For the DIYers out there, just follow the steps below:
To start an LLC yourself in California, you need to first designate a registered agent. Your registered agent must be available during normal business hours at a physical address in California. The purpose of a registered agent is to accept legal mail on your behalf, so it’s important to designate a reliable California registered agent.
If you hire us, we’ll accept any legal mail you receive and upload it to a secure account where you can access it immediately.
Forming an LLC in California requires completing Articles of Organization and an initial Statement of Information ($20). These documents, available on the California Secretary of State website, will ask for your registered agent’s information and whether your LLC will be managed by members or managers. You’ll also need to list your LLC’s name and California business address.
Hire us to form your LLC in California and we’ll fill out and file your Articles of Organization, listing our permanent building address and filing your initial Statement of Information. That’s all included in your LLC formation costs, along with state filing fees.
Your California Articles of Organization and Statement of Information must be submitted to the California Secretary of State, along with the correct filing fees. You can file online, by mail, or by dropping your documents off in person in Sacramento.
And if you hire us, our building is in Midtown Sacramento, a few blocks from the Secretary of State’s office. That means we can submit your Articles of Organization by hand.
California LLCs are required to file biennial reports. In California, this form is called the Statement of Information. If you forget to file and miss your grace period, you’ll be charged a late fee of $250. Yikes. If you continue to be delinquent in filing your Statement of Information, the California Secretary of State has the power to administratively dissolve your LLC.
At California Registered Agent Inc, we make it nearly impossible to forget to file your Statement of Information. We automatically file it for you for $100 plus the filing fee. You can opt out of this service easily through your secure account.
So we can provide the most for the best value
Here’s why that matters. When we form your LLC, we provide:
Our California business address is a permanent one—that means we’re here for good. You won’t have to update your business address every time you move or rely on a company that rents out third-party vendor addresses.
We include free limited mail forwarding, and our Virtual Mail service includes paid mail forwarding packages as well, making this your convenient California mail forwarding solution.
Virtual numbers are available in all 50 states, and it’s only $9 / month after the free trial of our Virtual Phone Service.
We want to see California’s entrepreneurs succeed. Call us and you’ll reach an actual human on the other end of the line—one who can walk you through the maze of paperwork and regulations in California.
Some companies advertise “$0” to form an LLC in California—and then hit you with add-ons, hidden fees, and yearly price increases for registered agent service. You’ll sign up for “$0” and end up paying more money for less value.
Not us. We pride ourselves on being affordable and transparent. For $149 plus state fees, we’ll prepare and submit your California Articles of Organization. You also get a business address, operating agreement, a year of registered agent service, ongoing compliance reminders, and access to our stellar customer support team.
After the first year? $49 / yr for California registered agent service.
That’s it.
California LLC FAQs
Starting an LLC in California can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re going it alone. Our office is full of California LLC experts. Here are some of the questions we hear most often about LLC formation in California.
Not sure if a California LLC is the right business structure for you? Choosing an entity type is an important decision. Check out our California Business FAQs to learn more.
Currently, there is no fee for the California Articles of Organization and a $20 fee for the mandatory initial Statement of Information. Previously, the Articles of Organization fee was $70, but the state has temporarily waived the fee through June 2023.
If you hire us to file your LLC for you, we offer a wide range of tools and support for $149 plus state fees.
There’s no rule against using your home address as your business address for your California LLC, but there are several drawbacks to doing so. Check out our Business Address Guide to understand the possible consequences of listing your home address on the California Articles of Organization (spoiler alert: it has to do with privacy).
If you hire us for registered agent service, we’ll provide a business address for you to use, which can help you keep your home address off the public record.
All California LLCs have to pay the California Franchise Tax. It’s a flat fee of $800. You’ll owe the California Franchise Tax every year until you dissolve your LLC. The California Franchise Tax will be due on the 15th day of the fourth month from your LLC’s formation date.
In addition to the California Franchise Tax, there’s also an LLC fee for any California LLCs making more than $250,000. It starts at $900 and goes up to $11,790.
Technically, no. But you should have an operating agreement for your California LLC. You don’t have to file it with the government and they’re not going to check to make sure you have one. However, when you open a business bank account for your California LLC, the bank is going to ask to see it.
If you hire us, we’ll provide you with a customized template to help you draft your California operating agreement.
Yes. All LLCs — regardless of size — have to pay the California franchise tax. The only way to get around it is to operate as a sole proprietor, and that leaves you exposed to personal liability.
To make changes to your original Articles of Organization in California, you have to file the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Amendment form with the California SOS. You can use the LLC Certificate of Amendment form to change your California LLC’s name and how it’s managed. It costs $30 to file. To change your registered agent, business address, or managers and members, you’ll have to use the Statement of Information form.
To dissolve or cancel a California LLC, you have to file the right LLC dissolution form with the California SOS. There are three different dissolution forms, and the one(s) your LLC will need to use depend on a few different factors.
If all of your members have unanimously voted to dissolve, you’ll need to file the Certificate of Cancellation (Form LLC 4/7). If the decision to dissolve was not unanimous, you’ll need to file the Certificate of Dissolution (Form LLC-3). If your California LLC is less than a year old and meets a few other requirements, you may be eligible to file the Short Form Certificate of Cancellation (Form LLC 4/8).
Whatever form you file, you’ll need to be sure your company is active with the California SOS — LLCs that are suspended must reinstate before dissolving.
To register a foreign LLC in California, you’ll need to get a California registered agent, obtain a Certificate of Good Standing from your home state, and file the Application to Register a Foreign LLC. You can do that yourself or hire us to do it — you’ll need a California registered agent anyways.The standard filing fee for California Articles of Organization is $70. However, you’re also required to submit an Initial Statement of Information within 90 days of forming your LLC, so you might as well do it at the same time. That costs another $20.
When you hire California Registered Agent Inc to form your LLC, we include the initial Statement of Information in our LLC Formation Package.
Let the local experts at California Registered Agent Inc form your LLC today.
Hiring real local business filings experts makes all the difference.
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