Getting Started · 2026-04-13
How to File BOI Report with FinCEN: Step-by-Step
A step-by-step walkthrough of filing your Beneficial Ownership Information report on boiefiling.fincen.gov. Covers filing type selection, company information, beneficial owner details, ID upload, submission, and why the address on your BOI report must match all your other business registrations.
What Is the BOI Report and Who Must File
The Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report is a federal filing requirement administered by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). It requires most US companies to disclose their beneficial owners — the real people who own or control the business.
The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) mandates this reporting. If you have an LLC, corporation, or similar entity formed in any US state, you are almost certainly required to file.
Who must file:
LLCs (single-member and multi-member)
Corporations (C-corps and S-corps)
Limited partnerships
Any entity created by filing with a state secretary of state
Who is exempt:
Large operating companies (20+ full-time employees, $5M+ revenue, physical US office)
Publicly traded companies
Banks, credit unions, and regulated financial institutions
Tax-exempt nonprofits
Inactive entities that meet specific criteria
Most small LLCs — especially those formed by international founders — must file. There is no revenue minimum. Even a brand-new LLC with zero revenue must file its BOI report.
Filing Deadlines
The deadlines depend on when your company was formed:
**Existing companies (formed before January 1, 2024):** Must file by January 1, 2025
**Companies formed in 2024:** Must file within 90 days of formation
**Companies formed in 2025 and later:** Must file within 30 days of formation
If your formation was recent, the clock is already ticking. Missing the deadline can result in civil penalties of up to $500 per day and criminal penalties including fines up to $10,000 and imprisonment up to two years.
Filing is free. You do not need to pay anyone to file your BOI report. The entire process is done through FinCEN's online portal at boiefiling.fincen.gov.
Step-by-Step Filing on boiefiling.fincen.gov
Step 1: Access the Filing System
Go to boiefiling.fincen.gov and click "File BOIR" (Beneficial Ownership Information Report). No account creation is required — you can file directly.
You will see options for:
**Initial report** — your first filing for this entity
**Correction** — fixing errors in a previously filed report
**Update** — reporting changes to previously filed information
**Newly exempt entity** — if your entity now qualifies for an exemption
For a new LLC filing for the first time, select "Initial report."
Step 2: Company Information
Enter your company's details:
Legal name: The exact legal name from your Articles of Organization. This must match precisely — the same name on your formation documents, your EIN letter, your bank accounts, and every other official document. FinCEN cross-references this against state registration records.
Alternate name (DBA): If your business operates under a trade name, enter it. Otherwise skip this field.
Tax Identification Number: Enter your EIN. Select "EIN" as the type. FinCEN verifies this against IRS records.
Jurisdiction of formation: Select the US state where your LLC was formed. For a Wyoming LLC, select Wyoming.
Current US address: Enter the principal place of business or, if no US office, the primary US location where business is conducted.
This address is critical. The address you enter on your BOI report should match the address on your other registrations — your EIN, your state filing, your bank accounts. Address inconsistency across federal and state databases creates compliance risk. When a bank runs KYB verification, they may check your BOI filing. If the address on your BOI report says one thing and your bank application says another, this discrepancy raises a flag.
Use the same physical business address you used on your SS-4 (EIN application) and your state formation documents. For founders operating through a physical operations hub in Wyoming, the sublease address is the consistent choice because it is the address on your formation documents and your EIN.
Step 3: Beneficial Owner Information
A beneficial owner is any individual who:
**Directly or indirectly owns 25% or more** of the company, OR
**Exercises substantial control** over the company
For a single-member LLC, you are the sole beneficial owner. You exercise substantial control and own 100%.
For each beneficial owner, provide:
Full legal name: First name, middle name (if applicable), last name. Must match your government-issued ID exactly.
Date of birth: Month, day, year.
Residential address: Your personal residential address (not your business address). This is where you actually live. For international founders, this is your home address in your country of residence.
Note: The residential address is for the beneficial owner personally, which is different from the company address entered in Step 2. FinCEN wants to know where each owner lives, not where the business is located.
