California Anonymous LLC: Why You Should Form Elsewhere
California requires member and/or manager disclosure on public LLC filings. For anonymous LLC formation, form in Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware, or Nevada instead.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Operations & Fulfillment Lead, Anonymousllc.co
Updated May 2026
California LLC disclosure requirements
Requirement
California
Wyoming (recommended)
Member disclosure
Required
Not required
Manager disclosure
Required
Not required
Filing fee
$70
$100
Annual report
$800/year min franchise tax
$60/year
State income tax
Yes (up to 13.3%)
None
Why California is not recommended for anonymous LLCs
California requires both member and manager disclosure on public LLC filings. This means your name appears in the state's business search database, accessible to anyone - competitors, litigants, journalists, data brokers, and the general public.
For genuine anonymity, form your LLC in one of the four anonymous-friendly states: Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware, or Nevada. If you need to operate in California, you can foreign-qualify your anonymous LLC here.
California imposes an $800 minimum annual franchise tax on all LLCs regardless of where they are formed. If you foreign-qualify a Wyoming LLC in California, you still pay this $800/year.
California offers no path to an anonymous LLC. When you form here, you file Articles of Organization and then a Statement of Information within 90 days, and that Statement of Information discloses the names and addresses of your managers or, in a member-managed LLC, your members. The document is filed with the California Secretary of State and republished in the public bizfile business search, where anyone can pull your record for free.
The cost structure compounds the privacy problem. California charges a $70 filing fee, but every LLC then owes the $800 minimum annual franchise tax to the Franchise Tax Board, due whether or not the business earns a dollar. On top of that, California levies personal income tax of up to 13.3%, the highest marginal rate in the country. You pay premium prices for a filing that broadcasts your identity.
Attempts to shield your name inside California fail by design. Listing a manager, using a nominee, or naming a registered agent does not remove members from the Statement of Information, and the biennial refiling keeps the record current. Competitors, litigants, journalists, and data brokers scrape these filings continuously, so once your name is entered it is effectively permanent.
For genuine privacy, form a Wyoming anonymous LLC at $397 all-in, or a New Mexico LLC at $347 total ($297 + $50 state), or a Delaware LLC at $407 total, none of which name members in public records. If you operate physically in California, keep the anonymous formation state and foreign-qualify the LLC here. A foreign-qualified LLC doing business in California still owes the $800 franchise tax, but your ownership records stay in the anonymous home state.
California requires a Statement of Information within 90 days of formation and then every two years, at a $20 filing fee. That statement discloses the managers, or in a member-managed LLC the members, and the biennial refiling keeps the names current. The recurring filing means even an owner who tried to minimize disclosure at formation is republished on schedule.
Beyond the $800 minimum, California layers a gross-receipts fee on larger LLCs. An LLC with California-sourced gross receipts of $250,000 or more owes an additional annual fee that climbs with revenue, reaching several thousand dollars at higher tiers. The fee stacks on top of the $800 franchise tax and the income tax, so a profitable California LLC pays on formation, on receipts, and on income while its owners stay publicly listed.
Recommended alternative: form elsewhere + foreign-qualify
Form a Wyoming anonymous LLC ($397 all-in) or New Mexico anonymous LLC ($347 total ($297 + $50 state)). If you have physical operations in California, foreign-qualify the LLC here. The foreign qualification may require some disclosure in California, but your formation state (Wyoming/NM) records remain anonymous. This preserves partial privacy while maintaining local compliance.
For online-only businesses without physical presence in California, foreign qualification is typically not required. You can operate the Wyoming or NM LLC without registering in California.
Anonymousllc.co pricing for anonymous states
Wyoming: $397 all-in (recommended default)
New Mexico: $347 total ($297 + $50 state) (cheapest)
Delaware: $297 + $110 state fee (VC-track)
Nevada: $722 total ($297 + $425 state) (asset protection)
How does California expose LLC ownership through the Statement of Information?
California requires a Statement of Information that names managers, or members in a member-managed LLC, filed within 90 days of formation and refreshed every two years in the public bizfile search.
The Articles of Organization start the record, and the Statement of Information keeps it current with names and addresses. Both are filed with the Secretary of State and republished in the free bizfile business search, indexed by search engines and copied by data brokers. Listing a manager, using a nominee, or naming a registered agent does not remove members from the statement. Once your name is entered, the biennial cycle makes the exposure effectively permanent.
What is the $800 California franchise tax and who owes it?
Every California LLC owes an $800 minimum annual franchise tax to the Franchise Tax Board, due whether or not the business earns a dollar, and it applies to foreign-qualified out-of-state LLCs too.
