Chapter 10.6. Tax And Fees On Limited Liability Companies of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 10. >> Chapter 10.6.
(a) For each taxable year beginning on or after January 1,
1997, a limited liability company doing business in this state (as
defined in Section 23101) shall pay annually to this state a tax for
the privilege of doing business in this state in an amount equal to
the applicable amount specified in subdivision (d) of Section 23153
for the taxable year.
(b) (1) In addition to any limited liability company that is doing
business in this state and is therefore subject to the tax imposed
by subdivision (a), for each taxable year beginning on or after
January 1, 1997, a limited liability company shall pay annually the
tax prescribed in subdivision (a) if articles of organization have
been accepted, or a certificate of registration has been issued, by
the office of the Secretary of State. The tax shall be paid for each
taxable year, or part thereof, until a certificate of cancellation of
registration or of articles of organization is filed on behalf of
the limited liability company with the office of the Secretary of
State.
(2) If a taxpayer files a return with the Franchise Tax Board that
is designated as its final return, the Franchise Tax Board shall
notify the taxpayer that the annual tax shall continue to be due
annually until a certificate of dissolution is filed with the
Secretary of State pursuant to Section 17707.08 of the Corporations
Code or a certificate of cancellation is filed with the Secretary of
State pursuant to Section 17708.06 of the Corporations Code.
(c) The tax assessed under this section shall be due and payable
on or before the 15th day of the fourth month of the taxable year.
(d) For purposes of this section, "limited liability company"
means an organization, other than a limited liability company that is
exempt from the tax and fees imposed under this chapter pursuant to
Section 23701h or Section 23701x, that is formed by one or more
persons under the law of this state, any other country, or any other
state, as a "limited liability company" and that is not taxable as a
corporation for California tax purposes.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, if
the office of the Secretary of State files a certificate of
cancellation pursuant to Section 17707.02 of the Corporations Code
for any limited liability company, then paragraph (1) of subdivision
(f) of Section 23153 shall apply to that limited liability company as
if the limited liability company were properly treated as a
corporation for that limited purpose only, and paragraph (2) of
subdivision (f) of Section 23153 shall not apply. Nothing in this
subdivision entitles a limited liability company to receive a
reimbursement for any annual taxes or fees already paid.
(f) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the
contrary, a limited liability company that is a small business solely
owned by a deployed member of the United States Armed Forces shall
not be subject to the tax imposed under this section for any taxable
year the owner is deployed and the limited liability company operates
at a loss or ceases operation.
(2) The Franchise Tax Board may promulgate regulations as
necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this
subdivision, including a definition for "ceases operation."
(3) For the purposes of this subdivision, all of the following
definitions apply:
(A) "Deployed" means being called to active duty or active service
during a period when a Presidential Executive order specifies that
the United States is engaged in combat or homeland defense. "Deployed"
does not include either of the following:
(i) Temporary duty for the sole purpose of training or processing.
(ii) A permanent change of station.
(B) "Operates at a loss" means a limited liability company's
expenses exceed its receipts.
(C) "Small business" means a limited liability company with total
income from all sources derived from, or attributable, to the state
of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or less.
(4) This subdivision shall become inoperative for taxable years
beginning on or after January 1, 2018.
(a) In addition to the tax imposed under Section 17941,
every limited liability company subject to tax under Section 17941
shall pay annually to this state a fee equal to:
(1) Nine hundred dollars ($900), if the total income from all
sources derived from or attributable to this state for the taxable
year is two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or more, but
less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).
(2) Two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), if the total
income from all sources derived from or attributable to this state
for the taxable year is five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) or
more, but less than one million dollars ($1,000,000).
(3) Six thousand dollars ($6,000), if the total income from all
sources derived from or attributable to this state for the taxable
year is one million dollars ($1,000,000) or more, but less than five
million dollars ($5,000,000).
(4) Eleven thousand seven hundred ninety dollars ($11,790), if the
total income from all sources derived from or attributable to this
state for the taxable year is five million dollars ($5,000,000) or
more.
(b) (1) (A) For purposes of this section, "total income from all
sources derived from or attributable to this state" means gross
income, as defined in Section 24271, plus the cost of goods sold that
are paid or incurred in connection with the trade or business of the
taxpayer. However, "total income from all sources derived from or
attributable to this state" shall not include allocation or
attribution of income or gain or distributions made to a limited
liability company in its capacity as a member of, or holder of an
economic interest in, another limited liability company if the
allocation or attribution of income or gain or distributions are
directly or indirectly attributable to income that is subject to the
payment of the fee described in this section.
