{"id":13713,"date":"2024-12-28T19:21:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T02:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:09:52","slug":"california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist","status":"publish","type":"epkb_post_type_1","link":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/","title":{"rendered":"California Multi-Member LLC S Corp Twist"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-right counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table Of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#Loan_Basis_in_an_S_Corporation\" >Loan Basis in an S Corporation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#Taxpayers_Comprehensive_Guide_to_LLCs_and_S_Corps_2025_Edition\" >Taxpayer\u2019s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps 2025 Edition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#Talk_to_a_Small_Business_CPA_About_Your_Situation\" >Talk to a Small Business CPA About Your Situation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#Schedule_Discovery_Meeting_Now\" >Schedule Discovery Meeting Now<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; woodmart_inline=&#8221;no&#8221; text_larger=&#8221;no&#8221;]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31130 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015114_314290551_california_LLC_fee_300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>By <strong>Jason Watson, CPA<\/strong><br \/>\nPosted Sunday, December 29, 2024<\/p>\n<p>Sounds like a drink doesn\u2019t it? \u201cOh man, I was up all night pounding Cali Twists.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The problem with the previous MMLLC entity structure that issues invoices or makes fee for service payments, is that this works well in most situations except California. It still works in California as a structure, but the tax expense, namely the LLC fee, makes this egregious.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s LLCs, including SMLLCs and MMLLCs, have an LLC fee based on gross receipts. Read that again. On gross receipts. If you make a $1,000,000 and have $950,000 in expenses, you still pay a franchise tax, called an LLC fee, computed on the $1,000,000.<\/p>\n<p>The fee is \u201cbanded\u201d as we say since it is not a straight calculation based on a percentage. As of December 2024, the following fees are reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftb.ca.gov\/forms\/misc\/3556.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California\u2019s Franchise Tax Board<\/a>&#8211;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 50%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 70%; text-align: left;\"><strong>Gross Receipts<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 30%; text-align: center;\"><strong>LLC Fee<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 70%; text-align: left;\">250,000 to 499,999<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 30%; text-align: center;\">900<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 70%; text-align: left;\">500,000 to 999,999<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 30%; text-align: center;\">2,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 70%; text-align: left;\">1,000,000 to 4,999,999<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 30%; text-align: center;\">6,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 70%; text-align: left;\">5,000,000 +<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 30%; text-align: center;\">11,790<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>What makes matters worse is if the S Corps receiving income from the MMLLC are domiciled in California, they also must pay a 1.5% franchise tax on the net income after expenses (profit). Therefore, the same dollar might be taxed twice; once at the MMLLC level as an LLC fee, and again at the S corporation level as a franchise tax. Yuck. Super yuck!<\/p>\n<p>What can be done? Simple! We elect the MMLC to be taxed as an S Corp. Hang in there on this one!<\/p>\n<p>The graphic to the left is eerily similar to the previous one\u2026 except S Corp replaces MMLLC. The MMLLC is now taxed as an S Corp and Fred, Velma and Shaggy remain as shareholders. After paying the other S corporations a fee for Payments for Services Rendered or Outside Contractor or something similar, the MMLLC S Corp will have very little taxable income, such as $1,000. A franchise tax will be computed by California at 1.5% x $1,000 or $800, whichever is higher. Unavoidable.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31198 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/CA-SCorp-OwnedByIndividuals-r1-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"502\" height=\"345\" \/>The MMLLC S Corp would not pay salaries to its shareholders since the income is so low, and there isn\u2019t any cash available. In addition, distributions theoretically should be $0 since all the cash is leaving in the form of payments to the other S Corps. There might be some goofiness if the MMLLC has depreciating assets or loans or some other transaction which causes net income to be something other than a $1,000 and shareholder distributions to be something other than $0 (we discussed this previously). The important takeaway here is the reduction of the LLC fee that California imposes.<\/p>\n<p>The other S Corps owned separately by Fred, Velma and Shaggy would carry on as normal. Pay expenses related to themselves, pay salaries, provide distributions, etc. Fred, Velma and Shaggy would get two K-1s, one from the MMLC taxed as an S Corp and another from their respective S Corp. This is exactly the same as our previous schematic in terms of K-1s.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Loan_Basis_in_an_S_Corporation\"><\/span>Loan Basis in an S Corporation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is a relatively common issue and when it pops up it can be brutal. As a partner in a multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership, if you personally guarantee a loan for the business, you create what is called loan basis. In a simple way, this allows you to take out more distributions from the business without creating a \u201cdistributions in excess of basis\u201d situation which subsequently creates a capital gain.<\/p>\n<p>If we are in California and want to reduce the egregious LLC fee, we S Corp elect the primary entity or \u201cmothership.\u201d But under the auspice of an S Corp, you cannot create loan basis without the shareholder providing a loan directly to the S corporation. Huh? At the risk of belaboring this issue too much, consider the following-<\/p>\n<p>You buy a piece of equipment for $100,000 and took out a loan in the business name including a personal guarantee. You deducted 100% of the purchase price using bonus depreciation. You had cash revenue of $100,000 and a deduction of $100,000 for the equipment leaving $0 at net ordinary business income. Nice! But, you have a $100,000 in the business checking account and like most business owners you sort of kind of would like to spend it.