The charge falls on LLCs formed in California and on Wyoming or New Mexico LLCs that foreign-qualify to do business here. A first-year exemption has applied in some years, but the recurring $800 is unavoidable once you operate in California. This is why the state's low $70 filing fee is misleading: the real cost is the annual franchise tax, layered on top of income tax reaching 13.3%, the highest marginal rate in the country.
Does California charge an extra LLC fee on gross receipts?
Yes. On top of the $800 franchise tax, a California LLC with $250,000 or more in California-sourced gross receipts owes an additional annual fee that rises with revenue.
The gross-receipts fee is tiered, so higher revenue means a larger fee, reaching several thousand dollars at the top brackets. It applies regardless of profit, because it is calculated on receipts rather than net income. Combined with the $800 minimum and up-to-13.3% income tax, California collects at multiple layers. None of these payments buy privacy, since the Statement of Information still publishes your name.
Does foreign-qualifying a Wyoming LLC into California protect my privacy?
Yes for privacy, no for the tax. Foreign qualification keeps ownership recorded in the anonymous formation state, but any LLC doing business in California still owes the $800 minimum franchise tax.
When you form in Wyoming or New Mexico and foreign-qualify into California, the state sees a registered agent and the registration needed for local compliance, not your member list. Your ownership stays in the private home state's records. The trade is clear: you accept the California tax obligations that come with operating here, while keeping your name out of the bizfile search that a California formation would publish.
Why do privacy-focused founders form in Wyoming or New Mexico instead of California?
Both keep members and managers off the public record, and neither charges an $800 franchise tax. Wyoming is $397 all-in with no state income tax; New Mexico is $347 total with no annual report.
Wyoming pairs anonymity with strong charging-order protection and a flat $60 annual report, and it levies no state income tax. New Mexico requires no annual report and no annual fee, the lightest maintenance of the four privacy states. Delaware at $407 total suits venture-track founders, and Nevada at $722 total targets maximum asset protection. A founder with no California nexus runs one of these without ever touching bizfile or the $800 tax.
California anonymous LLC FAQ
No. California requires a Statement of Information that discloses managers or members, filed with the Secretary of State and published in the public bizfile search. There is no lawful way to keep owner names off California LLC records. For anonymity, form in Wyoming, New Mexico, or Delaware and foreign-qualify in California only if you have physical operations here.
Every California LLC owes a minimum $800 annual franchise tax to the Franchise Tax Board, regardless of income or profit. It applies to LLCs formed in California and to out-of-state LLCs that foreign-qualify to do business here. A first-year exemption has applied in some years, but the recurring $800 charge is unavoidable once you operate in California.
No. Any LLC doing business in California owes the $800 minimum franchise tax, including a foreign-qualified Wyoming or New Mexico LLC. What foreign qualification protects is your privacy: your ownership stays recorded in the anonymous formation state, while California only sees the registration needed for local compliance.
Yes. The Statement of Information is public and appears in the California Secretary of State bizfile business search, free to anyone. Names and addresses of managers or members are visible, indexed by search engines, and routinely copied by data brokers. This exposure is why privacy-focused founders form in an anonymous state instead.
The $70 filing fee is only the start. You add the $800 minimum annual franchise tax every year, plus state income tax up to 13.3% on pass-through earnings. A Wyoming anonymous LLC costs $397 all-in with a $60 annual report and no state income tax, a far lower ongoing burden.
If you have no physical presence, employees, or property in California, you do not need to foreign-qualify here. You can form and operate a Wyoming or New Mexico anonymous LLC without registering in California. Confirm nexus rules for your situation, since selling into California can trigger tax obligations even without an office.
California charges $20 for the LLC Statement of Information, due within 90 days of formation and then every two years. The statement discloses managers or members publicly, so paying it keeps your name current in the bizfile search rather than protecting it.
Yes. On top of the $800 franchise tax, a California LLC with $250,000 or more in California-sourced gross receipts owes an additional tiered fee that rises with revenue. It applies regardless of profit and stacks with income tax up to 13.3%.
No. A manager-managed California LLC still names the manager on the Statement of Information, and a member-managed one names the members. Wyoming and New Mexico omit both roles from public filings, which is why they work for anonymity and California does not.
A Wyoming anonymous LLC is $397 all-in and a New Mexico LLC is $347 total ($297 + $50 state). We handle formation, the registered agent, EIN, and BOI reporting, plus foreign qualification into California if you operate physically here.
Form your anonymous LLC in a privacy-friendly state
Wyoming from $397. New Mexico from $347. 5-10 day turnaround.