LLC california search [Glossary]

Last updated : Sept 20, 2022

How do I look up an LLC in California?

In order to perform a California LLC Search, navigate to the Business Search page on the California Secretary of State's site and select the Limited Liability Company/Limited Partnership Name option.

How do I look up a LLC?

Verifying LLC Status In many states, the secretary of state's office maintains a searchable corporate database. To confirm a company's LLC status, call the secretary of state's office or visit the website. In states like Arizona, out-of-state companies must register with the state before they can do business there.

How do you check if a company is registered in California?

California Business Entity Search This free search is available at: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov . Through this website, you can search for information on corporations, limited liability companies, and limited partnerships.

How do you find the owners of a business?

1. Search State Databases. LLCs submit articles of organization and other public filings with the state's Secretary of State office or a comparable state agency.
2. Submit a Public Information Request.
3. Check the Company Website.
4. Dig into Alternative Public Records.

Is the owner of an LLC public record?

Wondering how to find an LLC owner? This can usually be accomplished with an online search. Because LLC filings are public information, checking the documents should provide the information you need.

Where to check if a company is registered?

1. Step 1: Go to the MCA website.
2. Step 2: Go to the 'MCA Services' tab. In the drop-down click on 'View Company/LLP Master Data'.
3. Step 3: Enter the company CIN. Enter the captcha code.
4. You can also search for CIN by clicking on the search icon beside the 'Company/LLP Name' field.

How do I verify a business?

1. Check spelling and grammar.
2. Check for a business address and landline number.
3. Check for a Privacy Policy.
4. Check for a company number.
5. Check the WHOIS database.

How do I find a business entity in California?

Search for a business entity in California by looking up in the 'Kepler' database at the Secretary of State's Website. You can choose to either lookup a corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership by Name or Entity Number.

How do I find out if a company is legal?

1. Better Business Bureau: Search BBB Business Reviews.
2. Glo-Bis: Information on Any Company, Anywhere in the World.
3. Export.gov: Due Diligence Reports.
4. Dun and Bradstreet: Find a Company.
5. Department of Commerce: Home Page.
6. EIN Finder: Find an EIN.
7. White Pages: Search.

Do you have to pay the $800 California LLC fee the first year?

Every LLC that is doing business or organized in California must pay an annual tax of $800. This yearly tax will be due, even if you are not conducting business, until you cancel your LLC. You have until the 15th day of the 4th month from the date you file with the SOS to pay your first-year annual tax.

How do I find out the owner of an LLC?

The online portal of MCA contains information on all forms of businesses, including Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). The site allows users to look up information such as the business license serial number, date of formation, kind of business, fees, members, etc.

Who is the actual owner of the business?

Shareholders are the real owners of a company.

Who owns the business of a company?

Companies are not 'owned' by their shareholders but are incorporated bodies which bring together a range of stakeholders - owners and suppliers of capital, labour, suppliers and customers. In reality, no one 'owns' a public company.

Which state is best for anonymous LLC?

New Mexico is the only state that allows you to form an LLC without disclosing the members' names to the government, making it the option that offers the most privacy.

Who keeps the profits in a corporation?

Profits may be distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends, or they may be reinvested or retained (within limits) by the corporation. Losses by the corporation are not claimed by individual shareholders.

Where can I find information about a company?

Dun & Bradstreet, Moody's, Hoover's Profiles, and Standard & Poor's Corporate Profiles provide financial data about companies. These and other sources are available in many libraries or law and business school libraries.

How do I check a company online?

Check for reliability seals from consumer protection programs, such as the Better Business Bureau. Do a search for the business at bbbonline.org to find out if it has been accredited by the BBB. To view complaints made against a business, click "check out a business or charity" at bbb.org.

How do I check if a business name is real?

In most states, the website of the state business filing agency includes an online entity name check tool. You can use the online tool to search business names and find out whether another business is already using the name you have chosen.

Can you verify EIN online?

Anyone can access this information directly from the IRS. As such, a nonprofit must provide you the EIN upon request, and you can verify this directly with the IRS on the Exempt Organization page of the IRS website. The site not only verifies EINs but advises you if organizations are in good standing with the IRS.

Where do I find my California entity number?

To find your Entity ID or California Corporation Number you can use these resources: If the entity is incorporated with the Secretary of State; check the Secretary of State's website to locate your entity's number. Check the Exempt Organizations List .