<\/p>\n<p>In a MMLLC taxed as a partnership scenario, you would have created additional basis by guaranteeing the loan allowing you to distribute this $100,000 without creating a capital gain. In an MMLLC taxed as an S corporation scenario, the $100,000 distribution would be in excess of shareholder basis and capital gains taxes might be incurred. Your starting shareholder basis at the beginning of the year would not change since the business had $0 in net income. So, December 31\u2019s basis equals January 1\u2019s basis, but you have a bunch of cash earned from revenues and you used depreciation to reduce your ordinary business income to $0. Depreciation can be a cashless expense to reduce income. Good and bad, right? No taxable income, good. But no access to the cash without capital gains tax, bad.<\/p>\n<p>Had the S Corp shareholders lent $100,000 to the business personally, then they would have created loan basis. Speak to your lender before doing some of this stuff! If your lender can give the shareholders the cash to lend or inject into the S Corp, and still retain a lien on equipment, that might be preferred.<\/p>\n<p>This is not a showstopper per se, and we definitely geeked out a bit. Having said all this, there is a subtle difference we are not highlighting until right now. The above scenario is only problematic where you have a standalone S corporation. The three previous schematics were multi-entity arrangements with one distributing cash to the S Corp members as distributions and the other two distributing cash to the S Corps as fees for services or management fees or some other business to business mechanism. If the cash leaving the \u201cmothership\u201d is a distribution, this loan basis stuff can be a problem. If the cash leaving is a fee for service, this loan basis stuff is probably a non-issue.<\/p>\n<p>Again, our apologies for getting into the weeds on this. We can always review your unique situation to help avoid this trap.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;25px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<style data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\">#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-title{line-height:60px;font-size:50px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-title{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-inner{line-height:22px;font-size:12px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-title{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-inner{line-height:22px;font-size:12px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-title{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-inner{line-height:22px;font-size:12px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-title{line-height:46px;font-size:36px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}@media (max-width: 1199px) {#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-title{line-height:34px;font-size:24px;}#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-title{line-height:34px;font-size:24px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-title{line-height:50px;font-size:40px;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-title{line-height:25px;font-size:15px;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-title{line-height:25px;font-size:15px;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-title{line-height:25px;font-size:15px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-title{line-height:34px;font-size:24px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-title{line-height:36px;font-size:26px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}}@media (max-width: 767px) {#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-title{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-title{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-title{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}}<\/style><div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-6915e3dd2a9b5\" class=\" wd-rs-6915e3dd2a9b5 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-center box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title kb \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Jason Watson, CPA, is a Partner and the CEO of <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong>, a boutique yet progressive tax, accounting and business consultation firm located in Colorado serving small business owners and taxpayers worldwide.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; justify-content: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jason-watson-cpa\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-17327 entered lazyloaded\" style=\"height: 35px!important; width: auto!important;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/linkedin-150x150-1.png.webp\" alt=\"Jason Watson CPA LinkedIn\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:jason@wcginc.com\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-17334 entered lazyloaded\" style=\"height: 35px!important; width: auto!important;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/mail-150x150-1.png.webp\" alt=\"Jason Watson CPA Email\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-6915e437409dd\" class=\" wd-rs-6915e437409dd wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title img-right kb \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-800 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Taxpayers_Comprehensive_Guide_to_LLCs_and_S_Corps_2025_Edition\"><\/span>Taxpayer\u2019s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps 2025 Edition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31529 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/LLC-S-Corp-Web-and-Social-GFX_275-250x300-1.webp\" alt=\"Taxpayer\u2019s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps 2025 Edition\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" \/>This KB article is an excerpt from our 420+ page book (some picture pages, but no scatch and sniff) which is available in paperback from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcginc.com\/amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>, as an eBook for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcginc.com\/kindle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kindle<\/a>\u00a0and as a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcginc.com\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PDF<\/a>\u00a0from ClickBank. We used to publish with iTunes and Nook, but keeping up with two different formats was brutal. You can cruise through these KB articles online, click on the fancy buttons below or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/business-services\/book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">visit our webpage<\/a>\u00a0which provides more information.