“Corporate compliance / annual report / certificate of status” mailer
Not real — you owe nothing
Do you owe it? Not to the mailer. Any real state filing is done directly with your Secretary of State.
What the letter asks
Pay a private company to complete a required “annual report” or “compliance” document for your business.
Typical amount: $100–$300
How to recognize it
- Mimics your Secretary of State — official seals, state names, a form to “complete and return with payment.”
- Charges far more than the state's actual filing fee (if any is even due).
- Targets brand-new LLCs, using public business-registration data.
What it really is
These come from private filing mills, not your state. Some states do require an annual report or statement of information — but you file it directly with your Secretary of State for a small fee (often under $50, sometimes free), not through a mailer charging a big markup.
The real way
If your state requires an annual report, file it yourself on your Secretary of State's website for the official (small) fee. Ignore the third-party “compliance” letter.
Don’t take a letter’s word for your status
Your real standing is in your public FMCSA record. Check it free, then let 1Kompliance watch it daily so a genuine problem reaches you before any scam mail does.
Free DOT health checkOther mail people ask about
Common questions
- Does my trucking LLC owe an “annual report” fee to this company?
- No. If your state requires an annual report, you file it directly with the Secretary of State for the state's fee — usually a fraction of what these mailers charge. The letter is a private solicitation dressed up as a government notice.
- How did they get my new company info?
- Business registrations are public. Filing mills scrape new LLC filings and mail official-looking notices to catch first-time owners.
Fact-checked June 2026 · fees and rules change — reconfirm at the official source before paying anyone. This is general information, not legal advice.