California Certificate of Status: $5, ordered online

California issues it as a Certificate of Status, ordered online from the California Secretary of State. The state fee is $5, and it is ready within minutes online. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.

California’s $5 fee next to every other state

Tied with 5 other jurisdictions at $5, the second-lowest fee of the 51; only 2 charge less. The median jurisdiction charges $12.

Certificate of good standing fee in every state, with California highlightedDot plot of 51 jurisdictions' fees from $0 to $50, one dot per jurisdiction. The median is $12. California charges $5.$0$10$20$30$40$50Colorado: $0Wyoming: $0California: $5Florida: $5Hawaii: $5Iowa: $5Montana: $5Ohio: $5Virginia: $6Nebraska: $6.50New Hampshire: $7Alaska: $10Arizona: $10Georgia: $10Idaho: $10Kansas: $10Kentucky: $10Michigan: $10Mississippi: $10Missouri: $10North Carolina: $10Oregon: $10South Carolina: $10West Virginia: $10Wisconsin: $10Utah: $12Minnesota: $15Texas: $15Maryland: $20North Dakota: $20Oklahoma: $20South Dakota: $20Tennessee: $20Washington: $20Rhode Island: $22Arkansas: $25Illinois: $25Louisiana: $25Massachusetts: $25New Mexico: $25New York: $25Indiana: $26Alabama: $28Maine: $30Vermont: $35Pennsylvania: $40Connecticut: $50Delaware: $50District of Columbia: $50Nevada: $50New Jersey: $50median $12California $5 Certificate of good standing fee in every state, with California highlightedDot plot of 51 jurisdictions' fees from $0 to $50, one dot per jurisdiction. The median is $12. California charges $5.$0$10$20$30$40$50Colorado: $0Wyoming: $0California: $5Florida: $5Hawaii: $5Iowa: $5Montana: $5Ohio: $5Virginia: $6Nebraska: $6.50New Hampshire: $7Alaska: $10Arizona: $10Georgia: $10Idaho: $10Kansas: $10Kentucky: $10Michigan: $10Mississippi: $10Missouri: $10North Carolina: $10Oregon: $10South Carolina: $10West Virginia: $10Wisconsin: $10Utah: $12Minnesota: $15Texas: $15Maryland: $20North Dakota: $20Oklahoma: $20South Dakota: $20Tennessee: $20Washington: $20Rhode Island: $22Arkansas: $25Illinois: $25Louisiana: $25Massachusetts: $25New Mexico: $25New York: $25Indiana: $26Alabama: $28Maine: $30Vermont: $35Pennsylvania: $40Connecticut: $50Delaware: $50District of Columbia: $50Nevada: $50New Jersey: $50median $12California $5

Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.

  • California
  • Other states and DC
  • Median
Source: each state’s official fee schedule, verified Sep 12 to Oct 4, 2026. Where a state charges a different price for online orders, the online price is plotted; card processing charges are not included.

What it proves, and who will ask for it

A certificate of good standing is a one-page statement from the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In California the official name is Certificate of Status. It does not say anything about taxes owed elsewhere, licences or lawsuits; it says the entity is in good standing with the filing office on the date printed.

Four people ask for it: the bank opening the business account, a lender underwriting a loan, another state’s filing office when you register the LLC there as a foreign entity, and a buyer or investor doing diligence. All of them want a recent one, because the certificate is a snapshot and a company’s status can change the day after it is printed.

How to order it in California

  1. Find the LLC on the state record

    Open the official page and look the company up by name or file number. Check the status shown on the record: the certificate reports what the record says, so fix anything shown as delinquent before you order.

  2. Order and pay online

    Select the certificate of status, pay the $5 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. The state portal asks you to sign in to an account first. Turnaround at last check: within minutes online.

  3. Use it inside 30 days

    Time the order for the week of the bank appointment or the loan closing. A certificate from two months ago is usually sent back for a fresh one, and you pay the fee twice.

