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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 2 · California

The California Registered Agent (2026): 6 Procedures and the 3 Best Agents

California Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and CA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) measured best, in that order, for appointing a registered agent in California in 2026. Complete the 6 procedures below and the agent for service of process is appointed correctly.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

The short version

The requirement
Yesleginfo.legislature.ca.gov (observed October 2026)
What ranked services charge
$99 to $149 a yearAs published
Statement of Information
$20 every 2 yearssos.ca.gov (observed October 2026)
Yearly minimum tax
$800ftb.ca.gov (observed October 2026)
Procedure count
6One at a time

After reading you will know

  • What California requires of an agent for service of process
  • The eligibility and address rules
  • Recording the agent
  • The agents we recommend

Best reading

California: the ranked services

Three-year cost and the number of procedures a price performs weigh the most; how we measure lists all five criteria.
Strongest result

1. California Registered Agent.ai: best for LLCs that never leave California

$99 yearly, identical at renewal

California Registered Agent.ai reads highest, and the reason is that a one-state plan reading $99 a year and $99 at renewal.

Mainstay Filing measures higher across three years, which puts this service first.

What the price performs

  • A California street address
  • Legal papers scanned and posted

Measured strengths

  • Annual price $99; renewal $99
  • A yearly price under the national candidate

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
  • Statement of Information remains the owner's job
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Upkeep included

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent at one price

$149 yearly, identical at renewal

Mainstay Filing follows in second place: an agent at $149 a year that remains usable when the company adds states.

Over three years it reads $150 behind California Registered Agent.ai.

What the price performs

  • A registered office in California
  • Papers served on the company are scanned free on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Measured strengths

  • A flat $149 per year
  • Valid in every state

Measured limits

  • $50 more per year than the local candidate
  • An agent-only plan that does not file reports
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Local candidate

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a local alternative

$99 yearly, identical at renewal

In third position is CA Registered Agent.org, where a one-state plan reading $99 a year and $99 at renewal.

California Registered Agent.ai and this service charge alike.

What the price performs

  • A California street address
  • Legal papers scanned and posted

Measured strengths

  • Annual price $99; renewal $99
  • A yearly price under the national candidate

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
  • Statement of Information remains the owner's job
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1California Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Posted prices, observed November 13, 2026. California bills the same in either case.

The procedures

  1. Procedure 1: California's rule

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Specimen: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (observed October 2026)

  2. Procedure 2: Who can take the role

    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. Authority: Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13.

  3. Procedure 3: Know the registered office rule

    An individual agent's California street address goes on the public record. A registered corporate agent's address is already on file with the state and is not repeated in the company's filing.

    TipAll ranked services supply the California office address.

  4. Procedure 4: Self-service or a professional agent

    A qualified owner can act as agent. Otherwise the ranked agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Procedure 5: File the agent's details

    The Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) carries the agent's name and address; the California Secretary of State also receives change filings from LLCs that replace their agent.

    Specimen: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (observed August 2026)

  6. Procedure 6: Track the recurring filing

    State correspondence about the Statement of Information arrives with the agent for service of process. Its price is $20 every two years, with the due date given as last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

    Specimen: sos.ca.gov (observed October 2026)

The cost of this sheet

LineGoes toCost
Registered agent serviceThe service$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agentThe service$99 to $149 a year
Statement of InformationTo the state$20 every two years
Tax payable yearlyTo the state$800 a year
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax gives the state's three-year total. The specimens below name the page behind each amount.

How the readings worked out

Measured cost over three years decided first place in California. It carries 36% of the reading, and the remainder comes from procedures the price performs, reading at year two, fit with the state protocol and price legibility.

California Registered Agent.ai totals $297 over three years, a difference of $150 from Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

Is an LLC in California permitted to operate without an agent for service of process?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own agent for service of process?

Often. Apply the two tests in procedures 2 and 3.

Can I change my agent for service of process later?

Yes. A switch requires a change filing at the California Secretary of State (procedure 5).

What does a registered agent cost in California?

From $99 to $149 a year on this sheet.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Each time, the state collects the Statement of Information fee of $20, and the minimum tax too.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order of the readings is California Registered Agent.ai, Mainstay Filing and CA Registered Agent.org. California Registered Agent.ai is first because $99 a year supplies a California agent with an office inside the state.

Next sheet

Specimens and records

  1. To reproduce the California Secretary of State result, consult sos.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  2. To reproduce the California Secretary of State result, consult bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  3. To reproduce the California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source result, consult sos.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  4. To reproduce the Cal result, consult leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  5. To reproduce the California registered agent statute result, consult leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  6. To reproduce the California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and result, consult ftb.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  7. To reproduce the California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and result, consult ftb.ca.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  8. Recorded November 13, 2026 from the pricing page of California Registered Agent.ai
  9. Recorded November 13, 2026 from the California service page of Mainstay Filing
  10. Recorded November 13, 2026 from the pricing page of CA Registered Agent.org