A California anonymous LLC is not something you can form directly: state law requires every LLC to list its managers or members by name on a public filing called the Statement of Information, which anyone can pull up for free through the Secretary of State’s online database. The workaround most privacy-minded owners use is a two-entity structure. You form an LLC in a state that keeps owner names off public records, then list that out-of-state entity as the manager of your California LLC. Your personal name never appears on a California filing. The privacy this buys is real but limited, and it is worth understanding both sides before you spend the money to set it up.
What California Puts on the Public Record
Two filings create the paper trail. The Articles of Organization, filed to create the LLC, require the company name, the street address of its principal office, and the name and address of an agent for service of process. If the LLC will be manager-managed, the Articles must say so, but they do not require manager or member names.1California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 17702.01
The disclosure problem lives in the second filing. The Statement of Information is due within 90 days of formation and every two years after that, and it demands the names and complete business or residential addresses of every manager, or every member if the LLC has no managers, plus the name of any chief executive officer.2California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 17702.09 The Secretary of State publishes these filings in a searchable database that offers free PDF copies of over 17 million business documents.3California Secretary of State. Business Search Anyone with an internet connection can look up your LLC and see who runs it. That is the exposure the double-LLC structure is designed to defeat.
How the Double-LLC Structure Works
The idea is straightforward. Instead of listing yourself as the California LLC’s manager or member, you list another LLC formed in a state that does not publish owner names. When someone searches your California entity, the management field shows a Wyoming or New Mexico holding company. Your name never touches a California filing.
The sequence in practice:
- Form an LLC in a privacy-friendly state. The holding entity’s formation documents list only the company name, its registered agent, and basic organizational details.
- Form your California LLC and designate it as manager-managed on the Articles of Organization. On the Statement of Information, enter the out-of-state holding company’s name and address in the manager fields.
- Operate through the California entity. The California LLC signs contracts, holds licenses, and conducts the actual business. The holding company exists only to own or manage it.
The California entity stays fully compliant with every disclosure requirement because the statute asks for the name of the manager, and the manager is legitimately the holding company. No false information appears on any filing. The privacy comes from the fact that the holding company’s home state does not connect that company to you in any public record.
Which States Allow Anonymous LLCs
Four states let you form an LLC without listing member or manager names on public filings: Delaware, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming.4Wolters Kluwer. Anonymous LLCs: States, Requirements, and Formation Steps They differ in cost and ongoing paperwork.
- New Mexico is the cheapest bare-bones option. Formation documents require only the company name, registered agent, management structure, and the organizer’s signature. There is no annual report, so there is no recurring filing where your identity could surface.
- Wyoming offers similar privacy. Owner and manager names do not appear on formation documents, and the public record shows only the registered agent’s details. Wyoming requires an annual report, but that report also does not demand member or manager names.
- Delaware keeps LLC member and manager names off public formation records. Annual franchise taxes and a registered agent requirement add ongoing cost.
- Nevada offers anonymous formation but charges higher fees than New Mexico or Wyoming and requires an annual list filing.
For a holding entity that exists only to sit above a California LLC, New Mexico and Wyoming tend to be the most cost-effective because formation and maintenance costs are lower. The holding company generally does not need to register as a foreign LLC in California just because it serves as a member or manager of a California entity. Under California’s Corporations Code, simply being a member or manager of a domestic LLC is listed among the activities that do not constitute transacting intrastate business.
Filing the California LLC
Once the holding company is active, you file the California LLC through the Secretary of State’s bizfile online portal or by mail.5California Secretary of State. Bizfile California
The Articles of Organization cost $70.6California Secretary of State. Limited Liability Companies – California You provide the LLC name, the principal office address, and the name of your registered agent for service of process. The agent needs a physical California address and must be available during business hours. If you are using the double-LLC structure, mark the LLC as manager-managed.
The Statement of Information costs $20 and is due within 90 days of formation.6California Secretary of State. Limited Liability Companies – California In the manager fields, enter the name and address of the out-of-state holding company. This is the filing that would normally expose your identity, and it is where the structure earns its keep.
