If a notice sends you anywhere other than the Pennsylvania Department of State, or asks for more than $7, it is not the official filing. The Department has warned about mailers from “New Business Filing LLC” that point owners to Busfile.org and charge $175.
What the scam looks like
The mailers are headed “Pennsylvania Annual Report” or something similar. They look official, mention a deadline and tell you to file at a website or by scanning a QR code. Business owners who file there pay far more than the state’s fee and may hand over more information than the real report asks for. The Department of State has published an alert, and a copy of one of the bogus forms, on its scams page.
Why these mailers work
They borrow the look of a government notice, use a deadline to create pressure, and ask for an amount small enough that many owners pay without a second thought. They are aimed at people who have recently formed a company and have never filed an annual report, because those owners do not yet know what a real filing looks like. The annual report requirement is also new in Pennsylvania, which makes it easy for a look-alike letter to sound plausible.
Four checks
- Look at the web address. The real filing happens on the Department of State’s website (pa.gov). A different domain is a warning sign.
- Look at the price. The state fee for an LLC annual report is $7. A $175 “filing fee” is not the state’s fee.
- Distrust QR codes and urgent deadlines. Type the state’s address yourself. Do not scan a code from a letter.
- Check the sender. If the letter is not clearly from the Pennsylvania Department of State, treat it as an ad until you confirm otherwise.
If you already paid
- Call your bank or card issuer and ask whether the charge can be disputed. Do it quickly.
- Watch your accounts and credit for misuse, since you may have shared personal details.
- Then file the real report on the state’s site if it is still needed, and keep the confirmation.
Where to report it
Report the notice to the Pennsylvania Department of State through its scams page, to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s consumer complaint process, and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Reports help the state warn other owners.
Protecting your business
- Keep one folder, paper or digital, for every state and federal filing, with the confirmation for each.
- Tell anyone who opens your mail that state filings are never paid through a QR code or a lookalike website.
- Calendar the annual report yourself, so a letter never sets your deadline.
- Keep your registered office address current, and treat any unexpected invoice as a question to verify, not a bill to pay.
How to file the real report
Start from the Department of State’s annual reports page. The LLC window is January 1 to September 30, and the fee is $7. Our guide to the Pennsylvania LLC annual report walks through it, and Annual Compliance Plan files it for you each year. You can see the price in pricing, or book a free call.
Questions
Q01How do I know if a Pennsylvania business notice is real?
Check that it comes from the Department of State, that any website is on pa.gov, and that the fee matches the state’s published fee. When in doubt, go to the Department’s site directly.
Q02Is it illegal to charge more than $7 to file the report?
A company can charge for a filing service, and that is not the same as the state fee. The problem is notices that look official and hide the difference. We tell you the state fee and our fee separately.
Q03What should I do with a letter I am not sure about?
Do not pay it and do not scan its QR code. Look up the filing on the Department of State’s own website, compare the fee, and call us if you want a second opinion. A real obligation will still be there after you check, and a scam depends on you acting fast.
Q04I paid and filed through the wrong site. Is my entity in good standing?
Check your entity’s record on the Department of State’s site. If the report does not show as filed there, file it directly.
Sources
- PA Department of State: business and charities scam alerts
- PA Department of State: annual reports
- FTC: report fraud
- Pennsylvania Attorney General: file a consumer complaint
General information based on publicly available rules as of October 2026. Not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and requirements change; confirm current details with the agency or a licensed professional.