How to Reinstate an LLC in Wisconsin

How reinstatement works in Wisconsin

Wisconsin is slow to dissolve LLCs. DFI only begins administrative dissolution when a report is at least a year overdue, mails a notice to the registered agent and principal office, and if that fails, publishes the LLC on its Notice of Administrative Dissolution list; 60 days after publication, the LLC is dissolved. An LLC on the notice list can still avoid dissolution simply by filing its annual report. Once dissolved, the LLC emails DFI with its name and entity ID to receive reinstatement forms, since there is no public form online. The application must show every ground for dissolution has been cured and all DFI fees are paid; third-party sources report a $100 reinstatement fee plus $25 per missed report. Wis. Stat. 183.0709 sets no deadline, and reinstatement relates back to the dissolution date, but the LLC loses exclusive rights to its name the day it is dissolved.

Steps to reinstate a Wisconsin LLC

1. Request the reinstatement application from DFI by email with the entity name and entity ID
2. State the LLC's name and the effective date of administrative dissolution
3. Show that each ground for dissolution was cured or did not exist, which means filing the overdue annual reports
4. Pay all fees owed to DFI
5. Confirm the name still complies with Wis. Stat. 183.0112 or adopt a different name
6. Form to use: Application for Reinstatement (provided by DFI on request).
7. Email DFICorporations@dfi.wisconsin.gov (or call 608-261-7577) with the entity name and entity ID; DFI sends the reinstatement forms, which are returned to DFI with payment.

What reinstatement costs: a worked example

An LLC dissolved after missing 2 reports:

Reinstatement application fee reported as $100, plus $25 for each delinquent annual report; all fees owed to DFI under chapter 183 must be paid. Whether late penalties are charged again at reinstatement varies; the state calculates the exact total when you file. Taxes, interest and tax-clearance costs are extra where they apply.

What happens to the LLC and its name

• Effect: Yes. Under Wis. Stat. 183.0709(4), reinstatement relates back to the effective date of the administrative dissolution, except for the rights of people who relied on the dissolution before learning of the reinstatement.
• Your LLC name: Under Wis. Stat. 183.0708(4m), administrative dissolution ends the LLC's right to exclusive use of its name, so another business can take it; the reinstatement application must use a name that complies with 183.0112.

The most common cause is a missed Annual Report. See the Wisconsin Annual Report guide for deadlines so it does not happen again.

Reinstatement in Wisconsin and nearby states

Mistakes that slow down a Wisconsin reinstatement

• Searching the DFI website for a downloadable reinstatement form, when the forms are sent only after you email DFI with the entity name and ID.
• Ignoring a Notice of Administrative Dissolution listing, when filing the annual report during the 60-day window avoids dissolution entirely.
• Assuming the name is safe while dissolved, when Wisconsin ends the LLC's exclusive right to its name on the dissolution date.