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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · California

Starting an LLC in California (2026): 8 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Short answer for 2026: if you want help setting up an LLC in California, go with Mainstay Filing ($199), CA Registered Agent.org ($199) and California Registered Agent.ai ($199), ranked best first. By the numbers: 8 tasks, $70 to file, $20 for the Statement of Information.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Read this first

Fee to form
$70
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (page read August 2026)
Statement of Information
$20 every 2 years
Due date per the state: last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
State minimum tax
$800
ftb.ca.gov (page read October 2026)
State cost, years 1 to 3
$2,490
Without any service fee
How many tasks
8
Listed below

Course objectives

  • Where and how to file a California LLC
  • How to meet the agent for service of process rule
  • What happens once the LLC exists
  • The services at the top of the class

The California honor roll

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

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who would rather hand off the work

Highest grade$199 a year, state fee on top ($269 due at checkout)

Our first pick is Mainstay Filing; $199 a year hands over three assignments at once: the filing, the agent for service of process and the Statement of Information.

You pay $200 more over three years than at CA Registered Agent.org and leave less of the paperwork to yourself.

That includes the Statement of Information; the state's $20 is billed without markup.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Agent for service of process for the whole year
  • Statement of Information filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • A single $199 yearly price, Statement of Information included
  • It files your EIN application for you
  • $199 when you renew

What to weigh

  • CA Registered Agent.org renews for $100 less
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. CA Registered Agent.org: best for owners who stay in California

Focused on CaliforniaFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Our second choice, CA Registered Agent.org: the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

Filing the Statement of Information every two years is your own homework.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • A $199 formation fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • A small $99 renewal

What to weigh

  • Filing the Statement of Information is not in the price
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. California Registered Agent.ai: best for LLCs that stay in California

Focused on CaliforniaFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Our third choice, California Registered Agent.ai: the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

Filing the Statement of Information every two years is your own homework.

It charges exactly what CA Registered Agent.org charges.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • A small $99 renewal
  • A $199 formation fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra

What to weigh

  • Filing the Statement of Information is not in the price
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2CA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3California Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. The $70 state fee is left out of the figures.

How a California LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    the California Secretary of State keeps the records. Search them now, because in California a name that is taken can send the filing back.

    Keep a second choice in your pocket.

  2. Task 2

    Pick your agent for service of process

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

    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.

    The services we rank all supply an agent for service of process.

    Source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (page read October 2026)

  3. Task 3

    Self-filing versus a service

    The state charges $70 either way. Hiring help adds $199; see the ranked list for the order.

  4. Task 4

    Prepare and sign the Articles of Organization

    Here is the key filing: the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) goes to the California Secretary of State with $70 (Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01), and that is what creates the company.

    Source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (page read August 2026)

  5. Task 5

    Meet California's extra requirement

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

    Source: ftb.ca.gov (page read October 2026)

  6. Task 6

    Request your EIN

    State approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing's yearly price already includes this application.

  7. Task 7

    Draft your operating agreement

    Ownership and decision rules live in the operating agreement, an internal paper that is no part of the California filing.

  8. Task 8

    Get ready for year two and beyond

    Once every two years the LLC sends in the Statement of Information with $20; it is due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. File late and you pay $250 more. Add one recurring bill, a tax: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

    Source: sos.ca.gov (page read October 2026)

California costs by task

What forPayeePrice
Filing to form the LLCState office$70
Statement of InformationState office$20 every two years
Late feeState office$250
Minimum taxState office$800 a year
Service fees (optional)Service$199 to start
State fees over years one to threeState office$2,490
The state numbers are official California fees, sourced below. The three-year line combines the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

How we ordered the California picks

Assignments the price completes settled first place in California. It is worth 31% of the grade, and the other 69% comes from course fee across three years, second-year fee, match with the state syllabus and plain pricing.

California wants the Statement of Information every two years, so a price that files it beat a lower price that leaves it to you.

Common questions

What is the California state fee for a new LLC?

The fee on the official schedule is $70. Hire a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), which you send to the California Secretary of State.

Is an agent for service of process required?

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

What does California require each year?

Once every two years the LLC sends in the Statement of Information for $20, due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. A yearly minimum tax comes on top.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you: the state asks $70, and you also have to name an agent for service of process.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, because the yearly $199 replaces three separate bills (formation, agent for service of process, Statement of Information) with a single one. After it come CA Registered Agent.org and California Registered Agent.ai.

Reading list and sources

  1. Further reading on California Secretary of State: our unit draws on sos.ca.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  2. Further reading on California Secretary of State: our unit draws on bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  3. Further reading on California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source: our unit draws on sos.ca.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  4. Further reading on Cal: our unit draws on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  5. Further reading on California registered agent statute: our unit draws on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  6. Further reading on California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and: our unit draws on ftb.ca.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  7. Further reading on California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and: our unit draws on ftb.ca.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  8. We opened the California service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  9. We opened the pricing page at CA Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  10. We opened the pricing page at California Registered Agent.ai on November 13, 2026