Small business compliance is the list of licenses, permits, filings, fees and taxes your business owes, each with its date, kept so none of them slips. For a one-person LLC in Los Angeles that sells goods, the list can run to seven items. A sole proprietor with nothing to sell may have two or three. Most items are a form, a fee, and a date. The date is the part that slips.
The common list follows, with what each item costs if it slips, and who this page is not written for.
Why does the word confuse people?
The word comes from bigger companies. In a large company, compliance means a department: HR rules once you have employees, card-security rules once you run your own payment system, HIPAA for health providers, CMMC for defense contractors. Those are real programs with their own vendors, and none of them is the question a one-person business has, which is: what do I owe, and when.
On this page, compliance means the short list below. The list does not cover those programs.
What is on the list for a California business?
Up to seven items, shown here for an LLC in the City of Los Angeles. Your trade, your city and your county can add others. The fees and dates come from the agency linked in each row, checked in October 2026.
| Item | Who collects it | Cost | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC annual tax | Franchise Tax Board | $800 a year | the 15th day of the 4th month of your tax year, April 15 for most; in the first year the month you filed with the Secretary of State counts as month one |
| Statement of Information | California Secretary of State | $20 for an LLC, $25 for a stock corporation | within 90 days of forming, then every two years for an LLC, in the six-month window that ends with the month you formed; every year for a stock corporation |
| Seller's permit and sales tax returns | CDTFA | the permit is free; sales tax is owed on your taxable sales whether or not you charged it | CDTFA tells you at registration whether you file monthly, quarterly or yearly; each return is due the last day of the month after the period, even in a period with no sales |
| Your city's business license; in the City of Los Angeles, the Business Tax Registration Certificate | Los Angeles Office of Finance | in Los Angeles, a tax on gross receipts; $100,000 or less worldwide owes nothing if you are registered and renew on time; other cities set their own | in Los Angeles, renew by the last day of February every year, even in a year with no revenue; other cities set their own dates |
| Fictitious business name (DBA), only if you trade under a name that is not your own or your LLC's | Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk | $26 in Los Angeles County for one name and one owner; other counties set their own | file within 40 days of first using the name; start publishing in a newspaper within 30 days of filing (the statute allows 45), once a week for four weeks, then file the proof; it expires after five years |
| The permit for your trade | the state board or local office for your trade; for food made at home, your county health department and the cottage food registration | varies | before the first sale; cottage food sales are capped at $88,878 for Class A, which sells only direct to customers, or $177,756 for Class B, which can also sell through shops, the 2026 figures, adjusted each January |
| The federal side: EIN, income tax, the 1099-K | IRS | the EIN is free; income tax is on your profit | returns April 15; with nothing withheld, the IRS expects estimated payments four times a year; Venmo and PayPal report business payments past $20,000 and 200 transactions a year, Zelle sends no 1099-K, and the income is taxable either way |
Good standing is not an eighth item. Good standing is the state's word for an LLC or corporation whose state filings and state taxes are current. City and county items are tracked separately. A bank or a landlord can ask you to prove it with a certificate from the Secretary of State.
The tax row is for LLCs. A corporation owes the Franchise Tax Board under its own rules.
What does it cost when one slips?
A slip usually costs more than the form did.
- A Statement of Information left unfiled after the state's notice brings a $250 penalty, and the state can suspend the entity.
- The $800 left unpaid grows penalties and interest, and the Franchise Tax Board can suspend the LLC.
- A Los Angeles renewal filed after the February deadline loses the small business exemption for that year. You pay a tax you would not have owed, plus penalties and interest.
- A cottage food operation that sells past its cap no longer qualifies as one, and needs a different permit.
A missed date does not make anyone a bad owner. Up to seven agencies each keep their own calendar and send their own kind of letter. No agency shows the whole list, so most owners keep seven lists instead of one.
Who is this page not for?
This page is for the owner who works alone, with no employees, gets paid by Zelle, Venmo and cash, and has never had a compliance department. If anyone works for you, even part time, your list is longer than this one. If you have employees, run your own payment system, provide health care or hold a defense contract, you also have the larger programs: HR, PCI, HIPAA, CMMC. This page does not cover them.
Why do the dates matter more than the forms?
Most items in the table are a short form. Missing the date costs more than filing the form. A checklist alone does not help much, because a checklist has no dates. The dates belong in one place, with a reminder you set before each one.
Where Khanna's comes in
If you want help reviewing your small business compliance, email us at daksh@khannasllc.com with your business and your city.
Common questions
Is compliance the same as being in good standing? Good standing is the state's word for an LLC or corporation whose state filings and taxes are current. The $800 and the Statement of Information are the items that keep it.
Do I need all seven? Not always. An LLC in Los Angeles that sells goods under a trade name may need all seven. A sole proprietor with no trade name and nothing to sell may have two or three. Which items apply depends on your business, your city and what you sell.
Does BOI reporting still apply to me? As of October 2026, not if your company was formed in the United States. FinCEN exempted domestic companies in an interim rule on March 26, 2025. Only companies formed under another country's law and registered here still file. A Delaware or Wyoming LLC registered in California counts as domestic.
I only take Zelle. Does any of this see me? Your income is taxable however it arrives. Zelle sends no 1099-K; Venmo and PayPal do once business payments pass $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. The form is the app's paperwork, not the rule. The seller's permit depends on what you sell, not on how you get paid.
Next on the list: the seller's permit in California and the $800 LLC tax and its dates.
General information for California owners as of October 2026. Khanna's is not a law firm or an accounting firm, and this is not legal or tax advice. The main fees and dates above link to the agency pages that state them. For your own situation, check with that agency, a lawyer or a CPA.