Statement of Information (What Is It And How To File One)

What is a statement of information?

How do you file one?

Do LLCs and Corporations need to file a Statement of Information?

How often do you have to file one?

We will look at what is a Statement of Information, who needs to file one, how often to file the statement, how LLCs should go about it, how corporations go about it, can it be done online, what information is included and more.

Keep reading so you fully understand the Statement of Information basics.

Let’s get started!

What is a Statement of Information

The Statement of Information is a report you must file with the applicable state where your legal entity has been formed or registered to maintain the company’s contact information up to date with the Secretary of State.

Some refer to a Statement of Information as “Annual Report” leading to some confusion as to what a “Statement of Information” really is.

An annual report is typically understood to be a document filed by public companies listed in the stock exchange where they provide the latest status on their business, the financial position and their business plan.

On the other hand, a Statement of Information is a filing requirement with the Secretary of State or equivalent agency to keep a company’s information up to date.

If the state requires, corporations, limited liability companies (LLC) or other types of organizations (nonprofit or cooperatives for instance) will require to update their records with the state using a Statement of Information.

The filing of your Statement of Information is important to keep your company’s good standing with the Secretary of State or your registration agency allowing you to get a letter of good standing as may be needed by your business.

Generally, the information requested in a Statement of Information includes essential information required by the State such as company name and registered office.

The objective is to disclose to the state and the public that your company is registered and get some information about your business.

For corporations, corporate Statement of Information includes:

For LLCs, the LLC Statement of Information includes:

The filing requirements will vary from one state to the next.

To give you an example, let’s look at how to file a statement of information with the state of California.

In the state of California, corporations and LLCs must file their own Statement of Information.

Filing forms 

A “Corporation Statement of Information” must be filed using the Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

The corporate Statement of Information form is tilted “Statement of Information California Stock, Agricultural Cooperative and Foreign Corporations” and shown from this extract of the Form SI-550:

An “LLC Statement of Information” must be filed using the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

A limited liability company’s Statement of Information form is titled “Statement of Information Limited Liability Company” as shown from this extract of Form LLC-12:

Filing online 

The state of California offers you the possibility to file your statement of information online by going to BizFile California at sos.ca.gov.

• Filing A Corporation Statement of Information online: BizFile California (bizfile.sos.ca.gov)

• Filing an LLC Statement of Information online: BizFile California (llcbizfile.sos.ca.gov)  

Again, every state will have its own requirements on when to file a statement of information in accordance with their rules.

To give you an example, let’s look at when a Statement of Information is needed in the state of California.

When you initially incorporate a business or register your LLC with the California Secretary of State, you must file your first Statement of Information within 90 days of the registration.

You can find your registration date by looking at your certificate of incorporation or articles (INC) of organization (LLC) or you can look up your registration date online by doing a business search.

Then, after you file your first Statement of Information, they’ll become due every two years for so long as your corporation or LLC is registered with the state of California.

This is generally called the Biennial Report.

The filing fees associated with the filing of a Statement of Information may vary by state.

To continue with our California example, let’s see how much it would cost a corporation or LLC to file a Statement of Information in California.

Corporation

The initial filing of a Statement of Information for a corporation will cost $25.00.

Then, corporations must file their statement periodically, every two years or biennial report, at a cost of $25.00.

LLC

The initial filing of a Statement of Information for an LLC will cost $20.00.

Then, LLCs must file their statement periodically, every two years or biennial report, at a cost of $20.00.

Where can you find information on the LLC Statement of Information?

Is an LLC Statement of Information different than for corporations?

A Statement of Information LLC is essentially the same thing or equivalent as that for a corporation.

The objective is to ensure that your LLC provides up-to-date information to the Secretary of State or equivalent agency.

It’s essentially a compliance requirement to remain in good standing.

For example, in California, LLCs can file their Statement of Information by completing the Form LLC-12 or file LLC California online at llcbizfile.sos.ca.gov. 

When required by the state, corporations must file a Statement of Information providing the relevant information about their corporation to remain in compliance with the state registration rules.

The objective, just like for LLCs, is to maintain the corporate records up to date.

For example, in California, corporations use Form SI-550 to maintain their information up-to-date with the California Secretary of State.

For the Secretary of State to process the Statement of Information, typically it should not take very long.

Typically, requests filed online, to the extent possible, may be processed faster than requests submitted in person or by mail.

For example, in the state of California, the Secretary of State publishes its Statement of Information processing timelines on its website and you’ll notice that it may take 3 to 5 business days for in-person or mail submissions and 1 to 2 business days for online submissions.

To give you an idea of what a Statement of Information form looks like, let’s look at an example.

Considering we’ve used California as an example throughout this post, let’s look at a statement of information example for California.

California Statement of Information (Corporation)

California Statement of Information (LLC)

Where do I send my California Statement of Information?

You can mail your Statement of Information California (Form SI-550 or Form LLC-12) to:

You can also drop off your CA Statement of Information in person at:

What is a Statement of Information California?

A California Secretary of State Statement of Information is a declaration made by the directors of a corporation, LLC or other organizations like nonprofits, where they provide the State with minimum information about their organization.

For corporations, the information includes:

• Corporate name 
• Business address 
• Officers (CEO, Secretary, CFO)
• Directors
• Service of process (individual agent or California registered agent)
• Type of business 

For LLCs, the information includes:

• Limited liability company name
• Business address
• Managers or members
• Service of process (individual agent or California registered agent)
• Type of business 
• CEO if elected 

What is the purpose of a Statement of Information?

The purpose of the Statement of Information is two-folds:

What is the Statement of Information due date?

The filing of the Statement of Information, if applicable with a state, will be governed by the rules of the applicable state.

For example, in the state of California, the Statement of Information due date is as follows:

• Within 90 days of initial corporate or LLC registration
• Every 2 years from the corporate or LLC registration 

Do I file a Statement of Information if no information has changed?

In some states like California, if you had previously filed a Statement of Information and your corporate or LLC information did not change by the time you are due to file your biennial report, you can file a Statement of No Change using Form SI-550 NC.

Is the information in a Statement of Information public?

In the state of California, the information contained in your flings are public record which may include your name, phone number, email address, mailing address and so on.

It is recommended that you provide strictly the information required by law to avoid having your personal and confidential information become public exposing you to privacy threats or even identity theft.

Is there a penalty if you don’t file your Statement of Information?

Yes, typically you will have to pay a penalty if you do not file your Statement of Information by the due date or within the prescribed timelines.

For example, in the state of California, you can consult the common penalties and fees page to see what you may be exposed to.

What is Form SI-100?

For SI-100 is a Statement of Information form required to be completed by nonprofit organizations, credit unions and general cooperative corporations in California.

Just like for California stock corporation and limited liability company’s a nonprofit, credit union or cooperative must file its Statement of Information within 90 days of its initial registration and then every 2 years at a cost of $20.00 for every filing.

Where can I find Form SI-200 or SI-350?

In California, Form SI-550 replaces and supersedes Forms SI-200 and Form SI-350.

As a result, if you previously used Form SI-200 or Form SI-350, you can now use Form SI-550.