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the following information is provided for educational purposes only and in no way constitutes legal tax or financial advice for legal tax or financial advice specific to your business needs we encourage you to consult with a licensed attorney and/or CPA in your state the following information is copyright protected no part may be redistributed copied modified or adapted without prior written consent of the author in this video we are going to teach you how to research and choose your desired LLC name the purpose of this video is to help you avoid infringing upon someone else's name rights to help you differentiate your business name from existing entities and to make sure your desired LLC name is available for use in order to make sure your desired LLC name is available for use you will need to search it against the existing organized entities on the state's online database we will first walk you through some requirements and restrictions and then later we will show you how to perform your search name requirements your LLC name must end with the words limited liability company or the abbreviations LLC dot or LLC using the abbreviation LLC is the most common for example Joe wants to start a company by the name Joe's landscaping services since he has formed an LLC he must file under the name Joe's landscaping services LLC again using the abbreviation LLC or the full word limited liability company is a requirement when forming an LLC name restrictions your LLC name cannot imply that it is a corporation you are not allowed to use the words corporation or incorporated or the abbreviations Corp or Inc anywhere in your LLC name let's look at our example again since Joe wants to form an LLC he cannot call his company Joe's landscaping services Inc LLC or Joe's landscaping services incorporated LLC your desired LLC name must we'll be distinguishable this means it cannot be too similar to the names of existing organized entities that are found in the results during the search of the database we will now illustrate several examples of distinguishability and we will provide examples you may see while performing your search differences in designators which are the identifier x' at the end of a business name do not create distinguishability examples of designators would be ink or corp for corporations and LLC or LLC for limited liability companies there are other designators as well but these are the most commonly used for example your desired LLC name is Smith Investments LLC but during the search of the database let's say you found the business under the name Smith Investments Inc in this example your desired LLC name would not be available for use you would have to think of an alternative name that is unique and different an example would be Smith Financial Group LLC grammatical differences the following do not create distinguishability differences in variables and singular plural and possessive forms of a word for example your desired LLC name is apple farm LLC let's just say during the search you found the business under the name apple farms LLC or let's say you also found a business under apples farm LLC with an apostrophe s both of these names although slightly different are too similar and therefore your desired LLC name would not be available for use an example of an alternative name would be bob's apple orchard LLC the following do not create distinguishability differences in articles such as a and or the for example your desired LLC name is print shop LLC let's just say that during the search of the database you found a business called the print shop LLC or you found the business called a print shop LLC again although they seem different these names are all the same in the eyes of the state and therefore your desired LLC name would not be available for use an alternative name would be printing solutions LLC the following also do not create distinguishability the use of conjunctions such as and or and the ampersand symbol let's say your desired LLC name is night and day LLC with the ampersand symbol but during your search you find a night and day LLC or you found that night day LLC again both of these examples are too similar and your desired LLC name is not distinguishable and therefore not available for use an example of an alternative name would be moon and sunshine LLC the following also do not create distinguishability the use of certain punctuation such as hyphens slashes periods commas etc let's say your desired LLC name is peter paul and mary studios LLC but during your search you found Peter - Paul - Mary Studios Incorporated or you found a Peter comma Paul comma and Mary studios Incorporated again both of these examples are too similar and therefore your desired LLC name would not be available for use an alternative example would be ppm productions LLC alphanumeric differences in numerical or written numbers does not create distinguished ability for example let's say your desired LLC name is three teachers Consulting LLC with the number three spelled out but during your search of the database you found the company called three teachers Consulting LLC with the number three again these are deceptively similar the state does not look at these as any different and therefore your desired LLC name would not be available for use an alternative example would be a few good teachers Consulting LLC deceptively similar names that are too similar to existing organized entities also do not create distinguished ability for example your desired LLC name is speedy delivery services LLC but during your search let's say you find a speed delivery services LLC or you find a super speedy delivery services LLC again these names are too similar therefore your desired LLC name would not be available for use an example of an alternative name would be at your door quake LLC takeaways as you can see just filing your paperwork with your desired LLC name is not as straightforward as you may have originally thought the most important takeaways from showing you all these examples are as follows it's important to make sure your name is truly unique and not too similar to the names of existing organized entities if your desired LLC name is unavailable for use either by its exact match already being used or by it being too similar to an existing name we recommend using some creativity and coming up with the variation of your original LLC name so that the name is now unique and is distinguishable and stands apart from other businesses some additional tips to think of when creating your LLC name are make your LLC name easy to spell you want to make sure people can find you when they're looking for you make your LLC name short shorter names are easier for people to remember make your LLC name have a positive connotation leave people with a good feeling when they hear about your business you are now ready to search your desired LLC name against the state's online database we showed you a number of examples where the desired LLC names were not available for use but don't worry in the next part of this video we will provide plenty of examples of names that are availa

