Year-End Corporate Compliance Checklist: 25 Things to File Before You Close the Books
A comprehensive year-end checklist for CFOs and controllers. Tax filings, annual reports, beneficial ownership, audit preparation, and everything else that is due.
The year-end crunch
The weeks around a fiscal year-end are when compliance failures happen. Tax returns, annual reports, audit preparation, beneficial ownership filings, and regulatory certifications all converge. Miss one, and the cascade begins: late fees, lost good standing, blocked bank accounts, failed due diligence.
This checklist covers the 25 most common year-end compliance obligations for multi-entity businesses. Not all will apply to every company, but scanning the full list takes five minutes and can prevent five-figure penalties.
Federal tax filings
- Form 1120 (C-Corp return): Due 15 April (calendar year). Extension to 15 October available via Form 7004.
- Form 1065 (Partnership/LLC return): Due 15 March (calendar year). Extension to 15 September.
- Form 1120-S (S-Corp return): Due 15 March (calendar year). Extension to 15 September.
- Form 5471 (Foreign corporation info): Filed with the income tax return. $10,000 penalty per form per year for late filing.
- Form 5472 (Foreign-owned US corp): Filed with Form 1120. $25,000 penalty per form.
- Form 8865 (Foreign partnership info): Filed with the income tax return. $10,000 penalty per form.
- FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR): Due 15 April (auto-extension to 15 October). Reports foreign bank accounts exceeding $10,000.
State compliance
- Annual reports: Due dates vary by state. Check every state where your entities are incorporated or qualified.
- State tax returns: Due dates typically follow federal deadlines but vary.
- Franchise tax: Delaware (1 March), California (15 April), Texas (15 May), and others.
- Business licence renewals: Some cities and counties require annual business licence renewals.
- Sales tax year-end reconciliation: Reconcile sales tax collected vs remitted across all nexus states.
Corporate governance
- Board resolutions: Year-end resolutions approving financial statements, dividends, officer appointments.
- Annual meeting minutes: Document your annual shareholder and/or board meetings.
- Written consents: If acting by written consent instead of meeting, document and file properly.
- Stock ledger update: Ensure your cap table and stock ledger are current.
Regulatory and compliance
- BOI report updates (FinCEN): File within 30 days of any changes to beneficial ownership during the year.
- Registered agent confirmations: Verify your registered agent is current in every jurisdiction.
- Good standing certificates: Order certificates for any upcoming renewals, financings, or audits.
- Insurance renewals: D&O, E&O, general liability, cyber — check expiration dates.
International
- Transfer pricing documentation: Update Master File and Local File before year-end.
- Economic substance declarations: Annual filings in Cayman, BVI, Jersey, Guernsey, UAE, etc.
- Country-by-Country Report: Due within 12 months of fiscal year-end for groups exceeding €750m revenue.
- Withholding tax reconciliation: Reconcile withholding on dividends, interest, and royalties across jurisdictions.
Audit preparation
- Audit readiness package: Prepare bank confirmations, accounts receivable confirmations, inventory counts, fixed asset schedules, and intercompany reconciliations before the auditors arrive.
How CompCal helps
CompCal generates your year-end compliance calendar automatically based on your entity structure and jurisdictions. Every item on this list that applies to your business appears as a tracked deadline with appropriate lead-time alerts.