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Best LLC Services in California
By Allison Tobin MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
- Help setting up any type of business
- Useful educational resources and state guides
- All packages include registered agent service
- Business management and expansion resources
- Free DIY business registration tools
- Set up any business entity type
- Starts at $0 + State fees
- Get help from real attorneys in your state
- Unlimited lifetime customer support
- Business tax and compliance services
Fast & Simple LLC Formation- Start an LLC in Minutes
- Starts at $0 + State fees
- Superior Registered Agent & Compliance services
- Affordable EIN & expedited filing options
- 100% Accuracy guarantee
- All major business entity types
- Fee as low as $0 plus mandatory state filing fee
- Free unlimited customer support in every package
- Next business day processing
- Free registered agent service for your first year
- Free business tax consultation
Are you ready to start your LLC in California? You can hire an LLC service to handle the formation process for you, including filling out your paperwork and filing it with the Secretary of State. These companies also offer other perks to help manage your business and grow your brand.
Here are our top picks for the best LLC formation services in California.
Our Top Picks for Best LLC Services in California
- Best for Keeping Your Business Compliant: Northwest Registered Agent
- Best Customizable Packages: ZenBusiness
- Best Legal Assistance: LegalZoom
- Best for Establishing Your Brand: Tailor Brands
Best LLC Services in California Reviews
Best for Keeping Your Business Compliant: Northwest Registered Agent
- Offers a compliance service to ensure you fulfill state requirements
- Registered agent service can be purchased separately
- Offers a free account if you want to create your LLC on your own
- Doesn’t offer a free filing package
- Service details are hard to find on the website
Why we chose it: Northwest can help you start an LLC and keep it running smoothly. Notably, Northwest’s Compliance Filing Service helps you stay in good standing with California requirements. The company will automatically file recurring state annual reports for you, such as the Statement of Information, which is required every two years in California. The service is $100 per year plus state filing fees.
Unfortunately, Northwest doesn’t have a free package like other companies offer. Its filing service is $100 plus state fees, and the registered agent service is $125 per year. The only free option is a free online account with tools to help you start your LLC on your own.
Two other services available are the Trademark Service and Business Identity Service. The Trademark Service costs $249 plus United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) fees and includes an attorney review.
The Business Identity Service helps establish your business’s online presence by creating a website, setting up email addresses, getting phone numbers and more. Northwest offers a free 90-day trial, but each Business Identity feature costs $9 per month after that.
Best Customizable Packages: ZenBusiness
- Offers a variety of add-on services
- Has a free plan option
- Has a mobile app and an online dashboard
- Cost can get high with add-ons
- Doesn’t include a registered agent service on any plan
Why we chose it: ZenBusiness offers three base packages and many additional services you can add on. This allows business owners to customize their plans to only pay for what they want, especially if they’re not interested in many extras.
The Starter plan offers a basic filing service for free, plus state fees. The Pro plan starts at $199 per year and includes more features, like an operating agreement and faster filing speed. The highest tier is the Premium plan at $349, which comes with business documents and a website builder.
ZenBusiness’ add-ons range from about $80 to $200 each, so it can get pricey if you decide you want to buy a lot of them. Additionally, while some companies offer a registered agent service free for a year, ZenBusiness doesn’t. It’s an extra $199 per year.
Best Legal Assistance: LegalZoom
- Offers expert guidance from attorneys
- Offers a free plan
- Has a library of 150+ legal forms available to all customers
- Includes tax and insurance consultations on the paid plans
- Requires a subscription for attorney guidance
- Doesn’t include customer support over the phone on the free plan — only email and chat
Why we chose it: LegalZoom offers in-depth independent attorney guidance to new LLC owners — a feature many other companies lack. You can get unlimited 30-minute consultations about legal issues and topics, plus an attorney review of your contracts and documents.
The attorney guidance features are only available on the Premium package and require a subscription. When you buy the package for $299 (plus state filing fees), you get a 30-day subscription. After that, the attorney feature is an additional $49 per month.
The Premium package is the most comprehensive option. It includes formation document filing, an operating agreement and more. The middle package, called Pro, is $249 and includes most of the Premium features but no attorney guidance. The Basic free plan is for those who primarily want help filing their formation documents and don’t need extras.
Best for Establishing Your Brand: Tailor Brands
- Offers a free plan option
- Has an easy-to-use logo maker
- Has an automatic website builder and social media post maker
- Offers 24/7 customer support
- Doesn’t list clear pricing and plan details on its website
- Has a lengthy sign-up form
Why we chose it: We like Tailor Brands because it offers many features beyond just starting your California LLC. Its tools and features can help you build your small business’s brand and online presence.
Tailor Brands can create a business logo for you that you can use on your website and marketing materials. The company can also create your business website, business cards, social media posts and even branded merchandise.
In regards to traditional LLC formation services, Tailor Brands offers document filing, trademark services, EIN registration, business license and permit paperwork, and taxes and bookkeeping services.
The company offers three plans: Lite (free plus state fees), Essential ($199 annually plus state fees) and Elite ($249 annually plus state fees). The free Lite plan offers a basic LLC formation document filing service, while the Essential plan offers that plus an operating agreement, quicker processing and an annual compliance service. The Elite plan includes the brand-building services.
A downside to Tailor Brands is that its sign-up is more difficult to complete than other companies’ forms, in our experience. After answering questions, the system tries to match you with a plan and shows you the different options and pricing.
Other companies we considered
The following companies didn’t make it to our top ranking but may still be worth checking out.
