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CALIFORNIA · ONE-TIME FORMATION
California LLC filing fee
$70 filing fee
AT A GLANCE
| Filing fee | $70 · one-time |
| Annual report | $20 / biennial |
| Franchise tax | $800 / year (min) |
| Registered agent | Required — can be yourself |
| Typical total, year 1 | $890 |
What the $70 filing fee covers 01
California is cheap to file ($70) and expensive to own. The $800 minimum franchise tax is due every year regardless of profit — it is the single most-complained-about LLC cost on r/smallbusiness and the number people forget when comparing states.
Filing fee in California 02
The filing fee to form an LLC in California is $70. This is a one-time state charge paid to the Secretary of State when you file your formation documents.
Registered agent in California 03
Registered agent required (statutory). Owner/member may generally serve as own RA if they maintain a physical street address in-state and are available during business hours; commercial RA services optional. A commercial registered agent service typically runs $100–$300/year — in California, being your own agent is free if you meet the requirements.
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Operating agreement 04
California requires or strongly expects an operating agreement. You can write your own for $0; template services charge $50–$200.
EIN 05
An EIN from the IRS is always free. If you hire a formation service to file it for you, you are paying for a form that takes 10 minutes on irs.gov.
Annual report 06
California charges $20 for the biennial (Statement of Information). Statement of Information $20（sos.ca.gov 官方 FAQ："The fee for filing a Statement of Information is $20 or $25"，LLC 档 $20）；LLC 为每两年一次（biennial）。
Franchise tax and other California costs
Every California LLC owes an $800 minimum franchise tax (FTB), plus an annual LLC fee of $900–$11,790 based on total revenue. The $20 Statement of Information is due within 90 days of formation, then every two years.
What people argue about
Some accountants tell clients to form in Nevada or Delaware to "avoid California tax." For a business operating in California this is wrong — California taxes LLCs organized or doing business there regardless, so you would pay two states instead of one.
Calculate your California first-year cost →
Sources for California
Every fee below is checked against the state source linked per row. Verified 2026-11-03.