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

Class 1 · California

California LLC Formation Class (2026): 8 Assignments and the 3 Best LLC Services

Pop quiz answer for California in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199) are the services to use for starting an LLC, best grade first. Starting the LLC means 8 assignments and $70 to the state, then the Statement of Information every two years.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Need-to-know facts

What the state charges to file$70Source for this: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, August 2026
Statement of Information$20 every 2 yearsDeadline set by the state: last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Annual minimum tax$800Source for this: ftb.ca.gov, October 2026
Three years of state fees$2,490Without any service fee
How many assignments8Each one explained

You will leave able to

  • What California charges for a new LLC and where the filing goes
  • What the agent for service of process rule asks for
  • What you file every year after that
  • Which services we recommend and why

If you want someone else to file

Graded on the grading page: three-year tuition (30%), homework done (34%), year-two tuition, fit with the California class and fees a student can read.
Class favorite

1. Mainstay Filing: best for no Statement of Information paperwork to do

First year $199; renewal $199; state fee extra

We start with Mainstay Filing; $199 a year does three pieces of homework at once: the filing, the agent for service of process and the Statement of Information.

You pay $200 extra across three years compared with California Registered Agent.ai, and you keep less of the paperwork.

Add the Statement of Information to what it does, with California's $20 passed along at cost.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • Agent for service of process for the whole year
  • Statement of Information filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • The official fee, nothing added

Strengths

  • $199 per year for the whole package
  • The EIN assignment is part of the package
  • No jump at renewal ($199)

Weak spots

  • California Registered Agent.ai renews for $100 less
Focused on California

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a thrifty California start

$199 and fees, then $99 each year

California Registered Agent.ai makes a respectable second: $199 to begin, with no agent fee in year one, then $99 each year from year two.

Nothing in the price covers the Statement of Information.

Covered by the tuition

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • First agent year included
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 to form

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the Statement of Information
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Focused on California

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for owners who prefer to do their own reports

$199 and fees, then $99 each year

CA Registered Agent.org makes a respectable third: $199 to begin, with no agent fee in year one, then $99 each year from year two.

Nothing in the price covers the Statement of Information.

It charges exactly what California Registered Agent.ai charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • First agent year included
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 to form

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the Statement of Information
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)

The services compared

#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.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $70 state fee.

Formation in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    Settle on a name

    Your first assignment is a name search at the California Secretary of State, so you do not file under a name that someone else uses.

    A spare name saves a trip back to the board.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Pick a 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.

    You can hire any of the graded services for this.

    Textbook page: Source for this: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    Weigh doing it alone against paying for help

    You can file for $70, or add $199 and hire a service. The graded services are at the top of the class.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Work up the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) to the California Secretary of State along with $70; the law behind it is Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01, and the LLC exists.

    Textbook page: Source for this: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, August 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    A California-only requirement

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

    Textbook page: Source for this: ftb.ca.gov, October 2026

  6. Assignment
    6

    Get an EIN

    Once the state says yes, you request an EIN, which lets the LLC open accounts under its own name. Mainstay Filing's yearly price includes this assignment.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Put the ownership rules in writing

    Owners sign it to settle shares, votes and what happens when a member leaves. It is private and never filed.

  8. Assignment
    8

    Keep the LLC active

    Expect California to ask for the Statement of Information every two years, due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially, with a fee of $20. Miss the deadline and $250 is added. The state also charges a tax: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

    Textbook page: Source for this: sos.ca.gov, October 2026

What this class costs

What forGoes toTotal
Formation feeState agency$70
Statement of InformationState agency$20 every two years
If the report is lateState agency$250
Tax due every yearState agency$800 a year
Paid helpThe service company$199 to start
State fees for the first three yearsState agency$2,490
Here is how the three-year state row works: filing fee, plus the report in each of years two and three, plus any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

How the grades came out

Homework the price does makes up 34% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in California.

California wants the Statement of Information every two years, so a price that files it beat a cheaper one that leaves it to you.

Short answers

What is the California formation fee?

The official schedule says $70. $199 extra buys a service that does the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

Look for the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1); the California Secretary of State is the office.

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?

Once every two years the LLC sends the state its Statement of Information: $20, due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. There is also a yearly minimum tax.

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 do yourself or hire out.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Pick Mainstay Filing: for one yearly fee of $199 the class assignments on filing, agent for service of process and Statement of Information are all done for you. Then California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org.

Keep learning

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The California Secretary of State lesson rests on sos.ca.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The California Secretary of State lesson rests on bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source lesson rests on sos.ca.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The Cal lesson rests on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  5. The California registered agent statute lesson rests on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  6. The California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and lesson rests on ftb.ca.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  7. The California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and lesson rests on ftb.ca.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  8. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (California service page), November 13, 2026
  9. Tuition figures from California Registered Agent.ai (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  10. Tuition figures from CA Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026