2025 fees California Secretary of State Rank #49 of 51

LLC Costs in California (CA)

$995 all-in for your first year - $70 to file, $800 annual report, plus a registered agent. California is $612 (160%) more expensive than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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California's $800 minimum franchise tax applies every year, even if the LLC has no income. This is one of the highest ongoing costs in the country. Additionally, LLCs with revenue over $250,000 pay a graduated fee up to $11,790.

Updated 2025 · Source: California Secretary of State

Higher periodic report fee

Higher periodic report fee. Annual Franchise Tax at $800 sits in the dearer third of report fees among states that still charge one. Filing, registered agent and the Annual Franchise Tax together put California's first-year total at $995, ranking #49 of 51. Fees are those published by the California Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the California Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$70
One-time filing fee
$800 /yr
Annual report
$995
First-year total
#49 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

State LLC fee schedule strip

Fee strip CA · California SOS FY 2026 · rank #49

California · FY 2026 · 3-5 business days · no pub

  • EXPEDITE Online filing
  • EXPEDITE www.sos.ca.gov
  • EXPEDITE 3-5 business days
  • EXPEDITE +$350 expedite
  • EXPEDITE near Nevada
  • EXPEDITE 160% above avg

Dear-third stack: stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule, not a recommendation of where to form. Read with tax planning against a dear SOS stack → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Maryland$5252. Delaware$6153. Tennessee$7254. Nevada$9005. California$9956. Massachusetts$1,125
1. Maryland$5252. Delaware$6153. Tennessee$7254. Nevada$9005. California$9956. Massachusetts$1,125
First-year SOS-fee total for California and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where California sits among all 51 filing offices

California bucks the pattern: a 4-business-day turnaround that's faster than the national median, despite formation costing more than average -- speed and price don't move together the way the fee total alone suggests. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by First-year cost ($) (X) and Processing time (business days) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Slow & expensiveCheap but slowFast but priceyFast & cheap $0$500$1,000$1,500 0d10d20d30d First-year cost ($) Processing time (business days) Cost vs. speed: where California sits among all 51 filing offices
California bucks the pattern: a 4-business-day turnaround that's faster than the national median, despite formation costing more than average -- speed and price don't move together the way the fee total alone suggests.
California bucks the pattern: a 4-business-day turnaround that's faster than the national median, despite formation costing more than average -- speed and price don't move together the way the fee total alone suggests. National median processing time: 6 business days; national average first-year cost: $383. Source: each state's Secretary of State published processing-time guidance + the 51-row SOS fee aggregate.

How the dear-third $995 stack breaks down

How your $995 first-year total breaks down Annual Franchise Tax (yr 1) drives 80% of a top-third first-year total.
  • State filing fee $70
  • Annual Franchise Tax (yr 1) $800
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $70
Annual Franchise Tax $800
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $350
Total, First Year $995

Ongoing tax burden after formation

California's 8.84% corporate tax rate ranks among the highest corporate tax burdens nationally, an ongoing cost that can outweigh the one-time $995 formation fee within a few profitable years.

Corporate income tax
8.84%
8.84% corporate tax rate, #45 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
0.70%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: Dear-third first-year stack, verify current California SOS fees before filing at https://www.sos.ca.gov. Not legal or tax advice.

California LLC quick facts (dear third)

Filing Fee $70
Annual Report $800 /yr
Processing Time 3-5 business days
Expedited $350 → Same business day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $995
File with California SOS

Similar Cost States

Nevada $900

Lower-cost escapes

Jurisdictions with a lower first-year SOS-fee total than dear-third CA:

Delaware $615 Tennessee $725 Nevada $900

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • California Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. www.sos.ca.gov
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the California Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the California Secretary of State →