Best LLC formation services in California

How do you form an LLC in California, step by step?

The sequence is name, agent, Articles, filing speed, then the follow-up filings: the first Statement of Information, the EIN, an operating agreement and the first annual tax payment.

Several of these steps carry deadlines that run from the date the Secretary of State files your Articles, so it helps to know them before you submit.

1. Check that the name is free. Search the Secretary of State's records before you file. If filing must wait, a name can be held for $10 for 60 days, filed online via bizfile Online. A hold is mainly useful when the Articles can't be filed yet.⁵
2. Choose your agent for service of process. The statute allows an individual who is a resident of this state or a corporation that has complied with Section 1505. You can be your own agent if you live in California. A commercial service is entered in the corporate box, and the form's instruction there is "Only include the name of the registered agent Corporation." Who qualifies is explained on the California agent for service of process guide.^{2, 6}
3. Complete the Articles. The form is Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), and it names the agent. The statute also requires the LLC to keep an office in the state, which need not be a place of its activity in this state.^{1, 2}
4. Pick a filing route. You can file through bizfile Online or by PDF form (mail or Sacramento drop-off). The state's published turnaround favors online filing: 5 days or less online against 10+ days for PDF forms.¹
5. Decide whether to pay for speed. Expedite is optional. The tiers are 24-hour $350 and same-day $750, available online or Sacramento drop-off, plus 4-hour $500 (drop-off only, precleared documents). Each fee is added to the $70 filing fee.³
6. File the first Statement of Information. It is due within 90 days of formation and costs $20. After that, it comes due every two years. The form is the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).¹
7. Get an EIN. The Employer Identification Number is the LLC's federal tax ID, issued by the IRS at no state cost. Banks usually want it before opening an account. Some packages below include it.
8. Put an operating agreement in writing. It records who owns what, who decides and what happens when an owner leaves. It is an internal document kept with the LLC's records, and none of the state filings on this page lists it.
9. Plan for the annual tax. Every LLC organized in California owes the $800 annual LLC tax, and the first payment is due by the 15th day of the 4th month after filing with the SOS. LLCs with larger California income also owe an LLC fee from $900 when total California income is $250,000 or more. The details are on staying compliant in California.⁴

What does a California LLC cost with and without a service?

The state's part of the bill is identical whether you file or a provider files for you; every package price on this page excludes it.

On top of the $70 filing, the first Statement of Information adds $20, and the $800 annual LLC tax is due by the 15th day of the 4th month after filing with the SOS. Those three are the floor for a new California LLC before any service fee. Paying for the 24-hour $350 tier raises the state's share further. The next table lists each provider's agent price and cheapest formation package, ordered by our score, highest first, with tied scores in editorial order.

The cheapest packages leave out different things. This table sets out what each one lists, including whether the provider sells a report filing service, which in California means the Statement of Information.

"Not listed" means the published package description doesn't mention the item, so ask before you order. A provider's annual report service is described in general terms; none of these descriptions names California's Statement of Information, so confirm it is covered. First-year and later-year totals, with agent renewals, are worked out on the cheapest ways to form a California LLC.

What does each provider's formation package include in California?

Each paragraph covers one provider's published formation terms, in the order of the provider table (how we score): our score, highest first, ties in editorial order.

Two things to raise with any provider before ordering are whether its speed claim includes California's expedite fee and whether its compliance feature files the first Statement of Information. The agent services themselves are compared on California agent for service of process services compared.

Tailor Brands

Lite, the cheapest package, is $0 plus state fees and processes the LLC within 14 business days. Its description notes no annual compliance, operating agreement or branding tools. Essential, at $199/yr plus state fees, moves processing to within 1 business day and adds annual compliance (report filing and updates), operating agreement; that compliance feature is the one to ask about for the Statement of Information. Elite is $249/yr plus state fees. Both higher packages bill yearly.⁷

None of the package descriptions list an agent, which Tailor Brands sells at $199/year (renews at the same price). For the EIN, its listing reads "EIN filing service offered; price not published." Its terms mention government 'expedite fees' as a possible extra charge, so its faster processing isn't stated to cover the state's 24-hour $350 fee.^{7, 8, 9}

ZenBusiness

Starter costs $0 + state fees (does not renew), with processing of 7-10 days that excludes Secretary of State time. So the state's turnaround comes after that. Starter includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), while the EIN and operating agreement are +$99 add-ons, and faster handling is a Rush upgrade +$79 on Starter. Every ZenBusiness package leaves the agent out and offers it as an add-on +$199/yr. The agent itself comes with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC. Pro ($199 + state fees, renews at $199/yr) lists ongoing filing compliance (state-required annual report filings and up to 2 amendments per year).^{10, 38}

LegalZoom

LegalZoom's Basic package is $0 + state filing fees and covers the Articles of organization. The EIN, operating agreement and agent are priced separately: EIN $79, an operating agreement that starts at $99, and the agent at $249/year (first-time registered agent customers). Its annual report service is $99 + state filing fees, bills once. The next package up, $249 + state filing fees, adds attorney consultations (30 days included, then $49/month auto-renew).^{12, 13, 14, 15, 16}

