Why HNM Compliance
Your state filings, done for a fraction of a compliance hire.
Hiring someone to keep up with licenses, excise returns, PACT Act reports and product listings across several states is expensive, slow to set up and fragile when that person is out. We run the whole calendar for a fixed fee per state, quoted in writing before you commit, or take the recurring work off the desk of the compliance team you already have.
Predictable cost, better organized and faster to start
An in-house compliance officer does far more than state filings, and good ones are worth every dollar. But if the job you need done is the recurring state calendar, this is how the two options compare.
| In-house hire for state filings | HNM Compliance | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | About $117,900 at the median, once benefits are added to salary | A fixed fee for each state you need, quoted in writing for your footprint before you commit |
| Getting started | Recruit, hire, then train on each state's forms, portals and due dates | Your calendar is built from your footprint review |
| Vacation, illness and turnover | Deadlines keep coming when one person is out or leaves | A team covers every deadline; nothing depends on one person |
| A new state or product line | Research the new rules and set up new accounts | Added to your filing profile; the checklist shows every filing it triggers |
| Record of every filing | Lives in one person's inbox and folders | Every draft, approval, confirmation and document in one portal, with who approved it and when |
| Reminders | Whatever calendar that person keeps | Automatic reminders 30, 7 and 1 days before each due date |
| Late penalties | Your cost, whatever the cause | If a penalty results solely from our error, we reimburse it, up to the fees you paid us for that state over the prior twelve months |
Already have a compliance officer? We make that person more effective.
Most compliance teams in this industry are one or two people carrying FDA, TTB, customs, supplier diligence and audits along with the state calendar. We take the repetitive state work so they can spend their time where judgment matters.
What we take off their desk
- Monthly and quarterly excise returns in every state you owe them
- PACT Act monthly reports, due by the 10th of every month
- License and permit renewals, bonds and state registration updates
- Vapor directory certifications and California UTL listings
- The reminder calendar and the filing archive
What stays in their hands
- Approval of every filing before it is submitted, in the portal
- Their own login, plus logins for anyone else they choose
- One place to answer an auditor, a lender or a buyer's due diligence
- Coverage when they are on vacation, out sick or between hires
- Time for FDA, TTB, customs and the work only they can do
What the state calendar costs you in-house
Start from the national median or enter what you actually pay. Every figure updates as you type. Hold the result up against your written quote.
Instead of a hire
State fees, taxes and bonds are the same either way and are not included. An in-house employee usually handles more than state filings; use the second tab to count only that share of the job. Request a quote to compare it with HNM Compliance for the same states.
What it looks like for companies like yours
Illustrative engagements, showing how a quote is put together for three common footprints. The median fully loaded cost of a compliance officer is about $117,900 a year.
Premium cigar importer
Licensed in 4 states, excise returns in 3
4 states 1 Essential, 3 Standard
Licenses and renewals in all four states, and the cigar excise return in the three that tax it. Renewals, returns and reminders are handled; the owner approves each return from a phone.
No in-house hire neededVapor distributor
8 taxing states, shipping across state lines
8 states Standard, with PACT Act reporting
Excise returns in every taxing state, the monthly PACT Act report to each one, and vapor directory listings only in the states that require them.
Every report due by the 10th, on timeManufacturer with a compliance manager
12 states, one person running FDA, TTB and customs
12 states Standard
Twelve states of licenses and returns. The manager keeps approval of every return and gets back the days each month that the state calendar used to take, with coverage when away.
Frees the manager for FDA and TTB workSources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Compliance Officers (median annual wage, May 2025), and Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (benefits as 31.5 percent of total compensation for full-time private industry workers). The fully loaded figure divides the median wage by the wage share of total compensation. Actual costs vary by location, experience and duties. Examples are illustrative; your footprint review sets your actual services, and your quote sets your fees.
See exactly what you owe, state by state.
A footprint review maps every license, return, report and listing your products trigger in the states you sell, with a deadline calendar you keep either way.
Request a quote