Important Tax Facts:
-The State of California has both Corporate income tax and personal income tax with maximum rates of 8.84% and 13.30%, respectively. The city of San Francisco also has a local income tax, through its payroll. Read more below.
The state of California does have an individual income tax. Like most states with income tax, it is calculated on a marginal scale, with ten (10) tax brackets. They range from 1.00% to 13.30% (one of the highest in the country). The highest bracket of 13.30% starts for income greater than $1 Million.
Local income tax* – If you live or work in the City of San Francisco, their is an additional local income tax imposed on you through a Payroll Tax of 0.38%.
The State of California has a multiple types of business taxes, Corporate Income Tax, Franchise Tax and an LLC Fee.
Corporate Income Tax – is assessed on C Corporations at a flat rate of 8.84% on all net income.
Franchise Tax – is assessed on other business entities (e.g. S-Corps, LLCs, LLPs, etc.)
LLC Fee – in addition to the $800 franchise tax, LLCs must pay a Gross Receipts tax disguised as a fee. The LLC fee ranges between $900 and $11,790, depending on your Gross Receipts.
LLPs & LPs – do not have to pay a fee, but the members are also not protected or shielded from personal liability.
Note: flow-thru entities, such as S Corps, LLCs, and LLPs pay tax at the individual state tax rates of 1.00% to 13.30% depending on the bracket they are in.
Like many states, California has multiple sales tax rates. One at the state level and another at the local level. The state rate is 7.25% the average local rate is 1.41% (total average rate for California Sales Tax is 8.66%).
The average property tax rate for residential property in the state of California is 0.74%, however this is artificially low due to the infamous Prop 13* which limits the increase of property tax in California, year-on-year.
Prop 13* – Property taxes are based on the value of the
property when that property is assessed by the state. An assessment is trigger when the property is transferred. Therefore, some people who purchased their home in the 70s or 80s pay a much lower property tax than those that bought their home a few years ago. Please check with a Real Estate Tax Attorney in California before transferring title of your property to a loved one, LLC, or trust.
Payroll (Unemployment Insurance) taxes are paid by business on the behalf of their employees to fund unemployment insurance to the state. It consists of multiple factors. Below is an outline of the most common ones in California –
California has the highest LLC fees in the country. They are broken down into two components: a franchise tax, and an LLC fee. Here are some important facts:
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