California LLC formation · bizfile Online
California bizfile Online LLC Filing, Step by Step
A California LLC is created by filing Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) with the Secretary of State, and the state directs that filing to bizfile Online. This page goes through the portal account, the LLC-1 item by item, what the Secretary of State rejects, where to read current processing dates, and the Statement of Information that is due 90 days later on the same portal. Or we prepare the LLC-1 and file it on bizfile Online for you.
Updated November 1, 2026. Facts checked October 2026.
Have it filed on bizfile Online for you
One short application. We check the name, draft the Articles of Organization and submit it through bizfile Online.
Form Your California LLCWhat bizfile Online Is
bizfile Online is the California Secretary of State's filing portal, run by the Business Programs Division, at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov. It is where Form LLC-1 is filed, where the initial and biennial Statement of Information are filed, and where California's business records are searched. The Secretary of State directs LLC formations there: a paper LLC-1 is still accepted by mail, but online submissions get priority.
The LLC-1 is a short form, one page of items, and that is what makes California look easy. The rejections come from the rules around it: a name too close to an existing company, an agent who has not agreed to serve, or a corporate agent named without the advance approval California requires. And the filings that follow, the Statement of Information within 90 days and the Franchise Tax Board's annual tax, catch more owners out than the LLC-1 does.
We prepare California articles of organization filings and submit them through bizfile Online for customers, the way an accountant or attorney would. California's fee is the same whether you file on bizfile Online yourself or we file for you; this page explains both routes so you can pick one.
- Filing portal
- bizfile Online
- Run by
- California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division
- Document filed
- Articles of Organization
- State fee
- $70
- Typical state processing
- Varies; California posts current processing dates at sos.ca.gov.
- State expedite tiers
- 24-hour, same-day, 4-hour (in person)
- Facts checked
- October 2026
Expedite amounts are the state's own and sit in the facts box on the California LLC page. See expedited options by state.
Before You Start on bizfile Online
- An account. bizfile Online asks you to create a login before you file. The same account holds the Statement of Information and every later filing for the company.
- Online first. The Secretary of State directs LLC formation to bizfile Online. The paper LLC-1 is still accepted by mail, but online submissions are processed ahead of it. A special handling fee applies only to documents dropped off in person.
- Only the organizer is on the record. The LLC-1 names and is signed by an organizer; managers and members first appear on the Statement of Information. If keeping names off the formation record matters, California's form already does that.
- The agent for service of process. An individual who lives in California, with a California street address, or a registered corporate agent (one holding a current 1505 certificate) named by name only. A corporate agent must have approved the appointment in advance.
The bizfile Online LLC Filing, Step by Step
Step 1: Sign in to bizfile Online and start an LLC filing
Create or sign in to your account at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov and choose the Articles of Organization for a limited liability company (Form LLC-1).
Step 2: Enter the LLC name (Item 1)
The name must contain LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company or an accepted abbreviation; bizfile adds the identifier if it is left off. It must be distinguishable from the entities on the Secretary of State's records, and restricted words (bank, trust, insurer) need approval first.
Step 3: Give the business addresses (Item 2)
The initial street address of the principal office, which cannot be a PO box but may be outside California, and a mailing address if it is different.
Step 4: Name the agent for service of process (Item 3)
Either an individual California resident with a California street address, or the name only of a registered corporate agent holding a current 1505 certificate, which must have approved the appointment in advance. The agent does not sign the LLC-1. If you choose our registered agent service, our agent is named here.
Step 5: Choose the management structure (Item 4)
One manager, more than one manager, or all LLC members. The answer decides who is listed on the Statement of Information later.
Step 6: Leave the purpose statement as written (Item 5)
Fixed statutory wording that the LLC may engage in any lawful act or activity. The form says not to alter it, and an altered statement is rejected.
Step 7: Sign as organizer
Signed by an organizer authorized under California law. The organizer does not have to be a member, and a filing service can act as organizer; when we file, we do.
Step 8: Pay the state and submit
Pay California's fee by card. bizfile Online also offers the state's paid expedite tiers (24-hour and same-day) at submission; the amounts are in the facts box on our California LLC page. The filed articles come back with the company's entity number.
Step 9: Calendar the Statement of Information
Within 90 days of filing, the initial Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) is due on the same portal. It is the first thing a new California LLC owner forgets.
Rather not work through bizfile Online yourself?
One short application covers the name search, the Articles of Organization and the submission through bizfile Online.
Form Your California LLCWhy bizfile Online Filings Get Rejected
- A name that conflicts with an existing California LLC, corporation or reserved name, or that includes a restricted word (bank, trust, insurer) without the required approval.
- An agent for service of process listed with a PO box, an out-of-state address, or a corporate agent that has not pre-approved the appointment.
- An entity named as agent that is not a registered 1505 corporate agent.
- The purpose statement altered.
A rejection costs the days the filing sat in the queue, and in some states the name you wanted. Our name check and field review happen before the filing goes to bizfile Online, which is most of what you pay us for. The form itself, field by field: the California Form LLC-1.
