Incorporate in California

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Quick Notes on Incorporating in California


Processing time State fees Our fee
10 business days
on average
$105
C-Corp or S-Corp
$75
LLC
The state fee to form an S-Corp or C-Corp in California is $100, while the LLC state fee is $70. Once the company has been incorporated in California, an annual franchise tax of $800 will be paid to the Franchise Tax Board. Also, a Statement of Information must be filed every year with a filing fee of $25.

To processing time in California is slower than the national average. Currently, the state's average processing time is between 10 to 12 weeks. California does offer an expedite service that cuts the average processing time in about half. The expedite fee is an additional $65.

Unlike most states, California allows LLCs and Corporations to share names. Thus, if a company already exists with the name you would like to use, you should still do the Free Corporate Name Search, to check the corporation database.

Please note that when forming general contracting or insurance companies, business licenses will only be issued to the corporations, not LLCs.