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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · California

The California Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Our 2026 California picks for naming a registered agent, strongest to weakest, are California Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and CA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year). The 6 tasks below cover what California requires of an agent for service of process, who may serve, which address counts and how to put the agent on record.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

The requirement
Yes
Taken from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in October 2026
Cost of hiring an agent
$99 to $149 a year
Published rates
Statement of Information
$20 every 2 years
Taken from sos.ca.gov in October 2026
Yearly minimum tax
$800
Taken from ftb.ca.gov in October 2026
Task count
6
Listed below

What this unit teaches

  • What the law says
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • How the picks compare

California: our recommended services

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year cost and assignments completed count most.

Top of the class

1. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a small yearly agent fee

Highest grade$99 a year, unchanged at renewal

California Registered Agent.ai earns the top grade in California: an in-state street address for the registered office at $99 a year.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts 34%.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Served papers are scanned into your account

What works

  • $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

What to weigh

  • Another state means another agent
  • No help with the Statement of Information
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent under one price

Upkeep covered$149 a year, unchanged at renewal

Second goes to Mainstay Filing, since $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and the same plan works in every other state.

After three years the total is $150 more than California Registered Agent.ai.

What the price covers

  • A real street address in the state
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 each year, no increase
  • One price in all fifty states

What to weigh

  • California Registered Agent.ai is $50 a year lower
  • Agent service and nothing more
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a local alternative

In-state service$99 a year, unchanged at renewal

CA Registered Agent.org takes third place: an in-state street address for the registered office at $99 a year.

On price, it is level with California Registered Agent.ai.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Served papers are scanned into your account

What works

  • $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

What to weigh

  • Another state means another agent
  • No help with the Statement of Information
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1California Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. State fees do not change with your choice of agent.

The California agent, in order

  1. Task 1

    Read what California requires

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Source: Taken from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Check who is eligible

    A California resident, or a corporation registered with the Secretary of State as a corporate agent under Corporations Code § 1505. A business cannot act as its own agent for service of process. See Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13 for the text.

  3. Task 3

    Pick an address that complies

    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.

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Task 4

    Be your own agent or hire one

    A qualified owner may act as agent. If you would rather not, our recommended agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Task 5

    Put the agent on the state's record

    A new LLC lists its agent on the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), sent to the California Secretary of State. An LLC that swaps agents files an amendment with the same office.

    Source: Taken from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in August 2026

  6. Task 6

    Watch the details

    Send in the Statement of Information on time ($20, last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially) and the agent record stays correct. $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

    Source: Taken from sos.ca.gov in October 2026

Agent and state costs

TaskWho gets paidPrice
Registered agent serviceYour service$99 to $149 a year
RenewalYour service$99 to $149 a year
Statement of InformationPaid to the state$20 every two years
Yearly minimum taxPaid to the state$800 a year
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

Why California Registered Agent.ai is first

Course fee across three years makes up 34% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in California.

California Registered Agent.ai comes to $297 across three years, a saving of $150 next to Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

Must a California LLC maintain an agent for service of process?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own agent for service of process?

Often. Test yourself against the two rules in tasks 2 and 3.

Can I change my agent for service of process later?

Change whenever you like, through the California Secretary of State, as task 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in California?

Prices on this page run $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The yearly item is the Statement of Information, which costs $20, together with the yearly minimum tax.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order is California Registered Agent.ai, Mainstay Filing and CA Registered Agent.org, and California Registered Agent.ai is first since $99 a year, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about California Secretary of State? Go to sos.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about California Secretary of State? Go to bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source? Go to sos.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Cal? Go to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about California registered agent statute? Go to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. Want proof for what the unit says about California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and? Go to ftb.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  7. Want proof for what the unit says about California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and? Go to ftb.ca.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  8. California Registered Agent.ai pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing California service page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. CA Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026