November 1 is the deadline for nonprofit corporations operating in Massachusetts to provide annual reports to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. The Annual Report filing fee is $15 and checks should be payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Download a fillable PDF Annual Report form here.
Organizations that fail to file annual reports for two consecutive years are at risk of having their corporate status revoked by the Secretary’s office. Reinstating corporate status can be expensive in terms of both money and time, as reinstatement requires the filing of all owed annual reports, along with their filing fees.
The Annual Report form is straightforward. You must provide the physical address of the nonprofit corporation, the date of the last annual meeting, and the names and residential addresses of the officers and board of directors; if there are too many for the space provided, you can add a second sheet listing the entire board. The expiration date for terms of office (depending on your bylaws, it may be the next annual meeting date) should also be listed.
Nonprofit corporations must have a President, Treasurer, and Secretary (Clerk). If an officer position is vacant, someone should be appointed to the position in accordance with the organization’s bylaws. If an officer position is blank on the form when submitted, it may be returned to you as incomplete.
The Annual Report may be signed by any officer, but the officer’s name must appear as an officer on the report.