North Carolina Secretary of State office — contact, fees, and licensing

The North Carolina Secretary of State's Business Registration Division handles all entity formations, registered agent designations, annual reports, and amendments. Online filings through the SOS portal process faster than paper submissions. The April 15 annual report deadline applies to LLCs and most calendar-year corporations.

Office contact

Street address	2 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
Mailing address	P.O. Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622
Phone	(919) 814-5400
Online filing portal	sosnc.gov — Online Services
Business Registration homepage	sosnc.gov — Business Registration

Entity formation and filing fees

North Carolina charges slightly different fees for online versus paper filings on annual reports. Formation fees are the same regardless of channel. Verify current amounts at sosnc.gov before filing.

Filing	Online fee	Paper fee
Domestic LLC — Articles of Organization	$125	$125
Domestic LLC — Annual Report (due April 15)	$203	$200
Domestic For-Profit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation	$125	$125
Domestic For-Profit Corporation — Annual Report	$21	$25
Domestic Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation	$60	$60
Limited Partnership — Certificate of Limited Partnership	$50	$50
Name Reservation	$30
Certificate of Existence	Verify current fee at sosnc.gov

Key North Carolina state licensing agencies

Agency	What it covers	Website
North Carolina Department of Revenue	Sales and use tax registration, income tax withholding, privilege license tax	ncdor.gov
North Carolina Division of Employment Security	Unemployment insurance registration, employer accounts, wage reporting	des.nc.gov
North Carolina Department of Insurance — Licensing Division	Insurance producer licensing; contractor, occupational, and professional licenses	ncdoi.gov

This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the North Carolina Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official North Carolina Secretary of State sources, May 2026.