How To Form An LLC In California: Step-By-Step Guide
There's only one LLC service we'd hand a California founder after spending $1,787 testing them all → $39 + free year: https://smallbiz.to/G8RsGw
How to form an LLC in California without overpaying $300 in upsells you'll never use.
TL;DR: Northwest Registered Agent is the one we kept using after forming LLCs with every major service.
You came here for the steps, not a sales pitch — so the steps first. File articles of organization with the California Secretary of State ($100 + $15 if in person, 5–7 business days). File a statement of information within 90 days ($25, then every 2 years — skip it and the Franchise Tax Board hits profit entities with a $250 penalty). Grab your EIN free at IRS.gov (about 15 minutes online). Pay the $800 annual franchise tax by the 15th day of the 4th month after filing — yes, even at zero revenue. That's the DIY path, and it works.
Where it stops working: registered agent. Your physical address goes on the public record, can't be a PO box, and you have to be available to accept government mail. For most California founders, that one detail is why outsourcing makes sense.
We spent $1,787 forming an LLC with every major service to figure out which one to actually recommend. Northwest came out 32% cheaper over five years than Bizee on a like-for-like projection — $548 vs $796 — mostly because Northwest's year-two registered agent renewal is $125 vs $199–$399 at competitors. Our own Wyoming LLC through Northwest filed in 6 days against their stated 10-business-day estimate. The signup took 4 minutes 44 seconds end to end.
Honest tradeoff: Northwest's dashboard isn't going to win any design awards. It's plain. But for the one job an LLC service should actually do — form your LLC and keep your home address off the public record — it's the cleanest option we tested.
🥇 Northwest Registered Agent — privacy-first, $39 + state fees, $125/yr renewal: https://smallbiz.to/G8RsGw
🥈 Bizee — fine if you want the Bank of America business-account add-on bundled in at signup
✓ $39 formation + free first year of registered agent service
✓ No upsell banners, no bait pricing on year two
✓ Uses Northwest's address on public filings — your home address stays private
👉 If you're forming a California LLC and you want it done in under 10 minutes without your home address going public, Northwest is the call: https://smallbiz.to/G8RsGw
🔗 Products mentioned:
• Northwest Registered Agent — California LLC formation: https://smallbiz.to/G8RsGw
• Bizee — alternative if you want bundled add-ons at signup
• Gusto — once you're hiring, this is our payroll pick (1 min 22 sec to a live human on Christmas Eve): https://smallbiz.to/g/G8RsGw ($100 gift card on your first payroll run through our link)
👇 See pinned comment for the exact 7-step DIY checklist if you'd rather file it yourself
💬 Forming in a specific California county or industry with extra licensing? Drop it in the comments and we'll point you to the right next step.
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