The Ultimate Compliance Calendar for Startups
Missing a compliance deadline can result in massive fines or losing your corporate status. Learn the core annual maintenance cycle for a US C-Corp or LLC.
Incorporating your business is the easiest part of starting a company—it takes a few hours and a couple hundred dollars. The hard part is keeping that company in good standing for the next ten years.
Regulatory compliance is a boring topic, which is exactly why founders ignore it until a state government freezes their corporate bank account.
If you have a US entity (like a Delaware C-Corp or LLC), here is the basic timeline of compliance events you must respect.
The State Level: Franchise Tax & Annual Reports
Every state wants a small cut for allowing your company to exist, regardless of whether you made a profit or not.
For Delaware C-Corps:
- March 1: Deadline to file the Delaware Annual Report and pay your Franchise Tax.
- Note: If you use the "Assumed Par Value Capital Method," you can often reduce a seemingly massive $85,000 tax bill down to the minimum $400. Do not panic when you see the initial automated tax bill—recalculate it.
For Delaware LLCs:
- June 1: Deadline to pay the flat $300 LLC Franchise Tax. There is no annual report to file for LLCs in Delaware.
If you registered your company in Delaware but operate out of California or New York, you must also be registered as a "Foreign Corporation" in your home state—which means you owe annual fees to that state as well.
The Federal Level: Taxes (Quarterly & Annually)
The IRS expects its money throughout the year, not just on Tax Day.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes (April, June, Sept, Jan): If you expect to owe tax for the year, you generally have to make estimated tax payments each quarter. If you wait until April 15 of the following year to pay the whole lump sum, the IRS will hit you with underpayment penalties.
Annual Tax Returns (March 15 / April 15):
- C-Corps and S-Corps (Form 1120 / 1120-S): The deadline is generally March 15.
- Partnerships/Multi-member LLCs (Form 1065): The deadline is also March 15.
- Single Member LLCs (Form 1040 Schedule C): Taxed as a sole proprietorship, normally due on April 15 with your personal tax returns.
You can request an extension to file your return (pushing the deadline to September/October), but an extension to file is not an extension to pay. You still have to pay estimated taxes by the original deadline.
Information Reporting: 1099s & W-2s
Did you pay an independent contractor or an agency more than $600 this year?
January 31:
- This is a critical deadline. You must issue Form 1099-NEC to any US contractor you paid $600+ during the previous calendar year, and you must file those forms with the IRS.
- If you have employees, you must issue their W-2s by this date as well.
Pro Tip: Request a W-9 form from every contractor before you pay their first invoice. If you try to chase them down for their tax ID in January, you might never find them.
Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI)
As of 2024, the US Treasury (FinCEN) requires almost all small businesses to report exactly who owns and controls the company under the Corporate Transparency Act.
- New Companies: Must file their initial BOI report within 90 days (for 2024 creations) or 30 days (2025 onwards) of creation.
- Changes: Any change in ownership or control must be updated within 30 days.
Penalties for ignoring the BOI report are severe—up to $500 per day.
Keep a Central Calendar
Do not rely on your memory. Do not assume your registered agent will handle everything (they just forward mail). Set up recurring calendar events right now with 30-day early reminders for all these deadlines. It will save your company.