State Guide
California LLC Formation
Complete guides for forming and operating an LLC in California.
Guides
Business License Requirements in CaliforniaYes, California requires a general business license before you operate. However, California has no state-level general business license. Instead, you must ob...California Corporation CostsThis assumes you hire a registered agent service and pay for basic setup assistance. If you handle filings yourself and use a template for bylaws, you could ...California Corporation TaxesThese fees are separate from your income tax liability and are calculated on California-source income only.How to File a DBA in CaliforniaFiling a DBA in California is straightforward but requires attention to detail. The $26 filing fee is low, but the publication requirement—which costs $50–$1...How to Form a Partnership in CaliforniaForming a general partnership in California requires minimal state-level paperwork but does not eliminate local registration obligations. You must understand...How to Incorporate in CaliforniaIncorporating in California requires filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State, paying a $100 filing fee, and meeting state-specific requi...How to Start a Nonprofit in CaliforniaCalifornia Corporations Code § 200 requires a minimum of one director for any nonprofit corporation. Directors need not be California residents and need not ...How to Start an LLC in CaliforniaStandard online filing through BizFile takes 3–5 business days (Cal. Corp. Code § 17702.01). Expedited processing is available for in-person filing at the Se...California LLC Annual ReportThe Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) is a biennial filing required under **California Corporations Code § 17702.09**. It updates the Secretary of State...California LLC CostCalifornia charges a **$70.00 filing fee** to form an LLC by submitting the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) to the Secretary of State. This is the stan...California LLC Name RulesYour LLC name must be distinguishable from all other business names already on file with the California Secretary of State. This means your name cannot be id...California LLC Operating AgreementYour LLC defaults to **member-managed** status under Cal. Corp. Code § 17704.07(a). This means all members participate directly in managing the company unles...California LLC TaxesYes. The first-year exemption under AB 85 (2020) applied only to LLCs formed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023. It expired and was not renewed. A...Professional License Requirements in CaliforniaCalifornia requires two separate licensing layers for most professional service businesses: a general business license from your city or county, and a profes...California Registered AgentA registered agent is your LLC's official point of contact for legal service of process in California. Under Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13(a), your LLC must "de...How to Start a Sole Proprietorship in CaliforniaA sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business owned and operated by one individual with no legal separation between you and your business. You are pers...
Entity Comparisons
Llc vs C Corp in CaliforniaLlc vs Dba in CaliforniaLlc vs Limited Partnership in CaliforniaLlc vs Nonprofit in CaliforniaLlc vs Partnership in CaliforniaLlc vs Pllc in CaliforniaLlc vs S Corp in CaliforniaLlc vs Sole Proprietorship in CaliforniaS Corp vs C Corp in CaliforniaSingle Member Llc vs Multi Member Llc in California