3 Best LLC Services in California (2026), Plainly Answered
Asked who to hire in California in 2026, we'd say California Registered Agent.ai ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Count on $70 for the filing itself and $397 to $597 in service fees over three years.
By the Plain Charter editorial team ·
Answer in brief
Fee to form
$70, one time
Yearly upkeep
$20 per two-year cycle + $800 yearly tax
Agent for service of process
Required by law
Best picks
California Registered Agent.ai, Mainstay Filing then CA Registered Agent.org
California: our picks
Ranked by how we choose: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
1Top pick
1. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a low three-year cost
Formation $199, agent renewal $99
California Registered Agent.ai is the one we'd hire first in California, because it costs $199 up front with the first agent year, then $99 each year after.
Lower three-year cost than Mainstay Filing puts it first for a company staying in California.
The Statement of Information stays with you.
The price covers
Articles filed for you
Year-one agent
Upsides
Agent service, year one
Then $99 yearly
$199 over the state fee
What to weigh
You handle the Statement of Information on your own
Our number 2 is Mainstay Filing, since it forms the LLC, serves as its agent for service of process and files the Statement of Information for $199 a year, and the price stays $199 at renewal.
It costs $200 more than California Registered Agent.ai over three years, and cost carries the most weight with us.
It files the Statement of Information for you and passes on the $20 state fee at cost.
Prices as published on November 12, 2026. The state's own fees are listed in the requirements below.
What owners ask
What does an LLC cost to set up here?
Budget $70 for the state and $199 for a service.
Counting the recurring report and the minimum tax, the state's own fees reach $2,490 by the end of year three. source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, August 2026
$800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.
What do I file, and where?
It takes one filing, the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), which goes to the California Secretary of State.
Do I have to name an agent for service of process?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
A California resident, or a corporation registered with the Secretary of State as a corporate agent under Corporations Code § 1505. A business cannot act as its own agent for service of process.
Budget $20 every second year for the Statement of Information. Put it on the calendar: last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. Then the yearly minimum tax.