Bizee

Bizee's Basic package costs $0 + state fee and lists Registered Agent (1st year included); the agent then renews at $149/year (ongoing annual fee). On Basic, both the EIN, sold at $70, and the operating agreement, sold at +$99, are extra costs you add at checkout. Standard, $199 + state fee, adds both and shortens Bizee's handling to ~2 weeks instead of 4 to 6. Since California lists 5 days or less for online filings, ask how Bizee's weeks line up with the state's days. Bizee's virtual address is $29/month; 1 month free with Bizee LLC formation.^{17, 18, 39, 40}

Swyft Filings

Basic at Swyft Filings is $0 + state fees and processes in 7-10 business days. Standard, $169 + state fees (promotional, 'SAVE $30'; regular $199), adds custom organizational minutes, custom banking resolution, business banking essentials, operating agreement and cuts handling to 3 business days. No package lists the agent; Swyft sells that service separately, at $149 per quarter ($596/year), and bills it by the quarter. Its report service, ComplianceGuard $199/year, starts with a 14-day free trial then auto-charged. With the first Statement of Information due within 90 days of formation, decide during the trial whether you want Swyft to file it.^{20, 21, 41}

doola

doola's Starter plan, $297/yr, is billed each year. It includes LLC filing, EIN, US bank account guidance, US business address, registered agent. doola says it files within 1-2 business days, after which the state's processing begins. It says it can help US citizens and a non-resident without a US SSN; agent services for non-resident founders covers that case. No report filing service is listed in the facts we cite.^{22, 23, 42}

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest forms the LLC for $39 + State Fees, with a free domain name, open source website, phone line, business email, business address, brand protection. Its corporation page says formation includes the agent, but its LLC page doesn't, so confirm before ordering; the agent alone is $125 per year. Northwest's terms describe RA customers auto-enrolled in Compliance Services billed in annual auto-pay, priced at $100 + state fees, charged at filing. Its operating agreement is a Free template, and the EIN is $50 (with SSN); $200 without SSN.^{24, 26, 27, 28, 43, 44}

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer's formation price reads "First registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership." Memberships are yearly: Standard $149/year, Plus $249/year, Pro $349/year. Its pricing line reads "Excludes government and third party fees." The agent is $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, so Standard alone won't do. The EIN is $70 with Plus or Pro membership, and report filing is $100 with Pro membership, excluding state fees. No operating agreement is listed with formation.^{29, 30, 31, 45, 46}

InCorp

InCorp's formation service is priced starting at $99 plus state fees, and the only inclusion its package description lists is "Live chat and phone support included." The agent is sold separately at $129 per state per year. It charges its own expedite fee ($50.00 InCorp expedite fee), with the state expedite fee extra, so a fast California filing costs InCorp's fee plus the Secretary of State's. The EIN is offered as EIN service, $69 (InCorp prepares the IRS forms or obtains the number for you). Report filing is $89 + state fees.^{32, 33, 34, 35, 47}

Harbor Compliance

Harbor's formation service is priced "Starting at $99 plus state fees." Its page lists "Name check, articles, registered agent, EIN, operating agreement," without saying which tier includes which item or how long an included agent lasts. The standalone agent is $99 first year (new customers), renewing at $159 annually, and cancelling takes notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. Harbor says most LLCs are prepared and filed in one business day and that it can expedite and offer several options in most states, but it publishes no price for that. Its report service costs $199 per state per year plus filing fees.^{36, 37, 48, 49, 50}

Should you file the California Articles yourself or use a service?

Filing yourself costs $70 plus any expedite tier you choose; a service mainly saves you the form work, and some packages track or file the follow-up deadlines.¹

A California resident can serve as the LLC's agent under Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13 and pay nothing for the role. The trade-off is that the form's box for an Individual (agent with California street address) puts that street address on the filing, and you need to be reachable there to receive legal papers. A commercial agent is listed by name only, as the form's corporate box says: "Only include the name of the registered agent Corporation." Some providers also sell a separate business address, such as Bizee's at $29/month; 1 month free with Bizee LLC formation.^{2, 6, 40}

Speed is where package claims need the most care. The state lists 5 days or less for online filings without any extra fee, while a provider's quick processing describes only its own handling of your order. Paying the state for the 24-hour $350 or same-day $750 tier is a separate charge, and only some packages say anything about it. Bizee, for one, says its Standard timing includes expedited filing, so ask any provider which state tier it pays.¹⁷

The deadlines after filing are where a service can save you a penalty. The first statement is due within 90 days of formation. The annual tax follows by the 15th day of the 4th month after filing with the SOS. If you file yourself, put both in your calendar the day the Articles are approved. If you buy a package with report filing, check that it names the Statement of Information and note when any free compliance period ends; ZenBusiness's Starter, for example, includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr). Owners with partners, investors or a licensed profession may want a lawyer to review the operating agreement rather than use a template. The glossary defines the filing terms used here.^{1, 4, 10}