California ledger, best value first
Service prices only. State fees do not depend on which agent you name.
1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies that may add states
Top of the tally
$149 a year, $149 after renewal
- First year
- $149
- Renewal
- $149/yr
- Three-year tally
- $447
Mainstay Filing leads the California ledger. The entries: a single $149 price covers all fifty states.
The $150 three-year gap to California Registered Agent.ai is made up by the 28% jobs-covered column.
Included lines
- An office address inside the state
- Three government mailings a year scanned free
- Covers LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits
Gains
- $149 every year, no step up
- Valid wherever the LLC registers
Minus column
- Costs $50/yr more than California Registered Agent.ai
- Report filing takes the formation package
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2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for one-state LLCs
California specialist
$99 a year, $99 after renewal
- First year
- $99
- Renewal
- $99/yr
- Three-year tally
- $297
In second place, California Registered Agent.ai, where three years total $297 for a company that stays put.
Included lines
- An in-state street address
- Online copies of legal papers
Gains
- Just $99 a year
- Under Mainstay Filing on the yearly column
Minus column
- Covers California and nothing else
- The Statement of Information stays on your list
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3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a local alternative
California specialist
$99 a year, $99 after renewal
- First year
- $99
- Renewal
- $99/yr
- Three-year tally
- $297
In third place, CA Registered Agent.org, where three years total $297 for a company that stays put.
Its published prices equal California Registered Agent.ai's.
Included lines
- An in-state street address
- Online copies of legal papers
Gains
- Under Mainstay Filing on the yearly column
- Just $99 a year
Minus column
- Covers California and nothing else
- The Statement of Information stays on your list
The tally after 1, 2, 3 and 5 years
Read November 13, 2026. Each column adds another renewal. None of the totals cross in ten years.
Cost calculator
Choose a number of years to see each row's total by then.
California state fees (official)
To reproduce the bottom line, add the filing, the year-two report, the year-three report and any minimum tax. Costs without a fixed amount stay out of it.
Why the California rows sit where they do
Mainstay Filing beat California Registered Agent.ai on jobs ticked off, a 28% column.
A single agent for any state outscored the one-state row.
California agent for service of process rules (official, California Secretary of State)
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
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. Law: Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13.
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.
Per see leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, entered October 2026 in the ledger
The zero-service option
Serving as your own agent keeps that line at zero if you meet the address rule; services charge $99 to $149 a year.
California price questions
What does a California registered agent cost per year?
$99 to $149 a year across our rows.
What do three years of agent service cost?
Three years of service total $297 to $447.
Must an LLC in California name 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?
Yes, once you qualify under the rules above.
What does the LLC pay the state each year?
$20 every second year for the Statement of Information, due last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. Add the yearly minimum tax.
When does one service turn into the lower total?
Not within ten years; no row overtakes another.
Which registered agent is the best value in California?
Mainstay Filing ranks first on jobs ticked off, then California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org.
Where the entries come from
- August 2026 entry: California Secretary of State, source sos.ca.gov
- August 2026 entry: California Secretary of State, source bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov
- October 2026 entry: California yearly filing: Statement of, source sos.ca.gov
- August 2026 entry: Cal, source leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- October 2026 entry: California registered agent statute, source leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- October 2026 entry: California other cost: Annual LLC, source ftb.ca.gov
- October 2026 entry: California other cost: Annual LLC, source ftb.ca.gov
- Booked November 13, 2026 from the Mainstay Filing California service page
- Booked November 13, 2026 from the California Registered Agent.ai pricing page
- Booked November 13, 2026 from the CA Registered Agent.org pricing page