New CA Secretary of State Rule for Business Accounts

Effective August 1, 2026, the California Secretary of State now requires user access on a company’s online business entity account before anyone can file a Statement of Information electronically. Since many companies are required to file Statements of Information in California, we want to flag this change now.

As a reminder, corporations file a Statement of Information every year, within the filing period tied to the anniversary month of incorporation, while LLCs file every two years, based on the anniversary month of formation. A filing is also required whenever key details change, such as the registered agent, business address, or officers and directors.

No one can file the statement online without established user access, and failure to timely file can result in penalties and suspension in California.

If someone in your organization already has user access to your company’s online business entity account, any party requesting access, such as your law firm or registered agent, will need that person to grant permission. The Secretary of State will send an email giving the option to grant Basic Online Access (limited to filing Statements of Information), Full Online Access (which allows filing of all documents, including amendments and termination documents), or to deny access altogether.

If no one in your organization currently has user access, the Secretary of State will mail a PIN to your company’s address of record. That PIN will need to be provided to whoever is completing the user access process on the company’s behalf.

Companies should determine now who holds or should hold user access on their account, so that Statements of Information and other required filings can continue without disruption.

Please reach out with any questions.