Every California corporation and LLC has to keep a current Statement of Information on file with the Secretary of State. The form itself has not changed, but the way you reach it has. The Secretary of State now states plainly: "Effective August 1, 2026, web User Access is required for Statement of Information filings."
Here is the practical effect, and it is the part that surprises people: "The option to file a Statement of Information online will only be visible to users with access established." You do not get an error message explaining what went wrong. You log in to bizfile Online, look for the filing you came to submit, and it simply is not there. Business owners who assume the site is broken, or that their entity has some other problem, may lose weeks before working out that the missing piece is an access permission.
The change is a security measure rather than a new tax or fee. According to the Secretary of State, establishing User Access "will help in preventing unauthorized submissions or filings on your entity's record," and it "allows the entity to control who is authorized to submit online filings on behalf of the entity." In other words, it exists to stop a stranger from quietly changing your officers, directors, managers, or agent for service of process.
Timing matters because the filing deadline did not move. The Secretary of State assigns each entity a statutory six-month filing window based on the month it was incorporated, formed, or registered, and an updated statement should also be filed whenever the information changes between those windows. The consequences of letting it lapse are stated directly by the state: "Failure to file the required Statement of Information with the Secretary of State as outlined in statute may result in penalties being assessed by the Franchise Tax Board and suspension or forfeiture." A suspended entity can find itself unable to do ordinary things such as bring or defend a lawsuit, which is a poor discovery to make in the middle of a dispute.
For a Conejo Valley business owner, the sensible step is to set up access before your filing window opens rather than on the day the statement is due. Access is requested through the bizfile Online portal, and the Secretary of State has posted a short instructional video, "How to Establish User Access Control," in its Video Resources Library. If a bookkeeper, CPA, corporate service company, or office manager normally handles this filing for you, remember that the permission attaches to the person doing the filing, so whoever actually submits it will need access on your entity's record. Questions can go to [email protected] or (916) 653-6814. This article is general information about a public filing requirement and is not legal advice about your particular entity.
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This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Estate and business law change often and depend on your specific situation. Speak with Donald W. Flaig before acting.