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All guides in this topic
9 guides
Starting a business
- Business structures comparedSole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, corporations and nonprofits side by side: formation, liability, taxes and annual costs.
- Common registrations when starting a businessBusiness names, local licenses, seller’s permits, tax accounts and industry licenses, and who issues each.
- Forming and maintaining a California entitySecretary of State filings, Statements of Information, the $800 annual tax, and what happens if filings lapse.
- State business taxes and fees at a glanceWhich agency handles which tax: FTB income and franchise taxes, CDTFA sales tax, EDD payroll taxes, and county property tax.
Running a business
Owning property
Words to know
- Alter ego
- A doctrine that lets courts hold owners personally liable when an entity isn’t treated as truly separate.
- Articles of Organization
- The document filed with the Secretary of State to form an LLC.
- Change in ownership
- A transfer that can cause property to be reassessed for property tax.
- Disregarded entity
- A single-owner LLC treated as part of its owner for federal income tax purposes.
- Fictitious business name
- A “doing business as” (DBA) name, registered with the county.
- Minimum franchise tax
- The $800 minimum California tax most corporations and LLCs pay each year.
- Personal guarantee
- A promise by an individual to pay a business’s debt if the business doesn’t.
- Registered agent
- The person or company named to receive legal papers for an entity.
- Seller’s permit
- A CDTFA permit required to sell or lease taxable goods in California.
- Statement of Information
- A report filed with the Secretary of State listing an entity’s managers or officers and addresses.