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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 1 · California

California LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 8 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

My advice for 2026: when forming an LLC in California, start with Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199), best first. Think of it as 8 stages with a $70 price tag from the state, plus the Statement of Information every two years.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

What to know before you start

Charge at the state office
$70
We pulled this from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in August 2026
Statement of Information
$20 every 2 years
Official timing, quoted: last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Tax every year
$800
We pulled this from ftb.ca.gov in October 2026
Three-year state cost
$2,490
Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Stages in this walkthrough
8
First to last

What this walkthrough covers

  • How forming an LLC works in California
  • What the agent for service of process rule asks of you
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Who we would phone to file

Our shortlist for California

Three-year cost and work taken off your desk weigh the most; how we score lists all five.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little to do

Start with this one$199 a year, renewing at $199

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because the one yearly fee, $199, takes three jobs off your plate: filing, agent for service of process and Statement of Information.

Three years run $200 higher than at California Registered Agent.ai, and you get more of the work done in return.

It handles the Statement of Information too, adding California's $20 at cost.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • Agent for service of process all year long
  • Statement of Information filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee billed at cost

What works

  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the Statement of Information
  • Renews for $199
  • Your EIN application gets filed too

What to watch

  • A yearly premium of $100 over California Registered Agent.ai
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a small first bill

California specialist$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Our second call, California Registered Agent.ai: $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year.

You still send in the Statement of Information every two years.

What you get

  • The California formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to watch

  • Preparing the Statement of Information is on your plate
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that never leave California

California specialist$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Our third call, CA Registered Agent.org: $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year.

You still send in the Statement of Information every two years.

It charges exactly what California Registered Agent.ai charges.

What you get

  • The California formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more
  • Then $99 per year

What to watch

  • Preparing the Statement of Information is on your plate
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The California picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2California Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Plan for $70 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Choose a name that is open

    Open the business name search run by the California Secretary of State. If someone in California already holds the name, your filing could bounce.

    Pick a second choice now.

  2. Stage 2

    Choose an 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.

    Any of the services we phone can be your agent for service of process.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Do it yourself or pay someone

    Skipping the service saves $199; it also means you fill in every form. Our picks are listed in order.

  4. Stage 4

    Now deal with the Articles of Organization

    The Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) is the key document. It goes to the California Secretary of State, the fee is $70, and the rule sits in Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in August 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Handle California's extra requirement

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

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from ftb.ca.gov in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Order a federal tax ID for the LLC

    When California approves the LLC, go to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; your bank and any payroll service will ask for it. The Mainstay Filing yearly price already covers this stage.

  7. Stage 7

    Get the owners to sign an agreement

    Treat the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. Keep a copy; no one at the state will ask for it.

  8. Stage 8

    Deal with California's repeating filing

    The filing that returns on schedule is the Statement of Information ($20, every two years, by last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially). A late one carries $250. Do not overlook the tax: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.ca.gov in October 2026

What this walkthrough costs

What forWho gets paidAmount
Filing to form the LLCThe state$70
Statement of InformationThe state$20 every two years
Missing the deadlineThe state$250
Minimum tax each yearThe state$800 a year
Optional serviceService$199 at the start
Three years of state feesThe state$2,490
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

The thinking behind the order

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

California Registered Agent.ai costs less, but you would be filing the Statement of Information yourself.

California questions answered

What is the price of a California LLC filing?

The state's fee is $70. The services we recommend bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

The paper you want is the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1); the California Secretary of State receives it.

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?

Send in the Statement of Information every two years; it costs $20 and the deadline is last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. A yearly minimum tax also applies.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you. California wants $70, and the LLC has to name an agent for service of process, which you can be or hire.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The order runs Mainstay Filing, California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org, with Mainstay Filing first because $199 a year hands you the formation, a agent for service of process and the Statement of Information, with renewal at $199.

Where we got the facts

  1. For California Secretary of State, open sos.ca.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  2. For California Secretary of State, open bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source, open sos.ca.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  4. For Cal, open leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  5. For California registered agent statute, open leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. For California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and, open ftb.ca.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and, open ftb.ca.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. The California service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at California Registered Agent.ai, viewed November 13, 2026
  10. The pricing page at CA Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026