Get Your California
Certificate of Status
also known as a Certificate of Good standing, certificate of existence, Etc.
A Certificate of Status is required for most LLCs and Corps
✓ Satisfy state rules/requirements for showing good standing
✓ Rush processing available.
✓ Starts at $39.95.
A California Certificate of Good Standing is an important document that indicates a registered business entity is currently in compliance with all applicable legal requirements in the state. Although possessing one of these certificates isn’t necessarily mandatory in order to conduct business in the state, it greatly expands the number of opportunities available to an organization. Without a valid Certificate of Good Standing, a business cannot legally participate in many commerce-related activities.
If you’ve been asked to present a California Certificate of Good Standing to confirm your business status, you may be wondering what you need to do in order to obtain one. With FastFilings, there’s no need to wonder. We’ve developed a streamlined process that requires only a little effort on your part to order a California Secretary of State Certificate of Good Standing that can be used for a variety of legal verification purposes.
What Is a California Certificate of Good Standing?
A Certificate of Good Standing is issued by the California Secretary of State, and it attests to the fact that a business is in compliance with tax requirements and other important regulations.
This type of certificate applies to businesses that must be registered with the state; therefore, a sole proprietorship or general partnership does not require a California Certificate of Good Standing. Other types of business structures do, however:
- Limited partnerships (LPs)
- Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
- Limited liability companies (LLCs)
- Corporations (all types)
A California Certificate of Good Standing can be used to prove certain facts relating to a business entity’s current legal status, such as:
- Whether the organization is currently registered with the State of California
- Whether the organization is current on all required filings with the Secretary of State
- Whether the organization is current on all required filings with the Franchise Tax Board
This document is required to participate in a number of key business activities, including but not limited to the following:
- Opening a business bank account
- Opening a business credit line
- Obtaining a business loan
- Renewing a business license
- Establishing an additional business location in another state
- Proving good standing status in a court of law
It’s always a good idea to have one of these documents on hand—you never know when you might need it. Even if you operate just a small limited liability company, your California LLC Certificate of Good Standing should be kept among your important business files.
How to Obtain a California Certificate of Good Standing?
There are several ways that a business can fall out of good standing. The most common ways are by failing to file a tax return and/or owing unpaid taxes. In these cases, the business’ status is downgraded by the Franchise Tax Board to “FTB Suspended.”
Another way to fall out of good standing is by failing to file a Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State.
Fortunately, businesses that have lost good standing can regain this status by paying the fees and taxes they owe (including any penalties) and providing all necessary documentation to the state. You may also have to submit an Application for Certificate of Revivor to the Franchise Tax Board to formally request reinstatement of good standing status.
However, it is often time faster, easier, and more convenient to use a professional service to obtain the document for you, and most charge only a small fee.
If you’d like to use our service to obtain your CA Certificate of Status, you can complete a request in under 5 minutes by clicking here. We charge only a small fee, and we can even have the document over to you the same business day.
Difference Between Certificate of Good Standing and Certificate of Status
A Certificate of Good Standing is also known by a number of alternate names, which tends to cause confusion among people who do not realize that these differently titled documents are fundamentally the same. For example, a Certificate of Good Standing is often referred to as a Certificate of Status.
This type of document sometimes goes by other names as well, including:
- Letter of Good Standing
- Statement of Good Standing
- Certificate of Standing
- Certificate of Authorization
- Certificate of Authentication
- Certificate of Qualification
- Certificate of Compliance
- Certificate of Existence (in some states, a Certificate of Existence is used only to verify that the business is currently listed in the state’s records; it does not necessarily mean that the organization is in good standing)
The exact name varies by state. In California, this document is most commonly called a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Status. Filing a request for one of these documents is easy with our online service.
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About Us
If you would like to order one of these documents, it’s always possible to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing from the California Secretary of State directly. However, there’s an easier way to get your State of California Certificate of Good Standing—through FastFilings.
We’re a private company whose mission is to take the stress and confusion out of the process of ordering licenses, permits, and other types of government-issued documents. All orders placed through FastFilings are error-checked to ensure accuracy. It takes under five minutes to complete our application, and then we’ll get to work for you.
Your Certificate of Status filing is a breeze with us. Order today!
