Skip to your options
Price Your LLC Budget for your LLC before you pay for it.

What a registered agent costs by state / California

3 Best Registered Agents in California (2026): What You Pay

Your best-value options among California registered agents for 2026 are Mainstay Filing ($149/yr), California Registered Agent.ai ($99/yr) and CA Registered Agent.org ($99/yr), ranked from first to third. Year one costs $99 to $149 with these agents. Over three years, you are looking at $297 to $447.
Written by the Price Your LLC editorial team

↓ Ranked for you by: What you spend over three years counts 38%, and how much work the price takes off you counts 31%. Renewal change, break-even and price visibility make up the rest. How we rank

Budget snapshot

Required by law? Yes leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
What year one costs you $99 to $149 You pay each year
Total after 3 years $297 to $447 Three years of service fees
Statement of Information $20 every two years sos.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Bills cross in Never Stable for a decade

The California picks

Options sit in value order, with prices taken from company pages. State fees are the same whoever serves as agent.

1
Best value for you

1. Mainstay Filing: best for owners who may expand

You pay $149 in year one, then $149 a year
You pay in year 1 $149
You pay at renewal $149/yr
You pay over 3 years $447

Start with Mainstay Filing. $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and one account for every state.

California Registered Agent.ai costs $150 less by year three; the 31% weight on work covered still puts this one first.

Your price covers

  • A street address located in the state
  • Up to three government mailings a year, scanned for you free
  • Covers LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits

What you get

  • Travels with your company
  • Constant $149 per year

What to watch

  • $50 a year above California Registered Agent.ai
  • Agent service only, reports stay with you
2
One-state service

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for LLCs that never leave one state

You pay $99 in year one, then $99 a year
You pay in year 1 $99
You pay at renewal $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $297

California Registered Agent.ai ranks second. $99 yearly, with a street address in the state on file.

Your price covers

  • A street address inside the state
  • Papers served on the LLC scanned to your account

What you get

  • $99 annually, no increase
  • Costs you less than Mainstay Filing each year

What to watch

  • One-state service
  • No help with the Statement of Information
3
One-state service

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a local backup

You pay $99 in year one, then $99 a year
You pay in year 1 $99
You pay at renewal $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $297

CA Registered Agent.org ranks third. $99 yearly, with a street address in the state on file.

No price gap from California Registered Agent.ai.

Your price covers

  • A street address inside the state
  • Papers served on the LLC scanned to your account

What you get

  • $99 annually, no increase
  • Costs you less than Mainstay Filing each year

What to watch

  • One-state service
  • No help with the Statement of Information

Totals at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years

Pick Service You pay in year 1 You pay by year 2 You pay by year 3 You pay by year 5
1 Mainstay Filing $149 $298 $447 $745 Price out Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 California Registered Agent.ai $99 $198 $297 $495 Price out California Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 CA Registered Agent.org $99 $198 $297 $495 Price out CA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices as published November 13, 2026; you pay year one first, then each renewal is added. The order of totals stays put for ten years.

Cost calculator

Your totals for 1 to 5 years. State fees are left out because every service owes the same ones.

At 3 years, your totals are Mainstay Filing $447, California Registered Agent.ai $297, CA Registered Agent.org $297. Least you would pay: California Registered Agent.ai.

State fees with sources

What you pay for Amount Source
Cost to form $70 leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (we looked on August 2026, so you can too)
Statement of Information $20 every two years sos.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Penalty for a late report $250 sos.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Annual tax $800 a year ftb.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
State fees summed, years 1 to 3 $2,490 Our sum

Your three-year bill from the state is made of the filing fee, the reports due in years two and three, and a yearly minimum tax in states that levy one. Anything the state does not put a fixed price on, a newspaper notice for example, is described but never added.

What settled it

Upkeep the price covers put Mainstay Filing first. That factor is 31% of the ranking, and your three-year spend, year-two surprise, where the bills cross and price you can see make up the remainder.

If you ever expand, California Registered Agent.ai cannot follow you.

What California requires of your agent for service of process (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. (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.

In the state's words: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)

State fees only

If you meet the address rule you can serve for free; the services above charge $99 to $149 a year for the convenience.

Common questions

How much will a California registered agent cost me per year?

Expect $99 to $149 a year.

What do three years of agent service cost?

$297 to $447 across the services, not counting state fees.

Do I have to have an agent for service of process for a California LLC?

Yes, you do. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own agent for service of process?

Yes, if you meet the eligibility and address rules above.

What will the state charge my LLC each year?

Once your LLC exists, California will bill you for the Statement of Information every two years at $20, last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially. A minimum tax is due as well.

When does one service end up costing more than another?

Not within ten years: the order of the totals stays the same.

Which registered agent is the best value for me in California?

Your options, best value first: Mainstay Filing, California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org.

Where to go next

What a registered agent costs by state for all 50 states Best registered agents for anyone How we rank your options

Where we looked

  1. California Secretary of State traces back to sos.ca.gov; we looked in August 2026.
  2. California Secretary of State traces back to bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov; we looked in August 2026.
  3. California yearly filing: Statement of traces back to sos.ca.gov; we looked in October 2026.
  4. Cal traces back to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov; we looked in August 2026.
  5. California registered agent statute traces back to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov; we looked in October 2026.
  6. California other cost: Annual LLC traces back to ftb.ca.gov; we looked in October 2026.
  7. California other cost: Annual LLC traces back to ftb.ca.gov; we looked in October 2026.
  8. We read Mainstay Filing's California service page on November 13, 2026
  9. We read California Registered Agent.ai's pricing page on November 13, 2026
  10. We read CA Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026