To file a California Statement of Information, submit the form for your entity type (SI-550 for corporations, LLC-12 for LLCs) through the Secretary of State’s bizfile Online portal or by mail to the Statement of Information Unit in Sacramento, along with the required fee, within your assigned filing window. Every California corporation and LLC has to do this to keep the state’s record of its officers, address, and agent for service of process current.
When Your Filing Is Due
Your first Statement of Information is due within 90 days of forming or registering your entity with the state. After that, the schedule depends on what kind of entity you have.
Stock corporations and foreign corporations file every year.1California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 1502 Nonprofit corporations, both public benefit and mutual benefit, file every two years.2California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 8210 LLCs also file every two years.3California Secretary of State. Limited Liability Companies (LLC) – California
Each entity gets an applicable filing period tied to the anniversary month of its original formation or registration. The window opens several months before the anniversary month and closes at the end of it. To see your exact window and next due date, look up your entity on the Secretary of State’s business search tool.
What to Gather Before You Start
Pull these details from your own records before you open the form. Every Statement of Information asks for:
- Your exact legal entity name and your Secretary of State file number, which may be 7, 10, 11, or 12 digits depending on entity type.4California Franchise Tax Board. Entity ID or California Corporation Number
- The street address of your principal executive office, plus a separate mailing address if it differs.
- Your Agent for Service of Process. If you name an individual, include their California street address. If you name a registered corporate agent, only the name is required.1California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 1502
Corporations also list the names and complete business or residential addresses of all current directors, the number of board vacancies if any, and the names and addresses of the chief executive officer, secretary, and chief financial officer.1California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 1502 Since January 1, 2022, stock and foreign corporations must also answer a question about whether any outstanding final judgments exist against the company for violating wage, benefits, or other labor laws. That requirement came in through AB 3075, and every corporation has to file one complete statement answering it before it can use the shorter “no change” form.3California Secretary of State. Limited Liability Companies (LLC) – California
LLCs list all managers and their addresses. If the LLC has no designated managers, list all members instead.
Filing Online or by Mail
Online is faster. The bizfile Online portal on the Secretary of State’s site walks you through every field, shows a review screen, and lets you apply an electronic signature.5California Secretary of State. File Online Payment comes at the end, by credit card or a pre-funded Secretary of State account. Online filings are processed almost immediately.
To file by mail, print the correct form, sign it by hand, and send it with a check or money order for the exact fee to:
Secretary of State
Statement of Information Unit
P.O. Box 944230
Sacramento, CA 94244-2300
Paper filings take about five business days to process after they arrive.6California Secretary of State. Instructions for Completing the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) One trap to avoid: only electronic signatures applied through the Secretary of State’s own online system are accepted. A computer-generated signature printed onto a paper form will be rejected.7California Secretary of State. Filing Tips
Filing Fees
- Stock corporations and foreign corporations: $25, made up of a $20 filing fee and a $5 disclosure fee.8California Secretary of State. Business Entities Fee Schedule
- Domestic and foreign LLCs: $20, whether you file a complete statement or a statement of no change.3California Secretary of State. Limited Liability Companies (LLC) – California
- Nonprofit corporations: typically no fee. Check the current fee schedule before you file, since circumstances vary.
When You Can File a Statement of No Change
If nothing has changed since your last complete filing, you may be able to submit a short Statement of No Change instead of refilling every field. LLCs can use it for any biennial filing after the initial statement, as long as all information is identical to what is on record.3California Secretary of State. Limited Liability Companies (LLC) – California
Stock and foreign corporations have an extra condition. You must already have one complete Statement of Information on file dated on or after January 1, 2022, so the labor judgment disclosure question has been answered on the record. After that, the no-change form is available for later years when nothing has changed. The fee is the same as a complete statement.
Confirming the Filing and Fixing Mistakes
After you submit online, you should receive immediate confirmation and the ability to download a file-stamped copy. Keep that copy as proof you met your reporting obligation for the period. Then search your entity on the Secretary of State’s business search tool and confirm your next due date reflects the new filing.
If you spot an error in a Statement of Information you already submitted, there is no separate correction form. Just file a new, complete Statement of Information with the right information: SI-550 for corporations, LLC-12 for LLCs. The new filing replaces the earlier one on the public record.
If You Miss the Deadline
Miss the window and the Secretary of State certifies the delinquency to the Franchise Tax Board, which assesses a penalty: $250 for stock corporations, foreign corporations, and LLCs, and $50 for nonprofit corporations.9California Legislative Information. California Revenue and Taxation Code 19141 The penalty is a final assessment, due immediately, though no interest accrues on it.
Continued failure to file can lead to suspension or forfeiture of your business entity.10California Secretary of State. Statements of Information Filing Tips A suspended entity cannot sue or defend a lawsuit in California, loses the state’s reservation of its entity name (another business can register it), and may find that contracts it signs during suspension are voidable.11FTB.ca.gov. My Business Is Suspended
Reviving a suspended entity means filing every overdue Statement of Information with the Secretary of State and clearing your tax obligations with the Franchise Tax Board, including all past-due returns, the $800 minimum annual tax for each year since registration, and a revivor application (Form FTB 3557 BC for corporations, Form FTB 3557 LLC for LLCs).11FTB.ca.gov. My Business Is Suspended Filing your Statement of Information on time is a much cheaper problem than any of that.