AUGUSTA  — Maine corporations have recently received misleading solicitation mailings from a business operating under the name Workplace Compliance Services (link to view solicitation). These mailings include an offer to file annual reports for the corporation, for a $160 fee.

The form provided by Workplace Compliance Services is not prescribed or recognized by the Maine Department of the Secretary of State and this mailing does not come from the department's Division of Corporations.

The "solicitation form" looks similar to the Division of Corporations' annual report form, so although the solicitation correctly states that Workplace Compliance Services is not a government agency, some corporations have confused the form for the prescribed annual report. Maine corporations have received similar solicitations in recent years from entities operating under various names.

The Division of Corporations does not mail out the annual report form. The legal deadline to file the 2019 annual reports with the Secretary of State's office is June 1, 2019 and corporate entities can file those reports online at https://icrs.informe.org/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS beginning Jan. 1, 2019.

Any corporation that has questions about the solicitation or form is encouraged to obtain advice from its lawyer or business advisor. In addition, those with questions can contact the Maine Division of Corporations at (207) 624-7752 for information about corporate annual report and other business entity filing requirements under Maine law.