Written by Sean Obetz, CPA, Joshua Lytle, CPA, and Josiah Schendel, CPA
During the past few weeks, the Pennsylvania Department of State has begun mailing postcards to certain businesses and associations requesting action on completing a decennial filing. The postcard states that the organization has not made or amended any filings with the State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2020. As a result, the organization is requested to file a report certifying that it continues to exist, allowing it to retain exclusive use of its name and marks. By filing this form, the PA Department of State will not allow the entity’s name to be used by any other entities registering with the state. The intent of the decennial filing is for the Pennsylvania Department of State to identify business names that are no longer used, allowing them to be used in the future.
There is no filing requirement if your organization or business has registered with the state since January 1, 2012. This is also true for any entity that updated its address, corporate officers, or amended any other filing with the PA Department of State.
If you are unsure of a filing requirement and have not received a postcard in the mail, the list published by PA is a great place to start. The Decennial Filings are the lists of businesses and organizations that have been notified of a filing requirement. It is important to note that failure to give notice of the filing obligation does not relieve the entity from a decennial filing requirement.
For any questions on filing and completing the form, please contact Sean Obetz, CPA at 717-358-9159 or Joshua Lytle, CPA at 717-358-9120, or Josiah Schendel, CPA at 717-358-9041.
View the official Decennial Report of Association Continued Existence form.