(B) For purposes of this section, "total income from all sources
derived from or attributable to this state" shall be determined using
the rules for assigning sales under Sections 25135 and 25136 and the
regulations thereunder, as modified by regulations under Section
25137, other than those provisions that exclude receipts from the
sales factor.
(2) In the event a taxpayer is a commonly controlled limited
liability company, the total income from all sources derived from or
attributable to this state, taking into account any election under
Section 25110, may be determined by the Franchise Tax Board to be the
total income of all the commonly controlled limited liability
company members if it determines that multiple limited liability
companies were formed for the primary purpose of reducing fees
payable under this section. A determination by the Franchise Tax
Board under this subdivision may only be made with respect to one
limited liability company in a commonly controlled group. However,
each commonly controlled limited liability company shall be jointly
and severally liable for the fee. For purposes of this section,
commonly controlled limited liability companies shall include the
taxpayer and any other partnership or limited liability company doing
business (as defined in Section 23101) in this state and required to
file a return under Section 18633 or 18633.5, in which the same
persons own, directly or indirectly, more than 50 percent of the
capital interests or profits interests.
(c) The fee assessed under this section shall be due and payable
on the date the return of the limited liability company is required
to be filed under Section 18633.5, shall be collected and refunded in
the same manner as the taxes imposed by this part, and shall be
subject to interest and applicable penalties.
(d) (1) The fee imposed by this section shall be estimated and
paid on or before the 15th day of the sixth month of the current
taxable year.
(2) A penalty of 10 percent of the amount of any underpayment
shall be added to the fee. The underpayment amount shall be equal to
the difference between the total amount of the fee imposed by this
section for the taxable year less the amount paid under paragraph (1)
by the date specified in that paragraph. A penalty shall not be
imposed with respect to any fee estimated and paid under this section
if the amount paid by the date prescribed in this subdivision is
equal to or greater than the total amount of the fee of the limited
liability company for the preceding taxable year.
It is the intent of the Legislature that the amount of the
annual fee described in Section 17942 shall apply to the taxable year
beginning January 1, 2001, and subsequent taxable years,
notwithstanding the results of any study prepared by the Franchise
Tax Board and submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee
pursuant to former Section 17943.
(a) The effective date of dissolution, withdrawal, or
cancellation of a limited liability company is the date on which the
certified copy of the court decree, judgment, or order declaring the
limited liability company duly wound up and dissolved is filed in the
office of the Secretary of State or the date on which the
certificate of winding up and dissolution is filed in the office of
the Secretary of State. For the purposes of this chapter, the
effective date of cancellation of registration of a foreign limited
liability company is the date on which the certificate of
cancellation of registration is filed in the office of the Secretary
of State.
(b) The Secretary of State shall, through an information program
and by forms and instructions, recommend that all required documents
filed with the Secretary of State be sent, if mailed, by certified
mail with return receipt requested. The Secretary of State shall also
notify persons that receipt of documents by the Secretary of State
will be acknowledged within 21 days of receipt.
(c) On or before 21 days after their receipt, the Secretary of
State shall provide a payer with acknowledgment of the receipt of
documents submitted by a limited liability company pursuant to this
chapter.
A limited liability company shall not be subject to the
taxes and fees imposed by this chapter if the limited liability
company did no business in this state during the taxable year and the
taxable year was 15 days or less.
(a) A limited liability company shall not be subject to the
taxes imposed by this chapter for a taxable year if the limited
liability company does all of the following:
(1) Files with the Franchise Tax Board a timely final annual tax
return for the preceding taxable year.
(2) Does not do business in this state after the end of the
taxable year for which the final annual tax return was filed.
(3) Files a certificate of dissolution with the Secretary of
State, pursuant to Section 17707.08 of the Corporations Code, or a
certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State pursuant to
Section 17708.06 of the Corporations Code, before the end of the
12-month period beginning with the date the final annual tax return
was filed.
(b) For purposes of this section, a "final annual tax return" is a
return described in Section 18633.5 that is filed on or before the
due date of the return, as extended, that the taxpayer designates in
the manner prescribed by the Franchise Tax Board as the taxpayer's
final return for purposes of the tax imposed under this chapter. For
purposes of this chapter, a "final annual tax return" is a return
filed pursuant to Section 18633.5 where the taxpayer is not required
to file a subsequent return to reflect the imposition of tax under
this chapter.