Pennsylvania Certificate of Authority · Delaware LLC

Registering a Delaware LLC in Pennsylvania

A Delaware LLC gets Pennsylvania authority for $250 and attaches no certificate from Delaware. The first year across both states costs $657: Pennsylvania's registration and first report plus Delaware's $400 annual tax.

Get authority to operate

What each state asks of the LLC

Point	Delaware	Pennsylvania
Yearly payment	$400 annual tax	$7 annual report
Date	June 1	September 30
Penalty for late payment	$200	Termination six months after the due date
Paper from the other state	Not needed for this filing	Not requested
In-state presence	Registered agent	Registered office or provider

Each state keeps its own calendar and its own consequences.

Items for a Delaware LLC

Item 1 takes the LLC box and item 2 the name as Delaware records it. Item 3 names Delaware. Item 4 shows where the business is run from, and 4A the Delaware office from the formation papers. Item 5 holds the Pennsylvania office or provider. Series in item 6 is answered from the Delaware documents, and item 8 gets the ordinary box unless the LLC practices a restricted profession.

No Delaware certificate

Delaware sells a certificate of good standing for $50. Pennsylvania's listed attachments do not include one, so there is nothing to order from Delaware first.

Delaware standing matters anyway

A Pennsylvania registration can be terminated if the association is dissolved under its home state's law, so a lapse in Delaware can reach the Pennsylvania record.

Costs together

Add $250, $7 and $400 and the first year is $657. With same-day handling the total is $757. Provider fees are extra.

A worked example

A Delaware LLC with two members rents a Lancaster storefront. Its statement shows Delaware in item 3 and the Lancaster address in item 5; it pays $250 and sends the docketing statement along. Its first year costs $657 counting the Pennsylvania report and Delaware's tax. In later years it pays the same two annual amounts, $7 and $400.

Records to keep in both states

Keep the Delaware formation papers, the Pennsylvania filed statement and the docketing copy together. A bank asking for proof of authority in Pennsylvania can be given the certificate of registration for $40.

Payment calendar across the two states

Order in the year	Payment	To whom
First	$400 annual tax, due June 1	Delaware
Second	$7 annual report, due September 30	Pennsylvania

The Delaware date comes first in the year and the Pennsylvania date second, so a company paying Delaware on time has a few months before the Pennsylvania report is due.

A Delaware LLC with its principal office in Pennsylvania

A Delaware LLC managed from Pennsylvania is a case the statement covers directly: item 4 names the Pennsylvania principal office, item 5 the registered office there, and item 3 Delaware. The company is a Delaware entity doing business in Pennsylvania, and it owes both states their annual payments.

Dissolving the Delaware LLC later

If the LLC dissolves in Delaware, the Pennsylvania registration is exposed to termination on that ground. Withdraw with DSCB:15-415/417 and the clearance certificates, or let a merger into a Pennsylvania entity do the work.

Series Delaware LLCs

A Delaware LLC formed with series says so in item 6. It is registered as a single entity, and any series trading under a name of its own needs DSCB:54-311.

Name issues for a Delaware LLC

A Delaware name registers as written unless Pennsylvania already hold a name too similar to it, an alternate goes in item 2A and appears on every later Pennsylvania filing.

Worth knowing about the Delaware certificate

If a Pennsylvania bank or licensing office asks for a Delaware certificate, Delaware sells one for $50. That is a request from a third party and not a Pennsylvania filing requirement.

Delaware entities that are not LLCs

A Delaware corporation files the same statement at $250 and runs the two newspaper notices. A Delaware limited partnership pays $250. Their annual reports are due on the corporate and other-association dates rather than the LLC date. Delaware keeps its own charges for those entities.

Checking the Delaware record

Before filing, look at the Delaware record for the exact name and formation date. Item 2 should match it character for character, and the formation papers also tell you what to say in item 6.

Insurance, banks and licenses

A Pennsylvania bank, insurer or licensing office may ask for proof that the Delaware LLC is registered. The filed copy shows the registration, and a certificate of registration is available for $40.