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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 2 · California

California Registered Agent Class (2026): 6 Assignments and the 3 Best Agents

If you want help getting a registered agent in California in 2026, the top grades go to CA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and California Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), in that order. In 6 assignments you will learn what California requires of an agent for service of process, who qualifies, which address counts and how the agent is put on record.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

Must you have one?YesLook at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Agent price range$99 to $149 a yearPublished rates
Statement of Information$20 every 2 yearsLook at sos.ca.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Minimum tax each year$800Look at ftb.ca.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Assignments in this class6Listed below

Class goals

  • The California agent rule
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • How the picks compare

The California honor roll

Tuition over three years leads, then homework done, year-two tuition, California fit and readable fees (grading page).
Class favorite

1. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a small yearly agent fee

$99 yearly, the same at renewal

In California, CA Registered Agent.org sits at the top of the class: $99 a year secures a California agent with an office inside the state.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year tuition is 30% of the grade.

Covered by the tuition

  • A registered office address
  • Legal papers scanned and posted for you

Strengths

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 yearly

Weak spots

  • California only; each other state needs its own agent
  • No help with the Statement of Information
Any state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent at one price

$149 yearly, the same at renewal

Second place goes to Mainstay Filing, since a flat $149 a year, whichever state the LLC sits in.

Add up three years: it comes to $150 more than CA Registered Agent.org.

Covered by the tuition

  • A real street address in the state
  • Scans of papers served on the company, free and on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Strengths

  • One price in all fifty states
  • $149 each year, no increase

Weak spots

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • Report filing needs the formation package
In-state service

3. California Registered Agent.ai: best for an in-state mailing address

$99 yearly, the same at renewal

Our third pick, California Registered Agent.ai: $99 a year secures a California agent with an office inside the state.

Its prices match CA Registered Agent.org's, so either works.

Covered by the tuition

  • A registered office address
  • Legal papers scanned and posted for you

Strengths

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 yearly

Weak spots

  • California only; each other state needs its own agent
  • No help with the Statement of Information

The services compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1CA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3California Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every agent leaves the state fees unchanged.

How a California agent gets set up

  1. Assignment
    1

    Start with the rule

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Textbook page: Look at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Find out who is allowed to serve

    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. See Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13 for the text.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Pick an address that complies

    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.

    Hire a service and its California street address goes on the filing in place of yours.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Decide who holds the role

    Qualify and you can serve yourself. A professional from the grade list runs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Assignment
    5

    Name the agent in your filing

    The Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) asks for the agent's name and address, and the California Secretary of State also takes change filings from LLCs that switch agents.

    Textbook page: Look at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov for yourself; we read it in August 2026

  6. Assignment
    6

    Update when things change

    Every other year the Statement of Information confirms the agent's details for $20, by last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. A late filing costs $250. $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

    Textbook page: Look at sos.ca.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

What this class costs

ItemPaid toPrice
Agent serviceYour service$99 to $149 a year
From year twoYour service$99 to $149 a year
Statement of InformationThe state$20 every two years
Yearly minimum taxThe state$800 a year
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax makes the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

Why CA Registered Agent.org is first

pulled ahead of on tuition across three years, which counts for 30%.

Three years with CA Registered Agent.org add up to $297, which is $150 under Mainstay Filing.

California pop quiz

Could a California LLC skip an agent for service of process?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own agent for service of process?

Yes, if you pass the eligibility and address tests in assignments 2 and 3.

Can I change my agent for service of process later?

Yes. A switch takes a change filing at the California Secretary of State (assignment 5).

What does a registered agent cost in California?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state bills $20 for the Statement of Information each time and also collects the minimum tax.

Which registered agent would you choose?

CA Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and California Registered Agent.ai, from the highest grade to the lowest.

More classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. If you want proof of the California Secretary of State facts, sos.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  2. If you want proof of the California Secretary of State facts, bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  3. If you want proof of the California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source facts, sos.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  4. If you want proof of the Cal facts, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  5. If you want proof of the California registered agent statute facts, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  6. If you want proof of the California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and facts, ftb.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  7. If you want proof of the California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and facts, ftb.ca.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  8. pricing page from CA Registered Agent.org as of November 13, 2026
  9. California service page from Mainstay Filing as of November 13, 2026
  10. pricing page from California Registered Agent.ai as of November 13, 2026