Cheapest LLC formation in California

What does California charge to form and keep an LLC?

Three state charges apply to every new California LLC, and they are the same whoever files. The Secretary of State's fees are below; the annual tax is collected separately by the Franchise Tax Board.

The first is the $70 filing fee for the Articles of Organization, the same online or on paper and the same if a service files for you.¹

The second is the Statement of Information. It is due within 90 days of formation and costs $20, then comes back every two years. Over a typical stretch of ownership that is a small, predictable cost, but missing it is not: once the Secretary of State certifies an LLC for not filing its Statement of Information within 60 days of a delinquency notice, the Franchise Tax Board assesses a $250 penalty.^{1, 6}

The third, and by far the largest, is the $800 annual LLC tax. The first payment is due by the 15th day of the 4th month after filing with the SOS, so it lands in your first months, not at the end of your first year. The first-year exemption applied only to LLCs formed in tax years beginning 2021 through 2023, so an LLC formed now pays from the start.²

A name reservation is optional, at $10 for 60 days. If you are ready to file the Articles, skip it. An LLC formed in another state pays $70 (Application to Register, Form LLC-5) to register here instead of the formation fee. Foreign LLCs registered here also owe the $800 annual tax. Forming in another state doesn't avoid these charges for an LLC that registers here; the Nevada registered agent page shows how another state's rules compare.^{7, 8}

What raises the cost of a California LLC?

Five things push the bill above the state floor: faster processing, the agent, a larger LLC fee once income grows, package add-ons, and penalties for late filings.

State fees for faster processing

Online filings are listed at 5 days or less with no extra fee, and PDF forms at 10+ days. The paid tiers are 24-hour $350, same-day $750 and 4-hour $500 (drop-off only), each on top of the filing fee. Without a signed lease or contract waiting on the LLC, online filing at the standard speed is the cheapest route. When a package promises fast processing, ask whether that includes one of these state tiers or only the provider's own handling.^{1, 9}

The agent for service of process

Every California LLC needs an agent (Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13). You have three options.³

1. Serve yourself if you live in California. The cost is zero, but the Articles list you in the box for an Individual (agent with California street address), and you need to be reachable there to accept papers.¹⁰
2. Take a package that includes the agent's first year, then pay the provider's renewal.
3. Buy agent service on its own at the prices in the table further down.

Moving to a cheaper agent later costs nothing at the state level: the Statement of Information has no fee when filed between required filings to update the agent. File it before you cancel the old provider so the LLC always has an agent on record. The California agent for service of process guide covers who may serve, and how to change an agent for service of process covers the order of steps.¹¹

The LLC fee as income grows

On top of the annual tax, California charges an LLC fee from $900 when total California income is $250,000 or more. The LLC fee tops out at $11,790 for $5 million or more. It doesn't affect a new LLC with little income, but it belongs in any multi-year estimate for a growing business.²

Add-ons and free trials

Formation checkouts offer an EIN (the federal tax ID from the IRS), an operating agreement, a business address and compliance subscriptions. Free periods are worth tracking, because the two below turn into paid charges. ZenBusiness's Starter includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), and Swyft Filings' compliance service comes with a 14-day free trial then auto-charged. In California a compliance service has something real to do, since the Statement of Information comes due every two years, but you can file it yourself for $20.^{12, 13}

Suspension and revival

California can suspend an LLC through the Secretary of State or the Franchise Tax Board, and the two are lifted differently. On the Secretary of State side, an SOS suspension is lifted by filing a current Statement of Information. Reviving one from a Franchise Tax Board suspension takes an Application for Certificate of Revivor (FTB 3557) plus whatever the Board requires, and the Board's revivor charges and back taxes aren't in the facts we cite. Staying compliant in California explains how to avoid that.¹⁴

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a California LLC?

The table shows each provider's published agent price, renewal and cheapest formation package. Rows follow our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order; they are not sorted by price.

For a California LLC, the first-year and later-year agent costs below sit on top of the state fees and the annual tax.

Reading across the rows, the lowest first-year combinations pair a package priced at nothing beyond state fees with either serving as your own agent or a bundled first agent year. Tailor Brands, ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Bizee and Swyft Filings all list a cheapest package at no service fee. Of those, only Bizee's package lists the agent's first year as included; with the others, you serve yourself or add an agent at its standalone price.

From year two, the agent renewal is the main recurring provider cost on that path, unless a free compliance period rolls into a paid one, and the figures above vary widely. Some details change the comparison.

• LegalZoom's starting price applies to first-time registered agent customers, and its renewal rate can change.¹⁹
• Swyft Filings bills $149 per quarter ($596/year), so the yearly figure is the one to compare.²²
• doola's Starter plan, $297/yr, recurs in full each year because the plan, not just the agent, renews.²³
• Northwest's terms describe RA customers auto-enrolled in Compliance Services billed in annual auto-pay.³⁶
• Rocket Lawyer's lowest membership, Standard at $149/year, doesn't include the agent.³⁰
• InCorp's terms say service is billed at then-current fee unless a cancellation condition is met.³⁷
• Harbor Compliance requires notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term to stop a renewal.³⁸

Agent-only prices across every state are on cheapest registered agent services, and the full service comparison for this state is on California LLC formation services compared. Agent terms in more depth are on agent for service of process services in California.