Order it inside the bank’s 30-day window

The certificate speaks for the day it is printed. Most banks and lenders want it issued within the last 30 days; a few accept 60. Order it the week of the appointment, not the month before.

Next California $800 annual LLC tax (FTB Form 3522) due

April 15

State fee $800. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. California annual report.

The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for

Banks want the California certificate of status dated inside the last 30 days, next to certified articles, the signed operating agreement and the IRS EIN letter. The Bank-Ready Pack orders the certificate from the state the day you pay, so it lands inside the window, and assembles the rest from one form. Why banks ask for it, and what it does not prove.

  • Certificate ordered from the state when you pay; state fee invoiced at cost
  • Operating agreement and banking resolution generated from your answers
  • One dated pack, ready for the account-opening appointment
Bank-Ready Pack
Everything the bank asked for, dated right
See what is in the pack Price and the state fee are shown on the pack page before you pay.

If the California record shows the LLC is not in good standing

  • Catch up the state filing

    The California $800 annual LLC tax (FTB Form 3522) is due April 15 every year, state fee $800. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. California annual report page, with free reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.

  • Reinstate if it was dissolved

    Miss enough cycles and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Reinstatement means the back filings, the state’s reinstatement fee and a registered agent on file; order the certificate after it posts. How reinstatement works.

  • Keep an agent on file

    Every California LLC must keep a registered agent at a California street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. California registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your California registered agent.

  • Watch every entity at once

    Own more than one company? The free portfolio board shows each state’s deadline and standing side by side, so no certificate order turns into a surprise.

What this is. A sourced reference page from Vermilion Vitez LLC, a filing-services company, not a law or accounting firm and not a state agency. The certificate is issued only by the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division; we do not issue it, we order it from the state on your behalf. Agency links, document names, fees and turnaround were read from sos.ca.gov and the linked fee source on Sep 12, 2026; annual-report figures were verified Sep 1, 2026. States change fees without notice; confirm at the official site before relying on them.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a California certificate of good standing cost?

The California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division charges $5 for a certificate of status, verified Sep 12, 2026 on the official fee page linked on this page. Expedited service or a certified copy of the formation documents, where offered, is priced separately by the state.

How do I get a certificate of good standing in California?

Order it from the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division online at sos.ca.gov. Online ordering needs an account login on the state system. Turnaround at last check: within minutes online. Check the LLC's status on the state record first; the certificate reports what the record shows.

What is a certificate of good standing called in California?

California issues it as a Certificate of Status, from the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division. Ask for it by that name on sos.ca.gov. Banks, lenders and other states accept it as the good-standing document whatever the local name, as long as it is recent and issued by the state.

Why does a bank want the California certificate of status dated within 30 days?

The certificate is a snapshot of the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division record on the day it is printed. Banks and lenders treat it as proof the company is current now, so most ask for one issued within the last 30 days, a few accept 60. In California it is ready within minutes online, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.

What keeps a California LLC in good standing?

Filing the California $800 annual LLC tax (FTB Form 3522) on time, due April 15 every year, state fee $800, and keeping a registered agent on file. Miss the report and the company can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show; catch it up, and reinstate if needed, before you order.

Is this California page legal advice?

No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Sep 12, 2026 against the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division's own site (sos.ca.gov); that site is the final word.

Nearby states

A foreign registration needs a certificate from the home state, and each state prices and names the document differently. Jump to a bordering state, or see all 50 states + DC.

Arizona Nevada Oregon All 50 states + DC

Done for you, or do it yourself

Need the California certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.

$82.50 plus the California state fee and card processing, or order it yourself on the official site. Banks want it dated within the last 30 days, so place the order the week of the meeting.

Order it for me: $82.50 + state fee Order it myself on sos.ca.gov

Need the articles, operating agreement and EIN letter too? Build the Bank-Ready Pack · or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.