Processing times fluctuate with the Secretary of State’s workload, and end-of-year submissions tend to run longer. Current processing dates and expedited service options are published on the Secretary of State’s website.7California Secretary of State. Current Processing Dates
Where the Privacy Ends
The structure keeps your name off the Secretary of State’s public website. That blocks casual searches, competitors, and unsolicited contact. It is not invisibility, and treating it as such leads to expensive surprises.
Banks Will See Through It
Federal anti-money-laundering rules require banks to identify every individual who directly or indirectly owns 25% or more of a legal entity opening an account, plus at least one person who controls the entity. You provide your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and unexpired government-issued ID. The bank records this information no matter how many LLCs sit between you and the account. No anonymous LLC structure changes this.
Courts Can Compel Disclosure
If someone sues your California LLC or obtains a court order in a related matter, subpoena power reaches your registered agent, your organizer, and any other third party who knows your identity. The structure is designed for public record searches, not litigation. In any dispute that advances past the initial filing stage, your identity is likely to come out through ordinary discovery.
Tax Authorities Already Know
The IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board both require the LLC to report its owners on tax returns. Every California LLC must file Form 568 annually.8California Franchise Tax Board. Instructions for Form 568 Limited Liability Company Tax Booklet These filings are not public records, but they do mean government agencies know exactly who owns the business.
Federal Beneficial Ownership Reporting
The Corporate Transparency Act originally required most LLCs to report their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. In March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule exempting all entities created in the United States from this reporting requirement.9FinCEN.gov. FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for US Companies and US Persons As of 2026, domestic LLCs do not need to file beneficial ownership information with FinCEN. That could change if Congress passes new legislation, so it is worth monitoring.
Ongoing Costs and Compliance
Forming the entities is the easy part. The recurring obligations are where people lose both their privacy and their good standing.
The Biennial Statement of Information
Every California LLC refiles the Statement of Information every two years during a six-month window tied to the original registration date.2California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 17702.09 The fee is $20. Miss the deadline and let the 60-day grace period pass, and the Secretary of State can impose a $250 penalty and begin suspension proceedings.10California Franchise Tax Board. FTB 1024 Penalty Reference Chart A suspended LLC cannot legally conduct business in California or enforce contracts, and anyone acting on behalf of a suspended entity faces additional fines of $250 to $1,000.
The $800 Annual Franchise Tax
Every LLC doing business in California or organized in the state owes an $800 annual tax, whether or not the business earns any revenue.11California Franchise Tax Board. Limited Liability Company Payment is due by the 15th day of the fourth month of the taxable year. For a new LLC, that first payment is due by the 15th day of the fourth month after formation. A first-year exemption existed for LLCs formed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023, but it has expired and does not apply to LLCs formed in 2024 or later. An additional income-based fee applies once California-source income crosses $250,000, calculated on gross income plus cost of goods sold rather than net profit.12California Legislative Information. California Revenue and Taxation Code 17942
Two Registered Agents
The structure involves at least two entities in two states, so you need a registered agent in California and another in the holding company’s home state. Professional registered agent services typically run between $49 and $300 per year per state. Budget for two.
Keeping the Two Entities Separate
An anonymous LLC that is not properly maintained can lose both its privacy and its liability protection. California courts can pierce the veil and hold LLC owners personally liable when the owner and the entity have no real separate existence and treating them as separate would produce an unfair result. The same risk applies between the holding company and the operating company in a double-LLC setup. If the two entities share accounts, pay each other’s bills casually, and observe no formalities, a court can treat them as one.
Practical habits that keep the structure clean:
- Separate bank accounts for the California LLC and the holding company, with no casual transfers between them.
- A written operating agreement for each entity, even if you are the sole owner. California does not require you to file it, but having one on record demonstrates independent governance.
- Annual and biennial filings completed on time for both entities, including the California Statement of Information, the $800 franchise tax, and any report required by the holding company’s state.
- No personal expenses paid from either entity’s accounts.
The double-LLC structure adds administrative work on top of what a single California LLC already demands. The owners who run into trouble are the ones who set the structure up and then forget to maintain it.