Thanks for your comment Augustus Pedrick, have a nice day.
- Michal Vrazel, Staff Member

foreign are you wondering how to start an LLC in California today you will learn the most common ways to start your business including the correct forms you'll need registering your LLC critical naming requirements and all other vital tips and tricks then as a bonus later in the video I will reveal a trustworthy registered agent who will help set up your LLC for free so make sure to stick with me until the end the state of California like other states has several specific LLC requirements there are three main ways you can start an LLC in California first is the DIY or do-it-yourself process where you mostly depend on California state's website the second way is hiring a professional service that practically offers more efficiency and Security in creating your LLC while the third is hiring an attorney we will skip the attorney hiring portion because that's expensive and most business owners won't need that service first let's take a look at the steps required for starting an LLC Step 1 choose a name for your LLC you must choose a name for your LLC that is unique it cannot be the same or too similar to an existing name in the California Secretary of State records and it cannot be misleading to the public names may be checked for availability by searching the California Secretary of State's business name database an available name may be reserved for up to 60 days by filing a name reservation request form the form must be postal mailed or hand delivered to the California Secretary of State's office under California law an llc's name must end with limited liability company or LLC or l.l.c abbreviations the words limited and Company may be abbreviated to limited and Company the llc's name may not contain the words Bank trust trustee Incorporated Inc Corporation Corp insurer insurance company or any other word suggesting that it is in the insurance business Step 2 appoint a registered agent every California LLC must have an agent for the service of process called a registered agent in other states this individual or company agrees to accept legal papers on the llc's behalf if it is sued an LLC may not serve as its own agent for the service of the process the agent should agree to accept the service of process on behalf of the limited liability company before designation individual agents must reside in California and their street address not a PO Box must be listed in the llc's Articles of organization the agent may be a member manager or officer of the LLC but doesn't need to be affiliated with the LLC step 3 file articles of organization a California LLC is created by filing articles of organization form LLC one with the California Secretary of State's office the Articles must include the llc's name its purpose information on how it will be managed its address and the name and address of its registered agent you can complete form LLC one online or mail or hand deliver the form to the Secretary of State's office the filing fee is seventy dollars for both domestic and foreign llc's with hand-delivered filings at the Sacramento Secretary of State's office you can request expedited filing for an additional fee step 4 decide on member versus manager management most small multi-member LLCs choose to be managed directly by their members still LLCs can appoint a manager or small group of managers to manage the LLC somewhat like a board of directors oversees a corporation managers vote on key issues such as taking out a loan purchasing real estate or changing strategic plans step 5 prepare an operating agreement an operating agreement is a good idea to have in place with the other members if your LLC has more than one member although a limited liability company operating agreement is not necessary for California your operating agreement should clarify how your company or business will handle big picture issues such as allocating earnings and losses and dissolving the company your operating agreement should also cover the transfer of membership interest profits or losses and distributions initial Investments decision-making Powers voting rights and management and lastly dissolving the business step 6 file biennial report every California and foreign LLC registered in California must file a statement of Information Form LLC 12 with the California secretary of state within 90 days after filing their articles of organization thereafter a statement of information must be filed every two years biennial the filing period is the calendar month when the original articles of organization were filed in the prior five calendar months you can file the statement online print it out and mail or hand deliver it to the California Secretary of State the filing fee is twenty dollars step 7 pay your California state tax obligations all LLCs and foreign LLCs must pay California taxes to the California Franchise Tax Board FTB if one they are organized in California registered in California or conduct business in California and two they have not elected to be taxed as a corporation that is they are taxed as a partnership or sole proprietorship disregarded entities llc's taxed as corporations must comply with California's corporate tax rules all llc's in California must pay an annual minimum franchise tax of eight hundred dollars LLCs with net income over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars must pay an additional fee based on their total annual income step 8 obtain an EIN an EIN or employer identification number is a federal tax ID issued by the IRS they use your EIN to identify your firm and tax filings readily all California firms pay a business privilege tax and the state requires you to have an EIN to file you may also be required to provide your EIN when opening a bank account or applying for municipal permits or licenses obtaining an EIN is a slightly longer process compared to their previous steps I'm sure you know anything to do with the IRS is confusing first you must have complete knowledge of your LLC such as your company information managing member information business address business information company details and even critical information regarding vehicular assets and federal excise taxes this is another reason why getting a professional registered agent is way more convenient as they can do this for you as part of their service now let's talk about the second option to form an LLC and that is hiring a professional formation service professional formation services do all the steps you should be doing on your own from filing necessary forms to acting as your registered agent you usually have to allocate a specific budget for this option as I already mentioned earlier Inc file is one of the best companies out there to help you form your LLC you can click on the link in the description to get access to this deal Inc file is one of a kind as it offers a free package with services such as preparing and filing your articles of organization well you still have to pay 237 dollars for the state fees which you would have to do anyway if you chose the DIY option but looking at the bigger picture all other companies will still charge their service fee on top of

Thanks xhyperpinayxl your participation is very much appreciated
- Michal Vrazel

About the author

Michal Vrazel

I've studied ethnomusicology at Alfred University in Alfred and I am an expert in microwave astronomy. I usually feel optimistic. My previous job was quality control coordinator I held this position for 21 years, I love talking about race walking and fantasy sports. Huge fan of John F. Kennedy I practice hacky sack and collect trading cards.