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California LLC vs Delaware LLC with California registration
Forming in California costs $70; forming in Delaware costs $110 and then California charges $70 to register it, so $180 to start.
Line by line
| State fee | LLC formed in California | LLC formed in Delaware, registered in California |
|---|---|---|
| Formation in Delaware | None | $110 |
| Formation in California | $70 | None |
| California foreign registration | None | $70 |
| Delaware yearly filing, two years | None | $800 |
| California yearly filing, two years | $20 | $20 |
| Two years of state fees | $90 | $1,000 |
Over two years the Delaware route costs $910 more in state fees than forming at home.
State income, franchise and gross-receipts taxes are separate, are not in these totals and are the same or similar on both routes.
If you register in California
Mainstay Filing prepares the California registration (Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC)) for $199 plus the state fee, with the registered agent included for the first year. The 3 services we rank for California are on the California page.
Where the numbers come from
Delaware: formation and yearly filing from Delaware’s own pages. California: foreign registration and yearly filing from the California Secretary of State, Business Entities and the sources on the California page.