<\/p>\n<table class=\"purchase-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6657 aligncenter\" style=\"float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/amazon-imageresized.png.webp\" alt=\"LLCs and S Corp Book Amazon\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/kindle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6658\" style=\"float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-imageresized.png.webp\" alt=\"LLCs and S Corp Book Kindle\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6659 aligncenter\" style=\"float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PDFresized.png.webp\" alt=\"LLCs and S Corp Book PDF\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>$49.95<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>$39.95<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>$29.95<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=\"yes\" content_placement=\"top\" el_id=\"consultation-secc\" woodmart_css_id=\"6756f7d427735\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzU2ZjdkNDI3NzM1Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\" el_class=\"kb-consult\"][vc_column]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68460c2ba6365\" class=\" wd-rs-68460c2ba6365 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title kb-fix \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"info-box-title title box-title-style-default wd-fontsize-m\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Talk_to_a_Small_Business_CPA_About_Your_Situation\"><\/span>Talk to a Small Business CPA About Your Situation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Please use the form below to tell us a little about yourself, and what you have going on with your small business or 1099 contractor gig. <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong> are small business CPAs, tax professionals and consultants, and we look forward to talking to you!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[vc_row_inner el_id=\"consultation-inner\" woodmart_css_id=\"66fd6caf92fc0\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NmZkNmNhZjkyZmMwIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93X2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\"][vc_column_inner][vc_raw_js el_class=\"defaultBot\"]JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwdHlwZSUzRCUyMnRleHQlMkZqYXZhc2NyaXB0JTIyJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3Y2dpbmMuam90Zm9ybS5jb20lMkZqc2Zvcm0lMkYyNTE2NjQ4Nzk0MTQ5NzMlMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0U=[\/vc_raw_js][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68460c16bff16\" class=\" wd-rs-68460c16bff16 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title defaultBot \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>The tax advisors, business consultants and rental property experts at <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong> are not salespeople; we are not putting lipstick on a pig expecting you to love it. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide within our ethical guidelines and your risk profiles.<\/p>\n<p>We see far too many crazy schemes and half-baked ideas from attorneys and wealth managers. In some cases, they are good ideas. In most cases, all the entities, layering and mixed ownership is only the illusion of precision. As Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn\u2019t make it a good idea. In other words, let\u2019s not automatically convert \u201cyou can\u201d into \u201cyou must.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s chat so you can be smart about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We typically schedule a 20-minute complimentary quick chat with one of our Partners or our amazing Senior Tax Professionals to determine if we are a good fit for each other, and how an engagement with our team looks. Tax returns only? Business advisory? Tax strategy and planning? Rental property support?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[vc_row_inner equal_height=\"yes\" el_class=\"boxes--pack\" woodmart_css_id=\"673b5f334f247\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzNiNWYzMzRmMjQ3Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93X2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\"][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-687b937e0887f\" class=\" wd-rs-687b937e0887f wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none business-boxes \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-icon-wrapper  box-with-icon box-icon-simple\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-icon\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Text-WCG-Offices-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Text WCG Offices\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\">Text WCG Offices<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Need to get in touch through a quick text?\u00a0 We\u2019ll respond back within a day and get going!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wd-info-box-link wd-fill\" aria-label=\"Infobox link\" href=\"sms:+17193452100?&amp;body=Hey%20WCG!%20Please%20call%20me%20to%20discuss%20your%20CPA%20services\" title=\"\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-687b9384e0d51\" class=\" wd-rs-687b9384e0d51 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none business-boxes \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-icon-wrapper  box-with-icon box-icon-simple\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-icon\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chat-Our-Amazing-Team-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Chat our amazing team\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\">Call Our Amazing Team<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p class=\" \">If you need to speak to a tax professional now, give us a call and we'll get you connected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wd-info-box-link wd-fill\" aria-label=\"Infobox link\" href=\"tel:719-387-9800\" title=\"\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-687b938a8f4b3\" class=\" wd-rs-687b938a8f4b3 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none business-boxes nav-button-chat \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-icon-wrapper  box-with-icon box-icon-simple\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-icon\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chat-With-a-Tax-Pro-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Chat with a tax pro\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\">Chat With a Tax Pro<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Taxes can be tricky. Chat with a WCG human now and get questions answered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=\"yes\" content_placement=\"top\" woodmart_css_id=\"684abef7ecaa9\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2ODRhYmVmN2VjYWE5Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\" el_class=\"kb-consult\"][vc_column]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68bcf7fc8516a\" class=\" wd-rs-68bcf7fc8516a wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Schedule_Discovery_Meeting_Now\"><\/span>Schedule Discovery Meeting Now<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[vc_row_inner content_placement=\"middle\" el_class=\"client-review-secs box--card\" woodmart_css_id=\"672e712482714\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzJlNzEyNDgyNzE0Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93X2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\"][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\" woodmart_css_id=\"671780b35b49a\" parallax_scroll=\"no\" woodmart_sticky_column=\"false\" wd_collapsible_content_switcher=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_mobile=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_mobile=\"no\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzE3ODBiMzViNDlhIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfY29sdW1uX2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" wd_z_index=\"no\"]\t\t<div id=\"wd-68874e76cd7bc\" class=\"wd-image wd-wpb wd-rs-68874e76cd7bc text-left \">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/265518_2057667071_tax_consultation_300-1.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Request a Meeting with WCG Inc\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"2\/3\" woodmart_css_id=\"671780c0415fb\" parallax_scroll=\"no\" woodmart_sticky_column=\"false\" wd_collapsible_content_switcher=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_mobile=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_mobile=\"no\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzE3ODBjMDQxNWZiIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfY29sdW1uX2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" wd_z_index=\"no\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68bcfccd83cf7\" class=\" wd-rs-68bcfccd83cf7 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none with-btn box-btn-static \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Ready to schedule now and talk about S Corp and reasonable salary and all that gibberish? Let's do it! Here is a link to a Discovery Meeting with one of our Partners or Senior Tax Professionals to understand your tax footprint and objectives, and how <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong> might help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-btn-wrapper\"><div id=\"wd-6a31b63009447\" class=\"  wd-button-wrapper text-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/calendly.com\/wcg-cpas-advisors\/discovery-meeting-instant\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"btn btn-style-default btn-shape-rectangle btn-size-default\">Schedule Meeting<\/a><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sounds like a dance move doesn\u2019t? \u201cOh man, I hurt myself doing the Cali S Corp twist.\u201d \u201cAre you gonna need surgery[&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"epkb_post_type_1_category":[115],"epkb_post_type_1_tag":[],"class_list":["post-13713","epkb_post_type_1","type-epkb_post_type_1","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","epkb_post_type_1_category-chap-2-customized-entity-structures"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoid California LLC Fee - S Corp Election - WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"California LLC fee is based on gross receipts. In a multi-entity structure, it might be ideal to elect S Corp status for tax efficiency.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"California Multi-Member LLC S Corp Twist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"California LLC fee is based on gross receipts. In a multi-entity structure, it might be ideal to elect S Corp status for tax efficiency.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-26T17:09:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015114_314290551_california_LLC_fee_300.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Avoid California LLC Fee - S Corp Election - WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors","description":"California LLC fee is based on gross receipts. In a multi-entity structure, it might be ideal to elect S Corp status for tax efficiency.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"California Multi-Member LLC S Corp Twist","og_description":"California LLC fee is based on gross receipts. In a multi-entity structure, it might be ideal to elect S Corp status for tax efficiency.","og_url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/","og_site_name":"WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors","article_modified_time":"2026-01-26T17:09:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":200,"url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015114_314290551_california_LLC_fee_300.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/","url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/","name":"Avoid California LLC Fee - S Corp Election - WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015114_314290551_california_LLC_fee_300.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-29T02:21:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-26T17:09:52+00:00","description":"California LLC fee is based on gross receipts. In a multi-entity structure, it might be ideal to elect S Corp status for tax efficiency.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015114_314290551_california_LLC_fee_300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015114_314290551_california_LLC_fee_300.jpg","width":300,"height":200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/california-multi-member-llc-s-corp-twist\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"California Multi-Member LLC S Corp Twist"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/","name":"wcginc.com","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/#organization","name":"wcginc.com","alternateName":"WCG CPAs & Advisors","url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wcg-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wcg-logo.png","width":521,"height":137,"caption":"wcginc.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/epkb_post_type_1\/13713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/epkb_post_type_1"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/epkb_post_type_1"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/epkb_post_type_1\/13713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90436,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/epkb_post_type_1\/13713\/revisions\/90436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"epkb_post_type_1_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/epkb_post_type_1_category?post=13713"},{"taxonomy":"epkb_post_type_1_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/epkb_post_type_1_tag?post=13713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}