California Statement of Information: What It Is and How to File Form LLC-12

The California Statement of Information is a required filing with the California Secretary of State that keeps your business's public record current. For LLCs, that means filing Form LLC-12 every 2 years. Miss the deadline and you're looking at a $250 penalty — and eventually, suspension.

The California Statement of Information is a periodic filing that updates the state's public record for your business. It reports your current address, the names and addresses of your officers or members, and your registered agent — the person authorized to receive legal documents on your business's behalf.

Think of it as the state's way of keeping a reliable contact record for every registered business. If someone needs to serve your LLC with legal papers, the Secretary of State's office uses the information from your most recent filing to find you. Outdated records don't just create administrative headaches — they can mean legal notices go to the wrong address.

For LLCs, the form is called Form LLC-12. For corporations, it's Form SI-550. Both are filed with the California Secretary of State.

California LLCs, domestic corporations, and certain nonprofit organizations registered with the California Secretary of State are all required to file a Statement of Information. If your business is registered to do business in California — whether formed here or registered as a foreign entity — this requirement applies to you.

The filing requirement starts early. LLCs must file their first Statement of Information within 90 days of registering with the state. From there, the filing is due every 2 years. Corporations follow a similar pattern, with the first filing due within 90 days of incorporation.

Form LLC-12 asks for the core details the state needs to keep your LLC's public record accurate. Most of this information you already have — it's the same information you provided when you formed your LLC. The filing is a chance to update anything that's changed.

• LLC name and principal business address
• Mailing address (if different from the principal address)
• Name and address of each manager or member, plus ownership percentage
• Name and California street address of your registered agent (agent for service of process)
• A brief description of the LLC's business activity

Your registered agent must have a physical street address in California — a P.O. box won't work. They also need to have agreed to receive legal documents on your behalf. If your registered agent has changed since your last filing, this is the form where you update that.

California LLCs file Form LLC-12 every 2 years. The first filing is due within 90 days of your LLC's registration date. After that, the filing window opens 4 months before the anniversary of your registration and closes on the anniversary date itself.

The biennial cycle means your deadline falls in the same calendar month every other year. A lot of business owners miss it simply because 2 years is a long time between reminders. Setting a recurring calendar event the month your LLC was registered is one of the simplest ways to stay ahead of it.

Corporations follow a different schedule. California corporations file Form SI-550 every year, within 4 months of their anniversary date of incorporation.

You can file Form LLC-12 online through the California Secretary of State's bizfile portal at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov, or by mailing a paper form to the Secretary of State's office. Online filing is faster and gives you immediate confirmation that your filing was received.

Filing online

Go to bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov and search for your LLC by name or entity number. Select your business, choose the Statement of Information filing, and complete the form with your current information. Pay the $20 filing fee by credit card. You'll get a confirmation number when the filing is accepted.

Filing by mail

Download Form LLC-12 from the California Secretary of State's website at sos.ca.gov. Complete the form, include a check or money order for $20 payable to the Secretary of State, and mail it to the address listed on the form. Processing times for paper filings are longer than online submissions — plan accordingly if your deadline is approaching.

The state filing fee for Form LLC-12 is $20. For corporations filing Form SI-550, the fee is $25. These are the standard fees — there's no additional charge for filing online versus by mail.

If you miss the deadline, the $20 filing fee still applies — plus a $250 late penalty on top of it. That's a significant jump for a filing that takes less than 10 minutes to complete online. The penalty is assessed by the Franchise Tax Board, not the Secretary of State, so it shows up separately from your filing confirmation.

Not filing your Statement of Information on time puts your LLC at risk of suspension by the California Franchise Tax Board. A suspended LLC can't legally do business in California — it can't enter contracts, bring lawsuits, or defend itself in court. Getting reinstated requires filing the overdue Statement of Information, paying the $250 penalty, and clearing any other outstanding obligations with the state.

The $250 penalty is a flat fee — it doesn't scale with how late you are. But the longer your LLC stays suspended, the more complicated reinstatement becomes. Banks, vendors, and partners can check your LLC's status through the Secretary of State's public search at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov. A suspended status is visible to anyone who looks.