FAQ's About Online Filings
Secretary Galvin in conjunction with the Executive Office of Administration and Finance has reduced fees for certain online filings effective November 8, 2002.You may file your annual report online and your corporate information will be immediately updated for less money than paper transactions. That means no more waiting for your annual report to be processed before you can obtain a certificate of good standing.
How is an online filing different from a paper filing?
In general, an online filing acts exactly like a paper filing. However, there are several advantages to online filing:
- no need to print, complete & mail
- faster delivery
- validation makes errors less likely
- easier to complete
- verification of delivery
- reduced filing fees
How do I log in?
There is no need to log in for filing UCCs. There is a need to log in for annual reports. All domestic profit corporations organized prior to November 15, 2000 have been mailed a letter indicating a PIN and CID. The individual filing the annual report on behalf of the domestic profit corporation must have these items to successfully log into the system. If you have lost, misplaced or never received your letter identifying the PIN and CID, please email corpcid@sec.state.ma.us .
Why does the online filing system tell me to change my information in some fields?
Our forms are designed to help you complete the form accurately and correctly. These special checks helps to prevent your filing from being rejected by our office. To accomplish this, some fields may require a specific type of data, such as numeric. Some fields may require your data input to be of a specific format or length (i.e., zip codes, telephone numbers). There is online help available from the form. If you continue to have problems or have questions, please contact us.
How do I fill it in?
Our online forms are very simple to complete. You simply need to type your information into the fields. To move around the form, you can tab from field to field or you can click on a particular field by using your mouse.
What if I make a mistake?
If you make a mistake before you submit your information, all you have to do is click on the field you want to change and then retype or add new information.
If you submit your form and notice a mistake on the accept for review page, simply return to the form, make changes and resubmit.
If you don't realize that you made a mistake until after the payment has been processed, you may refile (such as annual reports) or file an amendment (for filings such as UCCs). Please see below for information about rejections of annual reports.
What happens if I start a filing but I don't finish?
If you cancel the filing at any point prior to payment processing, you can refile by logging in and continuing the filing. Depending upon the point at which you cancelled, you may or may not need to reenter the information.
How do I pay for online filings?
Currently, online filings may be paid for with a credit card, electronic check or EFT (electronice fund transfer). Information about how credit card payments are processed and handled may be found on our Credit Card Processing Instructions page.
How do I know the SOC received my filings?
Please allow one business day from the day your UCC filing is processed. At that time, you will be able to search the new online UCC databases to view your filing. If you fail to see your filing it may mean that it has been rejected and you will be contacted by e-mail or USPS mail. If you are not notified of a rejection and your filing is still not appearing on this web site, please contact us.
Annual Reports will be processed as quickly as possible. At this time, they will not be viewable on this web site. When the comprehensive system is installed, you will then be able to search online. If you need to know if your filing was received, please contact us.
What happens if my annual report filing is rejected by the SOC?
If your filing is rejected, you can refile. Currently, for annual reports only, you may refile once you have been notified of the rejection. Once your filing is in our office we will review the content for approval. If your filing fails approval and is rejected, our system is updated to permit refiling. There is no additional charge regardless of the number of time you must refile.