(ATLANTA)-Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is extending the time for Georgia corporations to file their annual registration to provide relief for Peach State businesses in light of the rapid spread of COVID-19. Georgia businesses are working hard every day to survive through the economic turmoil caused by the global pandemic. Understanding the hardship these businesses face, Raffensperger has extended the annual registration period to May 1.
“The economic turmoil caused by the spread of Coronavirus poses a great challenge to the Georgia economy,” said Raffensperger. “Extending the annual registration period for Georgia businesses provides regulatory relief that will ease the burden for our hardworking entrepreneurs and business owners during these tough times.”
The 2020 annual registration period will now extend an extra month and will end on May 1, 2020. Georgia businesses will be able to file their annual registration until May 1 without incurring any penalties or late filing fees.
Raffensperger made this decision in light of the hardship put on Georgia businesses and entrepreneurs due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Georgia businesses are working short-staffed or with limited access to business resources. Even those who are fully staffed are working tirelessly to keep their businesses afloat in the midst of a turbulent economy.
Georgia business that do file their annual registrations can now register for one, two, or three years. As a legislator, Raffensperger introduced legislation to provide multi-year options for business registration and made it a priority to implement these options as Secretary of State. Georgia businesses who opt to register for two or three years will be able to enjoy a lighter regulatory burden in future years.