Filing Fees by State › California
California: the three state filings for an LLC (2026)
Filing a California LLC costs $70 (Articles of Organization (LLC-1), California Secretary of State). The periodic report is $20 every 2 years and changing the registered agent is free. Mainstay Filing, our best overall pick, files all three.
- Official sources, checked October 20, 2026
The California filings
| Filing | Form or document | State fee | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formation | Articles of Organization (LLC-1) | $70 | Once, to create the LLC |
| Report | Statement of Information | $20 | Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially |
| Change of agent | Agent change form | $0 | When you switch agents |
Also in California: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.
Mainstay Filing
$199 / year, same at renewal
- LLC formation, prepared and filed
- Registered agent, all year
- EIN application (with an SSN or ITIN)
- Annual report filed every year it is due where the state requires one
- Compliance reminders and stored documents
Price from the Mainstay Filing pricing and FAQ pages, checked October 21, 2026. State fees are passed through at cost and shown before you pay.
Questions
How much is the California LLC filing fee?
$70 to file the Articles of Organization (LLC-1) with the California Secretary of State.
What does the California LLC report cost?
Statement of Information, every 2 years: $20.
What does it cost to change a registered agent in California?
The state charges no fee to file the change.
Is the California fee high or low?
$70 ranks number 13 from the cheapest of 50 (the national median is $100).
Sources
- Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01 (California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act) (multira state research spine): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CORP§ionNum=17702.01., checked August 12, 2026
- California Secretary of State (multira state research spine): www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/statements, checked August 12, 2026
- California Secretary of State (multira state research spine): bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/llc/forms/llc-12-112021.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source read 2026-10-01: www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/limited-liability-companies-statement-information, checked October 1, 2026
- California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and timing, official source read 2026-10-01: www.ftb.ca.gov/file/business/types/limited-liability-company/index.html, checked October 1, 2026
- California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and timing, official source read 2026-10-01: www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2026/2026-3522.pdf, checked October 1, 2026
- California registered agent statute (Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CORP§ionNum=17701.13., checked October 20, 2026
- California Secretary of State: www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/, checked October 20, 2026