First LLC Guide

First LLC Guide › California

Starting an LLC in California: what you should know first

Filing a California LLC costs $70. The Statement of Information costs $20 every two years. Our pick is Mainstay Filing; $687 covers three years.

By kind of owner

Side hustle
Quiet-year cost: $219 in year 2 with Mainstay Filing, including the $0 state report in that year.
Online business
Required registered agent. An individual agent's California street address goes on the public record. A registered corporate agent's address is already on file with the state and is not repeated in the company's filing.
Startup
Filing: Articles of Organization (LLC-1) with the California Secretary of State. Write the operating agreement before you open the bank account.
First-time owner
Report due: Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially.

Also in California

  • $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

Questions

Best LLC formation service in California for a first-time owner?

Mainstay Filing: $269 in year 1 including the $70 filing fee, $219 in year 2.

Sources