To reinstate a California LLC or corporation, you’ll need to determine why your California business was suspended in the first place, file the appropriate paperwork, and pay any associated fees. Typically, a registered California business is suspended for one of the following reasons:
Below we cover everything you need to know about reinstating your California business. If you’re an existing client who needs to reinstate a California LLC or corporation, you can hire us to handle this filing from inside your online client account
Not a client? You can hire us as your registered agent and gain access to everything you’ll need, including the support of our local specialists, to reinstate your company and never miss another filing or payment.
Reviving your California business is an unwelcome roadblock for any California entrepreneur or small business owner.
The good news? The process to reinstate or revive your California LLC or corporation is quick and easy. The bad news? It’s quite costly, especially for small business owners. Below we’ll guide you through the steps to revive an LLC or corporation in California.
To revive an FTB suspended California LLC or corporation, you’ll need to do the following:
To revive an SOS suspended California LLC or corporation, you’ll need to do the following:
NOTE: There are two distinct Applications for Certificate of Revivor:
To file the California Application for Certificate of Revivor, you’ll need to access the document that corresponds to your business entity.
You will be asked for general information about your California company such as the entity name, entity number, FEIN, SOS number, an address, an authorized signature (typically an owner, stockholder, or person having an interest in relief from suspension or forfeiture).
Once you’ve filled out the form, you can mail it to the following address:
Business Entity Correspondence Franchise Tax Board PO Box 942857 Sacramento, CA 94257
When you hire us as your registered agents, you get timely compliance reminders to help you monitor your business and potentially avoid these costly and time-consuming suspensions. Our clients already enjoy this benefit, along with access to invaluable California business documents—pre-drafted by local experts—through their online client account. Heck, even if life gets in the way and you do miss a reminder, we’ve got the docs ready to go to reinstate your business ASAP.
Save yourself the hassle. Never miss a filing or fee again. And if you do, we’ve got that covered, too.
Typically, a California LLC or corporation is suspended when it does any of the following:
You can find out whether your California business is SOS suspended, FTB suspended, or both through your MyFTB account.
SOS suspended means that the California Secretary of State has suspended or forfeited your business. This is typically a result of failing to file the required California Statement of Information.
Businesses that have been SOS suspended or forfeited will need to
FTB suspended means that the California Franchise Tax Board has suspended your business. This is typically a result of failing to pay the $800 annual franchise tax due every year.
Businesses that have been FTB suspended will need to:
If your LLC is FTB suspended, you’ll need to file Form FTB 3557 LLC. If your corporation is suspended, you’ll need to file Form FTB 3557 BC.
The cost to revive a California LLC or corporation depends on which agencies suspended your business and how many fees and penalties have accrued. Generally, if your LLC or corporation in California has been suspended by the Secretary of State, you can expect to pay a $20 filing fee for your missing statement of information and a $250 penalty.
If your business has been suspended by the Franchise Tax Board, you will need to pay outstanding balances and are subject to $2,000 penalty for every tax year in which you are missing tax returns.
That depends on the agency. Typically, the Secretary of State will process your Statement of Information within 5 business days. Longer wait times aren’t uncommon during busy periods, though.
If you are waiting on the Franchise Tax Board to process your Application for Certificate of Revivor, then typical processing times are at least eight weeks. For expedited processing and fees, check out the SOS page on preclearance and expedited filing services.
When your California LLC or corporation is suspended, you cannot maintain the right to use your business name. In some instances, another business might end up registering an LLC or corporation under the name your business once used.
You can do a California business name search just to be sure yours is still available.
Yes, you can! To do so, you’ll need to indicate the change on your Statement of Information form. If you’re considering hiring us to be your registered agent, we can help you with the process.
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