Los Angeles · Tax Preparation
Staxiom prepares and files business tax returns for Los Angeles startups, federal and California state, with the same team that keeps your bookkeeping current so nothing falls through the cracks between vendors.
Business tax returns prepared and filed for both federal and California state.
Extension filing tracked so nothing slips through.
The same team that does your bookkeeping prepares the return, so nothing gets lost between vendors.
California layers its own filing requirements on top of the federal return, and a Delaware C-corp with California operations is a combination that trips up founders who assume incorporating out of state means California doesn't apply. It does, and getting the entity structure and apportionment right the first time is cheaper than amending later.
Read the full breakdown of what goes into a startup return, the franchise tax most founders get wrong, and what it costs on the business tax preparation guide, or see how this looks for Orange County and San Diego startups.
A Delaware C-corp doing business in California, meaning it has employees or an office here, needs to foreign-qualify with the California Secretary of State and file California returns in addition to Delaware's. That's a separate requirement from Delaware's own franchise tax, and a startup can end up owing both.
California waives the $800 minimum franchise tax for a corporation's first taxable year, so a newly formed or newly qualified company only owes tax on net income, if any, in year one. The $800 minimum applies starting the second year regardless of profitability. Getting the entity structure and apportionment right from the first return avoids an amendment later.
Yes, if it's doing business in California, which includes having employees or an office here, a Delaware C-corp needs to foreign-qualify with the California Secretary of State and file California returns in addition to Delaware's. Skipping this is a common gap for founders who assume incorporating in Delaware means California doesn't apply.
$800 per year for corporations, but California waives it for a corporation's first taxable year under R&TC 23153(f), so a newly formed or newly qualified corporation only owes tax on net income (if any) in year one, then the $800 minimum applies starting year two regardless of profitability. Note this first-year waiver applies to corporations specifically; LLCs, LPs, and LLPs had a separate first-year waiver that expired after 2023 and no longer applies.
No, they're separate taxes owed to separate states, and a Delaware C-corp doing business in California typically owes both: Delaware's franchise tax for being incorporated there, and California's minimum franchise tax (after the first-year waiver) for operating here. Missing one because the other is already being paid is a common, avoidable gap.
Add your revenue and website for a full review, reviewed by a CPA who ran EY's West Coast R&D Tax Credit practice for 13 years.