What is the official business register in Alabama and how do you search it?

The Secretary of State maintains the official register through the Business Entities Online portal at alabamainteractive.org/sos. The search is free and open to anyone, allowing you to look up entities by name or entity ID number to find their status, registered agent, principal office address, and (for corporations) the president's name from the most recent annual report.

What public information is available on Alabama business entities, and what is not disclosed?

The SOS public record shows entity name, type, formation state, current status, registered agent details, principal office address, and for corporations the president's name and nature of business. Full director and officer lists beyond the president are not part of the public SOS record, and there is no public financial disclosure requirement.

Does Alabama have a state beneficial ownership register?

Alabama has no state-level beneficial ownership register. At the federal level, the Corporate Transparency Act created a BOI registry run by FinCEN, but as of March 2025 an interim final rule lifted the obligation for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons, leaving only foreign reporting companies subject to it.

Which entity types must file an annual report with the Alabama Secretary of State?

Only for-profit corporations and professional corporations must file an annual report with the SOS, which runs from January 1 to March 15 each year and costs $10. LLCs, nonprofits, limited partnerships, and LLPs have no annual report obligation with the SOS.

Business Registers in Alabama | Secretary of State

Overview

Alabama business registration runs through the Secretary of State (SOS), which keeps the official record of entities formed or registered to do business in the state. Searches and filings go through the SOS's online system at alabamainteractive.org/sos.

Alabama has no annual report requirement with the Secretary of State. The legislature repealed the SOS annual report for corporations through Act 2024-213 (HB 230), effective October 1, 2024. The requirement had existed as a standalone $10 SOS filing only briefly, from January 1 to September 30, 2024. LLCs, nonprofits, LPs, and LLPs never had an SOS annual report obligation at all.

The Business Privilege Tax (BPT), administered by the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR), is the second obligation. It applies to corporations, LLCs, and other entities doing business in the state. Since 2024, entities with a BPT liability of $100 or less are fully exempt from filing.

Alabama has no state-level beneficial ownership register. At the federal level, the Corporate Transparency Act (2021) created a BOI registry run by FinCEN, but a March 2025 interim final rule lifted the obligation for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons. Only foreign reporting companies remain subject to it.

The free SOS search returns an entity's status, registered agent, and the president's name from the most recent SOS filing (for corporations). Full director and officer lists are not part of the public SOS record.

Official Registers

Secretary of State (Business Entities Online)

The SOS maintains the official register of business entities through the Business Entities Online portal. It records domestic and foreign corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs, and nonprofit corporations.

Search and access. The Business Entity Search is free and open to anyone. Search by entity name or entity ID number. Each record shows the entity name, type, state of formation, current status, registered agent name and registered office address, and principal office address. For corporations, the most recent SOS filing on record also shows the president's name and the nature of business.

Filings. Formation documents go in online or by mail. Articles of Incorporation for domestic for-profit corporations cost $200. Articles of Organization for domestic LLCs also cost $200. Foreign entities file an Application for Registration at $150. Nonprofit corporations file Articles of Incorporation at $200.

Certificates. Certificates of Existence and certified copies of filed documents are available from the SOS for a fee.

Updates. A filing goes live once the SOS processes it.

Alabama Department of Revenue

The ADOR administers the Business Privilege Tax, a separate annual obligation distinct from the SOS annual report. Corporations file Form CPT. LLCs, partnerships, and other pass-through entities file Form PPT. The BPT rate is net-worth based. Since 2024, entities whose total BPT liability is $100 or less are fully exempt from the filing requirement and owe nothing.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Corporations

All domestic and foreign for-profit corporations must register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent at a physical Alabama address.

Business Privilege Tax. Corporations file Form CPT with the ADOR each year. The BPT is calculated on net worth. There is no annual report obligation with the SOS; Act 2024-213 (HB 230) eliminated that requirement as of October 1, 2024.

Financial statements. There is no public financial disclosure requirement. Director and officer detail beyond the president's name is not collected by the SOS.

LLCs

All domestic and foreign LLCs must register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent in Alabama. Domestic formation costs $200. Foreign registration costs $150.

No annual report. LLCs have no annual report obligation with the SOS. There is no anniversary filing and no recurring SOS fee after formation.

Business Privilege Tax. LLCs still owe the BPT to ADOR each year via Form PPT. Since 2024, those with a liability of $100 or less are fully exempt from filing.

Nonprofit corporations

Nonprofits file Articles of Incorporation with the SOS at $200. They have no annual report obligation with the SOS. Federal 501(c) status comes from the IRS; the state filing doesn't grant it. Qualifying nonprofits are generally exempt from the BPT.

Professional corporations

Professional corporations are treated similarly to for-profit corporations. The SOS annual report that briefly applied from January 1 to September 30, 2024 was eliminated by Act 2024-213 (HB 230); professional corporations have no recurring SOS filing obligation beyond initial registration.

LLPs and limited partnerships

LLPs and limited partnerships register with the SOS but have no annual report requirement with the SOS. They still owe the BPT to ADOR unless their liability falls at or below the $100 exemption threshold.

Sole proprietors and general partnerships

No SOS registration is required. Neither entity type has a recurring SOS filing obligation.

Summary table

Entity type	Register with SOS	Annual report to SOS	Business Privilege Tax to ADOR
For-profit corporation	Yes ($200)	No (eliminated Oct 1, 2024)	Yes
Professional corporation	Yes ($200)	No (eliminated Oct 1, 2024)	Yes
LLC	Yes ($200 domestic / $150 foreign)	No	Yes (exempt if BPT ≤ $100)
Nonprofit corporation	Yes ($200)	No	Generally exempt
LLP	Yes	No	Yes (exempt if BPT ≤ $100)
LP	Yes	No	Yes (exempt if BPT ≤ $100)
Sole proprietor / general partnership	No	No	No

With Topograph

Topograph queries Alabama's Secretary of State system to return structured company data for entities registered in the state.

Available Data

Company Profile

Entity ID number
Entity name
Entity type and state of formation
Current status
Registered agent name and address
Principal office address

Officers

Name of president or authorized representative (from most recent SOS filing, corporations only)

Available Documents

Document type	Comment
Trade Register Extract	A Topograph-generated extract of the entity's SOS record: entity ID, name, type, state of formation, status, registered agent, principal office, and the president's name as most recently reported (corporations only).

Full director and officer lists aren't part of the public SOS record. Financial statements aren't filed publicly in Alabama. BPT returns are filed with the ADOR and aren't publicly accessible. Domestic companies are also exempt from federal BOI reporting following the March 2025 FinCEN rule.

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