Annual franchise tax report; contents; failure to file and pay tax; duties of Secretary of State.
Del. Code tit. 8, § 502
in effect(a) Annually on or before March 1, every corporation now existing or hereafter incorporated under Chapter 1 of this title or which has accepted the Constitution of this State, shall make an annual franchise tax report to the Secretary of State. The report shall be made on a form designated by the Secretary of State and shall be signed by the corporation’s president, secretary, treasurer or other proper officer duly authorized so to act, or by any of its directors, or if filing an initial report by any incorporator in the event its board of directors shall not have been elected. The fact that an individual’s name is signed on the report shall be prima facie evidence that such individual is authorized to certify the report on behalf of the corporation; however, the official title or position of the individual signing the corporate report shall be designated. The report shall contain the following information:
(1) The location of its registered office in this State, which shall include the street, number, city and postal code;
(2) The name of the agent upon whom service of process against the corporation may be served;
(3) The nature of the business of the corporation;
(4) The location of the principal place of business of the corporation, which shall include the street, number, city, state or foreign country (provided that, unless a corporation maintains its principal place of business in this State and serves as its own registered agent, for purposes of this subsection, the principal place of business address shall not be the address of the registered office of the corporation in this State and shall not be the address of any other registered agent);
(5) The names and addresses of all the directors as of the filing date of the report and the name and address of the officer who signs the report; provided, that other than an initial report, all reports shall list a director or directors excepting any report filed in conjunction with a certificate of dissolution filed by an incorporator pursuant to § 274 of this title or a certificate of dissolution filed pursuant to § 275(c) of this title;
(6) The number of shares and the par value per share of each class of capital stock having a par value and the number of shares of each class of stock without par value which the corporation is authorized to issue; and
(7) Such additional information, schedules and attachments as the Secretary shall require to ascertain the franchise tax due to the State.
(b) If any officer or director of a corporation required to make an annual franchise tax report to the Secretary of State shall knowingly make any false statement in the report, such officer or director shall be guilty of perjury.
(c) If the annual franchise tax report and the franchise tax due are not filed or paid by the corporation as required by this chapter, the Secretary of State shall ascertain and fix the amount of the franchise tax as determined in the manner prescribed by § 503(a) of this title and the amount so fixed by the Secretary of State shall stand as the basis of taxation under the provisions of this chapter unless the corporation shall thereafter elect to compute the franchise tax in the manner prescribed by § 503(a)(2) of this title by filing the annual franchise tax report and complying with the provisions of § 503(b) of this title. In the event of neglect, refusal or failure on the part of any corporation to file a complete annual franchise tax report with the Secretary of State on or before March 1, the corporation shall pay the sum of $200 to be recovered by adding that amount to the franchise tax as herein determined and fixed, and such additional sum shall become a part of the franchise tax as so determined and fixed, and shall be collected in the same manner and subject to the same penalties.
(d) In case any corporation shall fail to file its annual franchise tax report and the franchise tax due within the time required by this chapter, and in case the agent in charge of the registered office of any corporation upon whom process against the corporation may be served shall die, resign, refuse to act as such, remove from this State or cannot with due diligence be found, it shall be lawful while default continues to serve process against the corporation upon the Secretary of State. Such service upon the Secretary of State shall be made in the manner and shall have the effect stated in § 321(b) of this title and shall be governed in all respects by said subsection.
(e) The Secretary of State shall safely keep all reports returned in such manner as they may be open to the inspection of all persons pursuant to the provisions set forth in Chapter 100 of Title 29. Any tax information provided pursuant to paragraph (a)(7) of this section, contained on annual franchise tax reports filed after tax year 2006 shall not be deemed public.
(f) The Secretary of State shall not issue certificates of good standing that pertain to any corporation that has an unpaid franchise tax balance due to the State or does not have on file a completed annual franchise tax report for the relevant time period.
Source: DE Code (Official Site)URL: https://delcode.delaware.gov/title8/c005/index.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026