Identification document: You must provide one of the following:
US passport
US driver's license or state ID
Foreign passport (if no US document is available)
Step 4: Upload ID Document
Upload a clear image of the identification document you selected. Requirements:
**Must be legible** — all text and the photo must be clearly visible
**Must not be expired** at the time of filing
**File format:** JPEG or PDF
**File size:** Under 4 MB
For a foreign passport, upload the photo page. Ensure the image is not blurry, cropped, or obscured.
Step 5: Company Applicant (if applicable)
If your company was formed on or after January 1, 2024, you must also report the company applicant — the person who directly filed the formation documents with the state.
If you filed the Articles of Organization yourself, you are both the beneficial owner and the company applicant. Enter the same information again.
If a registered agent or formation service filed on your behalf, that person or service is the company applicant. You will need their name, address, and identification information.
For companies formed before January 1, 2024, company applicant information is not required.
Step 6: Review and Submit
Before submitting, review every field carefully:
Does the company name match your formation documents exactly?
Does the EIN match your CP 575 letter?
Does the company address match your other registrations?
Are the beneficial owner details accurate and consistent with your ID?
Is the ID document image clear and legible?
Once you are satisfied, submit the report. You will receive a confirmation with a FinCEN ID and a transcript of your filing.
Save the transcript immediately. Download it and store it with your other business documents. You will need the FinCEN ID if you ever need to file an update or correction.
After Filing: What to Keep and What to Watch
Save Your Filing Transcript
The transcript is your proof of compliance. Keep it with:
Your Articles of Organization
Your EIN letter (CP 575)
Your Operating Agreement
Your sublease or lease agreement
Monitor for Required Updates
You must file an updated report within 30 days if any of the following changes:
A beneficial owner's name, address, or identification changes
Ownership percentages change (new members join, existing members leave)
The company's legal name changes
The company's address changes
If you move your business to a new address, change your residential address, or add a new member to your LLC, an updated BOI report is required within 30 days.
Corrections
If you discover an error in a previously filed report, you must file a corrected report within 30 days of discovering the error. FinCEN provides a safe harbor — if you voluntarily correct an inaccurate report within 90 days of the original deadline, you will not be penalized.
Why Address Consistency Matters
The address on your BOI report exists in a federal database that banks, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies can access. When a bank performs KYB verification on your LLC, they may cross-reference your BOI filing with:
Your state registration (Secretary of State records)
Your EIN registration (IRS records)
Your bank application
Commercial address databases
If your BOI report lists a different address than your EIN application, or your state filing shows a different address than your bank application, each inconsistency raises a question. Banks interpret address inconsistencies as a risk signal because legitimate businesses typically maintain a consistent address across all registrations.
The simplest way to avoid this problem is to use the same physical business address everywhere: state formation, EIN application, BOI report, bank applications, and business licenses. This is one of the practical advantages of having a stable physical address from the start — you enter it once and use it consistently across every filing.
For a comprehensive overview of BOI reporting requirements and the underlying law, read What Is BOI Reporting? FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information Explained. For Japanese LLC owners specifically, see FinCEN BOI Reporting Guide for Japanese LLC Owners.
Common Filing Mistakes
Wrong entity name format. Using "LLC" when your formation documents say "L.L.C." or vice versa. Copy the exact format from your Articles of Organization.
Using business address for beneficial owner residential address. The beneficial owner address field asks for your personal residential address, not your company's address. These are two different fields for a reason.
Forgetting to include all beneficial owners. If your LLC has multiple members each holding 25% or more, all must be listed. Omitting a beneficial owner is a filing error that must be corrected.
Not saving the transcript. Once you close the confirmation page, you cannot retrieve the transcript again without contacting FinCEN. Save it immediately.
Filing with an expired ID. Your identification document must be current at the time of filing. If your passport expires next week, file before it expires or renew first.
Key Takeaways
BOI filing is straightforward but detail-sensitive. Use the exact same entity name across all documents. Use a consistent physical address across all registrations. Save your filing transcript. Monitor for changes that require updates within 30 days.
The filing is free, takes about 20 minutes, and there is no excuse for missing the deadline. The penalties for non-compliance are severe relative to the simplicity of the filing itself.