The California quotes
Service prices only. The $70 state fee applies to every quote.
1. Mainstay Filing: best for a flat annual figure
Top quote
$199 a year plus the $70 state fee
- Opening quote
- $199
- Quote from year 2
- $199/yr
- Reading at year 3
- $597
Mainstay Filing reads best in California: a single $199 quote covers formation, agent for service of process and each Statement of Information.
CA Registered Agent.org reads $200 lower at year three, but the 30% filings-handled term favors this quote.
Each Statement of Information is covered, and California's $20 is billed at cost.
Quote includes
- Articles of organization, filed
- Agent for service of process, for twelve months
- Statement of Information, filed as it falls due
- The EIN application, prepared
- Government fee, no markup
Reads well
- No extra fee for the EIN application
- $199 per year, all included
- No increase on renewal ($199)
Reads poorly
- From year two, $100 above CA Registered Agent.org
2
2. CA Registered Agent.org: best for no-frills formations
In-state provider
$199 to form, $99 yearly after
- Opening quote
- $199
- Quote from year 2
- $99/yr
- Reading at year 3
- $397
CA Registered Agent.org holds spot 2 because $199 in the first year, $99 in every year after.
Its quote stops short of the Statement of Information.
Quote includes
- Formation paperwork, completed
- Agent service for the first year
Reads well
- $199 to form
- Agent service at no cost in year one
- $99 a year afterward
Reads poorly
- Statement of Information is not part of the quote
- $99 extra for the EIN
3
3. California Registered Agent.ai: best for companies rooted in the state
In-state provider
$199 to form, $99 yearly after
- Opening quote
- $199
- Quote from year 2
- $99/yr
- Reading at year 3
- $397
California Registered Agent.ai holds spot 3 because $199 in the first year, $99 in every year after.
Its quote stops short of the Statement of Information.
Its quotes match CA Registered Agent.org's exactly.
Quote includes
- Formation paperwork, completed
- Agent service for the first year
Reads well
- Agent service at no cost in year one
- $199 to form
- $99 a year afterward
Reads poorly
- Statement of Information is not part of the quote
- $99 extra for the EIN
Year-by-year readings
Service fees only, from each company's prices sampled November 13, 2026. The ranking by cumulative cost is stable for ten years.
Run your own reading
How long will the company run? Set the years and compare, EIN application optional.
Government side of the board, California
Filing fee, plus the recurring report in years two and three, plus any minimum tax: that is the three-year state reading.
How the ranking came out
For California, the deciding term was filings handled per dollar (30% of the ranking), where Mainstay Filing came out ahead.
Filing the Statement of Information for you outweighed CA Registered Agent.org's smaller three-year reading.
Add the EIN application to the math and the crossing moves to year 2, when Mainstay Filing passes CA Registered Agent.org.
California LLC filing fee and requirements, quoted from the source
For $70, the LLC comes into existence through the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), delivered to the California Secretary of State. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
- $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.
Quoted text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (logged August 2026) for the record
Filing it yourself, measured
Going without a service, you still owe California $2,490 across three years and you handle every form. The services bill $397 to $597 for that work.
Quick answers
What do LLC formation services charge in California?
Budget $199 plus $70 in state fees.
What do the quotes add up to over three years?
$397 to $597 across the quotes, not counting state fees.
How much does California take to file an LLC?
$70; the filing is the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1).
What does California bill each year after formation?
After formation California looks for the Statement of Information every two years, at $20, last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. A minimum tax is due as well.
Is the EIN application part of the quote?
Mainstay Filing, no added charge, CA Registered Agent.org, $99 and California Registered Agent.ai, $99.
When does one quote pass another in total cost?
No break-even inside ten years.
Which LLC formation service ranks best in California?
By the five-part test the California quotes run Mainstay Filing, CA Registered Agent.org and California Registered Agent.ai, led by Mainstay Filing on filings handled per dollar.
Logged references
- California Secretary of State: see sos.ca.gov, sampled August 2026.
- California Secretary of State: see bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, sampled August 2026.
- California yearly filing: Statement of: see sos.ca.gov, sampled October 2026.
- Cal: see leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, sampled August 2026.
- California registered agent statute: see leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, sampled October 2026.
- California other cost: Annual LLC: see ftb.ca.gov, sampled October 2026.
- California other cost: Annual LLC: see ftb.ca.gov, sampled October 2026.
- California service page at Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
- pricing page at CA Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026
- pricing page at California Registered Agent.ai, taken on November 13, 2026