(a) General rule.--Every domestic restricted professional company in existence on December 31 of any year and every qualified foreign restricted professional company that is registered to do business in this Commonwealth on December 31 of any year shall file in the Department of State with respect to that year, and on or before April 15 of the following year, a certificate of annual registration on a form provided by the department, executed by the company and accompanied by the annual registration fee prescribed by subsection (b). The department shall not charge a fee other than the annual registration fee for filing the certificate of annual registration. The certificate of annual registration shall include a statement by the company as to whether or not it engaged in any business not permitted by section 8996(a) (relating to purposes of restricted professional companies) during the year with respect to which the certificate is being filed.

(b) Annual registration fee.--

(1) The annual registration fee to be paid when filing a certificate of annual registration shall be equal to a base fee of $300 times the number of persons who:

(i) were members of the company on December 31 of the year with respect to which the certificate of annual registration is being filed;

(ii) were licensed persons; and

(iii) had their principal residence at the time in this Commonwealth.

(2) The base fee of $300 shall be increased on December 31, 1997, and December 31 of every third year thereafter by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Workers during the most recent three calendar years for which that index is available on the date of adjustment. Each adjustment under this paragraph shall be rounded up to the nearest $10.

(c) Notice of annual registration.--Not later than February 1 of each year, the department shall give notice to every restricted professional company required to file a certificate of annual registration with respect to the preceding year of the requirement to file the certificate. The notice shall state the amount of the base fee payable under subsection (b)(1), as adjusted pursuant to subsection (b)(2), if applicable, and shall be accompanied by the form of certificate to be filed. Failure by the department to give notice to any party or failure by any party to receive notice of the annual registration requirement shall not relieve the party of the obligation to file the certificate.

(d) Credit to Corporation Bureau Restricted Account.--The annual registration fee shall not be deemed to be an amount received by the department under Subchapter C of Chapter 1 (relating to Corporation Bureau and UCC fees) for purposes of section 155 (relating to disposition of funds), except that $25 of the fee shall be credited to the Corporation Bureau Restricted Account.

(e) Functions of Department of State.--The department shall send to the Department of Revenue a copy of any certificate that discloses the conduct of any business not permitted by section 8996(a).

(f) Annual fee to be lien.--

(1) Failure to file the certificate of annual registration required by this section shall not affect the existence or status of the restricted professional company as such, but the annual registration fee that would have been payable shall be a lien in the manner provided in this subsection from the time the annual registration fee is due and payable. If a certificate of annual registration is not filed within 30 days after the date on which it is due, the department shall assess a penalty of $500 against the company, which shall also be a lien in the manner provided in this subsection. The imposition of that penalty shall not be construed to relieve the company from liability for any other penalty or interest provided for under other applicable law.

(2) If the annual registration fee paid by a restricted professional company is subsequently determined to be less than should have been paid because it was based on an incorrect number of members or was otherwise incorrectly computed, that fact shall not affect the existence or status of the restricted professional company as such, but the amount of the additional annual registration fee that should have been paid shall be a lien in the manner provided in this subsection from the time the incorrect payment is discovered by the department.

(3) The annual registration fee shall bear simple interest from the date that it becomes due and payable until paid. The interest rate shall be that provided for in section 806 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, with respect to unpaid taxes. The penalty provided for in paragraph (1) shall not bear interest. The payment of interest shall not relieve the restricted professional company from liability for any other penalty or interest provided for under other applicable law.

(4) The lien created by this subsection shall attach to all of the property and proceeds thereof of the restricted professional company in which a security interest can be perfected, in whole or in part, by filing in the department under 13 Pa.C.S. Div. 9 (relating to secured transactions; sales of accounts, contract rights and chattel paper), whether the property and proceeds are owned by the company at the time the annual registration fee or any penalty or interest becomes due and payable or whether the property and proceeds are acquired thereafter. Except as otherwise provided by statute, the lien created by this subsection shall have priority over all other liens, security interests or other charges, except liens for taxes or other charges due the Commonwealth. The lien created by this subsection shall be entered on the records of the department and indexed in the same manner as a financing statement filed under 13 Pa.C.S. Div. 9. At the time an annual registration fee, penalty or interest that has resulted in the creation of a lien under this subsection is paid, the department shall terminate the lien with respect to that annual registration fee, penalty or interest without requiring a separate filing by the company for that purpose.

(5) If the annual registration fee paid by a restricted professional company is subsequently determined to be more than should have been paid for any reason, no refund of the additional fee shall be made.

(g) Cross reference.--See 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904 (relating to unsworn falsification to authorities).

(Nov. 21, 2016, P.L.1328, No.170, eff. 90 days)

2016 Amendment. Act 170 amended subsec. (g).