To handle a California Secretary of State change of business address, file the periodic report your entity already owes rather than a dedicated address-change form. Corporations file Form SI-200C, LLCs file Form LLC-12, and both can be submitted at any time to report a change with no fee if you’re between regular filing periods. Limited partnerships file a different document, Form LP-2. The fastest route for every entity type is the online portal at bizfileOnline.sos.ca.gov, which processes submissions immediately and gives you a confirmation to save.
Which Form Fits Your Entity
California doesn’t publish a standalone change-of-address form for most businesses. The address lives on the periodic Statement of Information, and you update it by filing that document again.
Corporations
Corporations use Form SI-200C. The regular Statement of Information is due within 90 days of incorporation and then every year during a six-month filing window tied to the original incorporation date. If your address changes outside that window, file an amended Statement of Information whenever you need to. There’s no fee for the interim filing.
LLCs
LLCs use Form LLC-12. It works the same way as the corporate version, but the regular filing cycle is every two years instead of annually. Amended filings between cycles are also free.
Limited Partnerships
Limited partnerships don’t use a Statement of Information for this. To change a designated office or mailing address, an LP files Form LP-2, Amendment to Certificate of Limited Partnership, with a $30 fee.
LLPs
One caution for LLPs: Form LLP-4 is sometimes mentioned in this context, but it’s a cancellation form that terminates the LLP’s California registration. If you run an LLP and need to update your address, use the Secretary of State’s online portal or contact the Business Programs Division for the correct filing.
What to Have Ready Before You File
Confirm your exact legal entity name and entity number first. The BizFile Online search at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov covers corporations, LLCs, LPs, and nonprofits. When you search by entity number, drop the leading “C.”
For a corporate Statement of Information, you’ll need the street address of the principal executive office, a separate mailing address if it differs, and the names and addresses of all current directors and principal officers (at minimum the CEO, secretary, and CFO). You’ll also designate an agent for service of process, with that person’s street address or the name of a corporate agent.
LLCs provide the principal office address, mailing address, and the names and addresses of any managers and the chief executive officer. An LLC with no appointed managers lists every member’s name and address instead.
Whoever signs needs authority to do so. For a corporation, that’s a director-level officer such as the chairman, president, secretary, or CFO. For an LLC, a manager or an authorized member signs.
How to Submit the Filing
Online
The bizfileOnline.sos.ca.gov portal handles the Statement of Information for corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships, among other entity types. Online submissions process immediately and produce a filing confirmation. For most businesses this is the simplest option, full stop.
By Mail
Paper filings go to different addresses depending on the document. Statement of Information forms (SI-200C and LLC-12) go to:
Statement of Information Unit
P.O. Box 944230
Sacramento, CA 94244-2300
Other filings, including the LP-2 amendment, go to:
P.O. Box 944260
Sacramento, CA 94244-2600
Include the fee as a check payable to the Secretary of State. Paper filings are processed in the order received, and several-week delays are common.
In Person
You can drop documents off at the Sacramento office. A $15 special handling fee applies to most in-person filings, but Statement of Information forms are exempt from that charge.
Fees and Processing Times
- Corporations (SI-200C): $25 for the regular periodic filing. Amended statements filed between periods to report a change cost nothing.
- LLCs (LLC-12): $20 for the regular filing. Amended statements are also free.
- Limited partnerships (LP-2): $30 amendment fee.
Online filings process immediately. Paper filings take several weeks depending on the Secretary of State’s current workload. If you need faster turnaround on a paper filing dropped off in Sacramento, two expedited tiers are available: 24-hour processing for $350, or same-day processing for $750 (documents must arrive by 9:30 a.m. for same-day service). These expedite fees are on top of the regular filing fee.
Updating Your Agent for Service of Process
Your business address and your agent for service of process are two different fields. The agent is the person or company designated to accept lawsuits and official legal notices on behalf of the business.
For corporations and LLCs, the agent’s information appears on the Statement of Information, so you can update it when you file the regular periodic report or an amended statement. If you need to change the agent’s address outside the normal cycle, file a new Statement of Information for that purpose alone. This interim filing has no fee as long as you’re current on your periodic filings.
If your agent is a professional corporate agent service, you usually don’t need to file the change yourself. The agent company is required to notify the Secretary of State when its own address changes, and that update flows through to the businesses it represents. Verify it on your next regular Statement of Information filing.
What Happens If You Don’t Update
Your address on file is where California sends tax notices, compliance warnings, and filing reminders. When those go to an old address, you learn about deadlines after they’ve passed.
Failing to file the required Statement of Information can produce penalties assessed by the Franchise Tax Board and suspension or forfeiture of the entity. Separately, failing to pay taxes or respond to Franchise Tax Board notices triggers suspension under Revenue and Taxation Code Section 23301, which strips the business of its legal powers.
Suspension has real operational consequences:
- No access to courts. A suspended corporation or LLC cannot file a lawsuit to collect debts, defend itself in litigation, or appeal an adverse judgment.
- Contracts at risk. Any contract entered into while suspended can be voided. Relief from that voidability requires filing all back returns, paying all outstanding taxes, and paying a penalty of $100 per day of suspension, up to the total tax owed for the period.
- Personal exposure. Anyone who exercises corporate powers on behalf of a suspended entity faces fines between $250 and $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both. That includes something as routine as cashing a check made out to the company.
Getting reinstated (called “revivor” in California) requires clearing obligations with both the Franchise Tax Board and the Secretary of State. Penalties accumulate the longer you wait.
Other Agencies That Need Your New Address
The Secretary of State filing updates one government record. Several others are tied to your business, and missing them creates separate problems.
Franchise Tax Board
The FTB keeps its own address records, and updating with the Secretary of State does not update the FTB. File Form FTB 3533-B (Change of Address for Businesses, Exempt Organizations, Estates and Trusts) and mail it to:
Franchise Tax Board
PO Box 942840
Sacramento, CA 94240-0002
Because the FTB initiates most suspensions, keeping your address current here is at least as urgent as the SOS filing. A missed franchise tax notice starts the suspension clock.
Internal Revenue Service
Businesses with an EIN file IRS Form 8822-B to report a change in business mailing address or business location. If the change also involves a new responsible party (the person who controls or manages the entity), that change has to be reported within 60 days.
U.S. Postal Service
File a Change of Address with USPS to forward mail from the old location. You can submit online at moversguide.usps.com (with a $1.25 identity verification fee) or in person at any post office using PS Form 3575. Business filings require documentation that the person submitting the request is authorized to act for the company, such as a business license or a letter on company letterhead signed by someone in a leadership role.
First-Class Mail is forwarded for 12 months. Forwarding can be inconsistent with bulk mail and packages, and it expires. Use it as a safety net while you update your address everywhere else, not as a permanent fix.
Verifying the Filing
After filing, confirm the update by searching for your entity on BizFile Online. What’s displayed isn’t a certified record, but it will show the address the Secretary of State currently has on file. If you need a certified copy of your Statement of Information, you can request one through the same portal or by mail for an additional fee.