California Entity Search

How to read the official business-entity file, and a way to have the search run for you.

California Entity Search

FTB suspended status

Quick answer. FTB suspended means the California Franchise Tax Board has suspended the entity, usually for unfiled returns or unpaid tax. The label appears on the Secretary of State’s bizfile record, but the hold is the tax board’s. Reviving the company means satisfying the Franchise Tax Board and then completing any Secretary of State revival steps that still apply.

Official office

California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division

Open the official search

Phone: (916) 653-6814

1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Business search is free and does not require an account. Phone support: (916) 653-6814.

Steps

  1. Read both status lines in bizfile

    Open the entity in the business search. Note the SOS status and the FTB status separately. A company can be active with the Secretary of State and suspended by FTB, or the reverse.

  2. Do not send the revival check to the wrong office

    The Franchise Tax Board’s site, ftb.ca.gov, is where you confirm what returns or balances it wants. The Secretary of State cannot waive an FTB suspension. Calling (916) 653-6814 will not lift a tax hold.

  3. Expect contracts and lawsuits to be affected

    A suspended entity’s ability to sue, defend, or enter certain transactions is limited by California law. That is a legal conclusion for the company’s counsel. The bizfile label is the fact you can verify today.

  4. Recheck bizfile after FTB says the account is clear

    The Secretary of State record updates after the tax board releases the suspension and any SOS revival is filed. Until the bizfile status changes, a letter from a third party is not the public record.

SOS suspended is a different event

The Secretary of State can suspend or forfeit an entity for its own reasons, including a missed Statement of Information. That penalty is paid and cured on the Secretary of State side. An FTB suspension can exist at the same time. Fixing only the statement leaves the tax label in place.

Foreign entities can show an FTB status too once they are registered in California. An entity that never registered will not have a bizfile row to suspend.

What a searcher should write down

Save the entity number, both status labels, and the date you viewed the page. If you are a lender or a buyer, ask the company for the Franchise Tax Board’s revival paperwork and then match it to a later bizfile status. This site can pull the public page for you. We cannot log into the company’s FTB account.

Common mistakes

  • Telling a buyer the company is “in good standing” because one of the two status lines says active.
  • Paying a Statement of Information penalty and assuming the FTB line will clear the same day.
  • Searching the company’s old name after a conversion and missing the suspended record under the new name.

Questions

What does FTB suspended mean on bizfile?

It means the Franchise Tax Board has suspended the entity. The Secretary of State displays that status. The tax board is the office that lifts it.

Can the company still be found in a California business entity search?

Yes. Suspended entities remain in the search. The Secretary of State says results include entities regardless of current status. Read the status instead of treating a hit as proof the company can operate.

Where do I confirm the tax-board steps?

On ftb.ca.gov, using the entity’s own account or the revival instructions the Franchise Tax Board publishes. Do not rely on a fee quoted on a non-government site.

Sources reviewed