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer offers a range of online legal services, including the creation of legal documents, tax services, legal advice, business creation and more. It didn’t make our top picks of LLC formation services because starting an LLC with Rocket Lawyer requires a Rocket Legal+ membership of $20 per month. This gets you LLC filing included and half-priced professional services, including document reviews, lawyer consultations and trademark filing. If you need some of these other legal services, it may be worth checking out Rocket Lawyer.
BetterLegal
BetterLegal is a good option for LLC formation with straightforward pricing, but it only offers one plan option that’s a little pricey for what it provides. At $299, the plan includes LLC formation filing, an operating agreement, employer identification number (EIN) registration and express processing (two days). There is no cheaper option like most companies offer. You can get additional services for an extra cost. Its registered agent service is more affordable than most companies, though, at $10 per month or $90 for a year.
Inc Authority
Inc Authority advertises its free LLC bundle, which includes formation document filing, one year of a registered agent service, tax consultation and more. The company offers two premium service bundles to entrepreneurs who want more features, but they can’t be purchased online. Additionally, Inc Authority’s website doesn’t include any pricing information. You must call the company.
California LLC Services Guide
What is an LLC?
An LLC is a type of business structure that establishes the company as a separate entity from its owners — called members. It provides members with limited liability.
More specifically, the LLC’s members aren’t held personally liable for the company’s debts and other liabilities. This means that if the LLC is sued or incurs debt, the members’ personal assets, such as their homes or savings, can’t be pursued in most cases.
Most types of businesses can be LLCs, except banks and insurance companies. An LLC can have multiple members, and it can be managed by its members or by managers. This allows the members to choose if they want control over the business’s day-to-day operations or to take a more hands-off approach. In terms of ownership, LLCs can have unlimited members, including individuals, other businesses, or a combination of both.
Additionally, LLCs have some tax benefits. By default, they have pass-through taxation, meaning the business’ profits and losses pass through to the members’ personal federal tax returns. However, members have flexibility and can choose to be taxed as a corporation.
Starting an LLC is relatively easy, but the requirements vary by state. The formation process usually requires filling out paperwork and paying a fee, among other state necessities.
How do you start an LLC in California?
You can start an LLC in California with the following steps:
1. Choose an LLC name: California has certain naming requirements. Your business name must contain “limited liability company” or an abbreviation. Additionally, it must be different from any other LLC registered in California and can’t be misleading or imply your business is a government entity.
2. Designate a registered agent: A registered agent is a person or company that accepts legal documents on behalf of your company. All LLCs must have a registered agent in California.
3. File your documents with the California Secretary of State: New LLCs in California must file the Articles of Organization form with information about your LLC. Within 90 days of formation, you must also submit a Statement of Information form. You can find all the required forms on the Secretary of State’s website.
4. Create your LLC’s operating agreement: An operating agreement outlines the structure of your new business and how it will operate. While you don’t have to file this document with the state, having one is essential to minimize conflict and confusion within the company.
5. Obtain an employer identification number (EIN): An EIN is used to file taxes, hire employees and open business bank accounts. You can get one online through the IRS.
6. Fulfill all other requirements: Depending on your industry, you may be required to get certain licenses and permits. Other requirements include paying the annual franchise tax and more.
What do LLC formation services do?
An LLC formation service is a company you can hire to help you through the process of creating your LLC. They also offer various other solutions for your business once you’re up and running. They typically charge a price for their service in addition to the cost of the state’s fees.
The services vary by company, but many offer the following things:
- LLC filing
- Registered agent service
- Operating agreement creation
- Trademark registration
- Tax assistance
- Bookkeeping services
- Website building
- Legal services
Should you use an LLC service?
A business formation service can be helpful when starting your LLC, but you’re not required to use one. You can file your formation documents yourself — often entirely online.
The benefit of hiring a company is to limit the potential of mistakes and help ensure you stay compliant. LLC services are experts in your state’s requirements, so they can quickly guide you through the process. Another benefit is that they offer additional services that may benefit your business. Some companies even include a free registered agent service for a year.
Before hiring an LLC service to help start and manage your business in California, weigh the cost and consider your business needs. If you decide it’s worth it, compare the offerings from multiple companies before choosing.
Best LLC Services in California FAQs
How much does starting an LLC cost in California?
You can file these two forms online or by mail for no additional charge. However, if you file them in person, there’s a $15 handling fee per document. Additionally, certified copies of your documents are $5.
Is it easy to start an LLC in California?
What are the benefits of an LLC in California?
The default tax treatment for LLCs is pass-through taxation. However, members can choose how the business is taxed. Regarding management, LLCs can be member-managed or manager-managed.
How We Chose the Best LLC Services in California
To choose the best California LLC formation services, we evaluated a dozen companies in the state. We considered the following factors:
- Services offered: While the leading service of an LLC formation company is to help you file your business formation paperwork, many offer much more than that. We evaluated each company based on what they offer to LLC owners. It was important that we found companies that provide an affordable or free basic package plus more comprehensive options.
- Cost and value: We sought service providers that offer competitive pricing without sacrificing quality or service. We looked for a balance between cost and value, analyzing exactly what’s included in the price of each LLC formation package.
- Ease of use: A positive user experience is essential when you hire an LLC service. We looked into the company’s sign-up process, website and customer service options. We prioritized easy, user-friendly processes and informative websites.
- Customer reviews: We analyzed customer feedback for each company across multiple third-party review websites. User reviews gave us insight into whether the company lives up to its promises. While no company is perfect, we didn’t consider any that appeared to repeatedly not meet customer expectations.