Every state · CA
Forming an LLC in California from outside the United States.
Here's what California charges to form and keep a company, what it asks for every year, and what its public record shows about you. You'll also get a straight answer on whether a founder abroad should form here at all.
See why founders abroad choose Wyoming The California figures
01The figures
What does a California LLC cost to form and keep?
State fees for a domestic LLC filed online, checked against the California Secretary of State in September 2026.
- Filing fee
- $70
- Recurring charge
- $800 a year
- Processing
- Online filings usually take a few business days, and longer near the end of the year
- Five-year state cost
- $4,130
By the 15th day of the fourth month after you file, and then by the 15th day of the fourth month of each tax year, which is 15 April for most companies
As the state publishes it
The filing fee and every state charge due in the first five years
State income tax
California taxes an owner's share of profit earned in California. A non-resident owner with no California income generally owes none, though the LLC still owes its $800.
The public record
The Statement of Information names the managers, or every member if there are no managers, with a business or home address for each. It's public, and anyone can view it on the Secretary of State's site.
On the recurring charge
The $800 is owed every year until the LLC is cancelled, whether or not it earned anything. Once its California income reaches $250,000, the LLC also pays a separate fee, from $900 up to $11,790 a year.
Checked September 2026 against the California Secretary of State. If a figure here has changed, email us and we'll correct it.
02The straight answer
Should a founder abroad form in California?
California is the most expensive state to keep an LLC in. Every California LLC pays $800 a year from its first year, whether or not it earns anything, plus a separate fee once its California income reaches $250,000. For a founder abroad with no business in California, all that money buys nothing a Wyoming LLC doesn't already give you, and Wyoming doesn't publish your name. It's different if the company will actually operate in California. It then owes California's $800 wherever it was formed, so forming there directly is usually simpler than forming in Wyoming and registering in California too.
California is right anyway when
- You'll have staff, an office, a warehouse or property in the state
- A bank, a marketplace or a licensing body has told you the company must be formed in this state
| California | WyomingWe file here | DelawareWe file here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file | $70 | $102.40 | $110 |
| Every year | $800 a year | $60 a year | $400 a year |
| Five years | $4,130 | $342.40 | $1,710 |
| Owners public | Yes | No | No |
| State income tax | California taxes an owner's share of profit earned in California | No personal or corporate income tax | No Delaware income tax on a company that doesn't do business in Delaware |
03What we would file instead
The same company, in Wyoming.
A Wyoming LLC costs $102.40 to file, keeps owners off the public record, and is the state banks and payment processors are used to seeing from founders abroad. Here's the whole first year, from the same price list checkout uses.
| WYOMING | Starter | StandardMost chosen | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our feeCharged once, when you confirm | $289 | $499 | $1,299 |
| Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost | $102.40 | $102.40 | Included |
| Due on the dayBefore any extras you choose | $391.40 | $601.40 | $1,299 |
| Then, every yearOur registered agent renewal and Wyoming's yearly charge | $179 | $309 | $1,059 |
Extras are optional and asked one at a time, each with its price. Filing yours ahead of our next batch costs $75. We email you before anything renews.
04Questions
Questions about a California LLC.
If yours is not here, email us at [email protected] before you order.
Yes. The Franchise Tax Board calls it the annual tax, and the first payment is due by the 15th day of the fourth month after you file. An LLC formed on 18 June pays by 15 September. The first-year exemption only covered tax years that began in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and it has ended. The one way out is to cancel the LLC within a year of forming it, using the short-form cancellation.
Yes. California, like every state, doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents. It does require an agent for service of process, California's name for a registered agent, with a street address in California. Its recurring filing is due by the 15th day of the fourth month after you file, and then by the 15th day of the fourth month of each tax year, which is 15 April for most companies.
It costs $70 to file, and then $800 a year. Over five years that comes to $4,130 in state charges. A Wyoming LLC costs $342.40 over the same five years.
No. We file in Wyoming and Delaware only. For a founder outside the US, they're the two states worth being in, and we'd rather know two states well than fifty a little. If your business will have staff, an office, stock or property in California, it'll need to register there whichever state formed it, and we'll tell you so before you order.
05Every state
Every other state, with its figures.
Each state's filing fee and recurring charge, as published in September 2026. California is highlighted.
Ready when you are
Form it in the state that suits you.
Most founders abroad choose Wyoming for an LLC, or Delaware for a corporation that will raise money. The order form explains the trade-off where you choose.