Keeping the company in good standing · A term for founders abroad
What is good standing?
The status of a company that has filed and paid everything its state requires; lost by missing a report or tax, and proved by a certificate.
Checked against the IRS's instructions and the states' own rules. Reviewed by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.
Term 57 of 105 in the glossary, filed under G.Wyoming Secretary of State: business filing fees
Good standing, for a founder abroad.
A company in good standing is up to date with its state's filings and fees. Banks, investors, payment processors and other states ask for a certificate of good standing as proof, usually one issued in the last month or few.
- Wyoming: free online, or $20 for a certified copy.
- Delaware: $50 for the short form, $175 for the long form that lists every filing.
Missing an annual report or tax puts the company behind, and the state won't issue a certificate until it's paid. Left long enough, the state dissolves the company. Getting it back usually costs more than the report did.
Sources: Wyoming Secretary of State: business filing fees; Delaware Division of Corporations: fee schedule.
Read next · guide · 3 minThe documents you get after formation, and what each one is forWhat founders ask next.
- How do I get a certificate of good standing?
- From the state's website. Wyoming's is free online; Delaware charges for one. The company has to be up to date first.
- Why does my bank want a certificate of good standing?
- To confirm the company still exists and is up to date with the state, usually when opening an account or during a later review.
03 · See also
- Keeping the company in good standingAnnual reportThe yearly filing a state requires to keep a company in good standing: $60 in Wyoming; a Delaware LLC files none and pays a yearly tax instead.Read the term
- Keeping the company in good standingAdministrative dissolutionA state ending a company that stopped filing or paying; usually reversible by reinstatement, at a cost, within a limited time.Read the term
- Keeping the company in good standingWyoming annual report licence taxWyoming's yearly charge on an LLC: $60, or $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets if more, due on the first day of the month it was formed in.Read the term
- Keeping the company in good standingDelaware annual LLC taxThe flat $400 tax every Delaware LLC pays by 1 June each year, raised from $300 in 2026; Delaware LLCs file no annual report.Read the term
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