California LLC Statement of Information deadline: 90 days first, then every two years
California does not give LLC owners much time to forget the follow-up filing. The Secretary of State says a California LLC must file its Statement of Information within 90 days of initial registration and every two years after that. The filing fee is $20. Miss the filing, and California warns about a $250 penalty.
The basic deadline rule
The California Secretary of State's LLC Statement of Information page states the filing is due within 90 days of initial registration and every two years thereafter. The welcome letter sent to LLCs says the ongoing filing is due before the end of the calendar month of the original registration date.
That means you really have two deadline ideas to remember: the first filing is fast, and the recurring cycle is tied to your original registration month.
California LLC Statement of Information deadlines at a glance
| California LLC item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Initial Statement of Information | Due within 90 days of registration |
| Recurring filing | Every two years |
| Recurring due point | Before the end of the calendar month of the original registration date |
| Filing fee | $20 |
| Late penalty | $250 |
| Form | Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 |
Why this deadline catches people
Many owners focus on filing the Articles of Organization and forget that California expects a second filing almost immediately. Ninety days sounds generous until the business opens a bank account, gets an EIN, and starts handling other setup work. Then the Statement of Information slides into the background.
California makes the rule very plain, but it still surprises people because in some other states the comparable filing comes much later.
California says LLCs must file a Statement of Information within 90 days of initial registration and every two years after that.
What the filing is for
The Statement of Information is the state's record-update filing. It is how California keeps core entity details current, including service-of-process information and management details. The Secretary of State also provides an attachment if the LLC has more than one manager or member, which shows the filing is meant to keep the public record usable, not just to collect a fee.
So even if nothing dramatic changed in your business, California still expects the filing when the cycle comes around.
The $20 fee is not the whole risk
The fee itself is small. The bigger problem is the late penalty. California's welcome materials warn that an LLC may be assessed a $250 penalty for not filing the Statement of Information. That is a much bigger number than the filing fee, which is why this is one of those easy compliance tasks that is not worth postponing.
This is also separate from California's Franchise Tax Board obligations. If you confuse the Secretary of State filing with the state's tax filings, you can miss one while thinking you already handled the other.
How to keep the recurring deadline straight
A simple way to manage it is to create two reminders when the LLC is formed. One reminder for the first 90-day filing. Another reminder for the same calendar month two years later. If you only create one reminder, you are more likely to remember the initial filing and forget the ongoing one.
The state also pushes online filing, which makes the actual submission easier than the deadline tracking.
What this means in practice
If you formed a California LLC this month, the first Statement of Information is due within 90 days, not at the end of the year and not on an anniversary several months away. After that, the filing comes every other year and is tied to the original registration month.
That is the whole logic. Fast first filing. Then every two years.
Bottom line
The California LLC Statement of Information deadline is within 90 days of registration, then every two years before the end of the original registration month. The filing fee is $20, and California warns about a $250 penalty for failing to file. For a task this simple, the smart move is to calendar it as soon as the LLC is approved.