Home State vs Foreign State › California › vs Nevada
California LLC vs Nevada LLC with California registration
Forming in California costs $70; forming in Nevada costs $425 and then California charges $70 to register it, so $495 to start.
Line by line
| State fee | LLC formed in California | LLC formed in Nevada, registered in California |
|---|---|---|
| Formation in Nevada | None | $425 |
| Formation in California | $70 | None |
| California foreign registration | None | $70 |
| Nevada yearly filing, two years | None | $700 |
| California yearly filing, two years | $20 | $20 |
| Two years of state fees | $90 | $1,215 |
Over two years the Nevada route costs $1,125 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
Nevada: formation and yearly filing from Nevada’s own pages. California: foreign registration and yearly filing from the California Secretary of State, Business Entities and the sources on the California page.