Form your California LLC — $2,000 all-in
California LLC + EIN + brand book + 5-page website + 12 months of real US business address — done by an operating CMRA, not a LegalZoom hand-off. Below: the real Californiacost breakdown so you know what you're paying for.
Real California year-1 cost
Honest breakdown of what California actually charges to form an LLC.
State filing (LLC-1 (Articles of Organization))
$70
Franchise tax (annual)
$800
Even if revenue is $0. Plus possible income-based fee on revenue over $250k.
Annual report (every 2 years)
$20
EIN with the IRS
$0
Free at irs.gov — anyone charging for this is overcharging.
Registered agent (if needed)
$50–$300/yr
Required. Must have a real California physical address (P.O. Boxes rejected).
Estimated year-1 total
$890–$1400
Numbers verified against California Secretary of State filings as of 2026.Verify here ↗
California highlights
- ✓Largest US economy if it were a country
- ✓Strong liability protections
- ✓Robust trademark and IP environment
Watch-outs
- !$800/year franchise tax even with $0 revenue
- !Income-based fee starts at $250k revenue
- !P.O. Box not allowed for state filing or DRE/CSLB licenses
About the California address requirement
Must be a real California street address. Our Lankershim Blvd address works for the filing — most CA-based filers use a CMRA address like ours.
Our $2,000 bundle includes 12 months of mail at our real LA address (5062 Lankershim Blvd) — accepted by the IRS for EIN, by banks, and by every state that allows out-of-state mailing addresses on their filings. For your state-specific registered agent we partner with licensed agents in all 50 states.
Other states we form LLCs in
Ready to form your California LLC?
$2,000 flat. We handle filing, EIN, brand, website, and 12 months of mail.