Processing and Checking Status
California's processing time varies, and the Secretary of State publishes it: the Processing Dates page at sos.ca.gov shows the date of the filings currently being reviewed, online and by mail. We do not promise the state's time; online filings are usually ahead of mail, and the posted date tells you where the queue stands on any day.
California sells faster review in three tiers: 24-hour and same-day for online or dropped-off filings, and a 4-hour tier at the Sacramento counter only. The amounts are in the facts box on our California LLC page.
To check a filing, sign in to bizfile Online, where the filing's status shows under your account, or search the company name in the portal's business search once it is filed; a filed LLC appears with its entity number.
Official pages: Processing Dates (sos.ca.gov) · bizfile Online business search.
The speed we control is when the filing reaches California: same-day LLC filing sends it to bizfile Online the business day your details are in.
After Approval on bizfile Online
- The Statement of Information. Within 90 days of filing, the company files its initial Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) on bizfile Online, listing the managers or members, the chief executive officer if any, and the agent. It then repeats every two years, in the six-month window that ends with the formation month. A late statement draws a $250 penalty, assessed by the Franchise Tax Board after the Secretary of State's notice. We file the Statement of Information for you as well (our California Statement of Information page explains it), or it is done on bizfile Online under the company's account.
- The Franchise Tax Board's annual tax. Every California LLC owes the FTB's $800 annual tax, with the first payment due by the 15th day of the fourth month after formation and a payment every year after. The first-year exemption that applied to LLCs formed in 2021 through 2023 has expired. It is paid to the FTB, not the Secretary of State, and it is separate from formation.
- Form 568 and the LLC fee. The company files Form 568 with the FTB each year, and once California income reaches $250,000 it also owes the FTB's gross-receipts fee, estimated on Form FTB 3536. Later Secretary of State filings, amendments and the agent change, go through bizfile Online under the entity number.
Filing It Yourself vs Having Us File It
The state fee is the same either way; what changes is who does the work and who is watching when bizfile Online answers.
| Filing it yourself on bizfile Online | Having us file it | |
|---|---|---|
| Checking the name | You search California's records yourself; bizfile Online does not warn you about a taken name before you pay. | We search California's records before anything is submitted and tell you the same day if there is a conflict. |
| Drafting the Articles of Organization | You type each field into bizfile Online and read the state's instructions as you go. | We draft every field the way bizfile Online expects, from one short application. |
| The registered agent | You name one who qualifies under California's rule. | Yours, checked against California's rule, or our registered agent service as an add-on. |
| Watching for a rejection | You watch the email bizfile Online has on file and resubmit if the filing bounces. | We watch the filing through to approval, and a rejection is corrected and refiled. |
| When it is submitted | Whenever you sit down to finish the form. | Standard orders go to California within 3 business days; same-day submission by 2 PM Eastern goes in that business day. |
| Who answers questions | The California Secretary of State's help pages and phone line. | A person on our team, by email, Monday to Friday. |
| The state fee | Paid to California on bizfile Online. | Paid to California, the same amount, itemized before you pay. |
bizfile Online LLC Filing Questions
Can I file on bizfile myself?+
Yes. Create a bizfile Online account, complete the LLC-1 items and pay California's fee by card; the fee is the same whether you file or we do. You take on the name check, the agent's advance approval if it is a corporate agent, the fixed purpose statement and the 90-day Statement of Information that follows. When we file, the first three are checked before the filing goes in, and the fourth is on the to-do list we send with the approved articles.
Do I need a bizfile account?+
Yes. bizfile Online asks for a login before a filing, and the account is where the company's later filings, starting with the Statement of Information, are made. Keep the login with the company's records.
Can I still file LLC-1 by mail?+
Yes. The Secretary of State still accepts the paper LLC-1 by mail, but it directs LLC formation to bizfile Online and processes online submissions first. A special handling fee applies to documents dropped off in person; mail and online filings do not carry it.
How long does California take?+
It varies, and California says so. The Secretary of State posts the date of the filings it is currently reviewing on its Processing Dates page, so you can see where the queue stands. We do not promise the state's time; when we file for you, we watch the filing and send you the filed articles the day they come back. California also sells 24-hour and same-day review if the queue is too long.
What is the Statement of Information?+
California's recurring report. The initial one (Form LLC-12) is due on bizfile Online within 90 days of filing the LLC-1 and lists the managers or members, the chief executive officer if any, and the agent. It then repeats every two years in the window that ends with the formation month, and a late one can draw a $250 penalty. It is separate from the Franchise Tax Board's $800 annual tax, which is paid to the FTB.
Is America LLC Filing the California Secretary of State?+
No. bizfile Online belongs to the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, the government office that files California LLCs. America LLC Filing is a private company. We prepare your LLC-1 and submit it through bizfile Online for you, and our fee is for that work, separate from the state's own fee.
Does the agent sign LLC-1?+
No. There is no agent signature on the LLC-1. An individual agent simply needs to have agreed to serve, and a registered corporate agent (a 1505 agent) must have approved the appointment in advance, which the Secretary of State checks. Naming a corporate agent that has not pre-approved is one of the common rejections.
Have Your California LLC Filed on bizfile Online
Name checked, Articles of Organization drafted and submitted through bizfile Online, approval sent to your inbox.
Form Your California LLC