's online filing system or by mail. Pay the combined $175 fee to restore compliance and reinstate your LLC's active status.
First-year filers: each report covers the preceding calendar year, so an LLC organized in 2026 files its first franchise tax report by May 1, 2027.
Arkansas revokes an LLC's authority to do business for unpaid franchise tax rather than publishing a fixed reinstatement window. To restore it, file the Secretary of State's reinstatement application with the Business and Commercial Services Division and pay all accumulated franchise tax at $150 per year, the $25 penalty on each late report and the accrued interest. A.C.A. 26-54-114 bars any further Business and Commercial Services filings while franchise tax is unpaid. You must also submit any overdue annual reports for years the LLC was dissolved. The practical implication is significant: your LLC's legal status, contracts, and liability protections remain void until reinstatement is complete, exposing you to personal liability and preventing you from conducting legitimate business. File your reinstatement application immediately at the Secretary of State's office (501-682-3409) or online through the Arkansas Business Services portal to restore your LLC's active status and compliance standing.
Yes, filing your annual report late directly jeopardizes your LLC's liability protection in Arkansas. Once the Arkansas Secretary of State revokes your LLC's authority to do business for failing to file the annual franchise tax report by the May 1 deadline, you immediately lose the legal shield separating your personal assets from business obligations. Any debts, lawsuits, or contracts entered into after dissolution date become your personal responsibility. Creditors can pursue your home, savings, and other personal property to satisfy business claims. This pierces the LLC's protective veil entirely. The practical consequence is devastating: a $150 late fee becomes exponentially costlier when you're personally liable for six or seven-figure business debts. To prevent revocation, file the annual franchise tax report with the Arkansas Secretary of State on or before May 1 each year, including the $150 fee. If your LLC has already dissolved, pay the outstanding franchise tax, penalty and interest to restore the authority to do business. Contact the Arkansas Secretary of State's Business and Commercial Services Division at (501) 682-3409 to verify your current status and submit reinstatement documents today.
You can verify your Arkansas LLC's current good standing status through the Arkansas Secretary of State's online Business Search tool at https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/business-services/business-search. This free search displays your LLC's filing status, including whether annual reports are current or delinquent. For legally binding proof, required by banks, lenders, and business partners. You must request an official Certificate of Good Standing directly from the Arkansas Secretary of State's office, which the fee schedule prices at $3. Processing typically takes 2 to 3 business days for standard requests or one business day for expedited service ($50 additional fee). The certificate confirms your LLC remains in active compliance and hasn't been administratively dissolved for unpaid annual report fees or other violations. Submit your request through the Secretary of State's online portal or by mail. This document is essential before opening business bank accounts, securing loans, or entering major contracts.
No, Arkansas late fees and penalties are statutory requirements that can't be negotiated or waived. The Arkansas Secretary of State enforces these penalties automatically without discretion. Arkansas adds a $25 penalty to a franchise tax report filed after the May 1 deadline, plus interest of 0.000274 per day on the tax-plus-penalty total. The Secretary of State's Business and Commercial Services Division can't reduce or eliminate these fees. They're set by the Arkansas franchise tax statutes at A.C.A. 26-54. However, you can prevent additional penalties by filing your overdue report immediately with all accumulated fees. This means paying the $150 annual franchise tax report fee plus the $25 penalty and accrued interest to restore active status. Delaying further risks your LLC's dissolution, which ends its authority to carry on business other than winding up and makes reinstatement significantly more expensive. Contact the Arkansas Secretary of State at (501) 682-5070 or file online through their business portal today to calculate your exact owed amount and submit payment.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Arkansas sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.
See how Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom, the formation services we partner with, compare on 3-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score before you choose.
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
