I just called the FTB in California, and the deal is that the first year, if you don't have a Secretary of State number, you just file BY MAIL using your FEIN number. Turbotax software requires that the number start with a 19 or 20 (as Secretary of State numbers start with a 19 or 20), but your FEIN will not start with a 19 or 20. Thus Turbotax thinks its wrong and will make you mail in your return (instead of e-file). It sucks you have to mail it in but that is the answer!

However, this is the workaround to go ahead and file your taxes without a Secretary of State number. Several phone calls later with the FTB Board and government tax office and that is the answer! Whew!

IMPERIUMLAW

Level 2

There is an error in TurboTax software with the California SOS file numbers. Contrary to TurboTax software, corporations in Cal have a 7 digit entity number issued when the corporation is registered with SOS and it starts with letter C. Those numbers can be looked up on the SOS's business search athttps://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/

LLCs do have a 12-digit numbers issued by SOS and they start with a year in which the LLC was formed. So if your LLC was formed in 2017, like mine was, the number will start with 2017....

On the other hand, my corporation SOS number starts with C and then has a 7-digit number following letter C. When I tried to file my taxes with TurboTax for Corporations, the software did not allow me to enter my corporate number and continued to request a 12-digit number starting with 19 or 20, WHICH MAKES NO SENSE. It also did not allow me to override the TurboTax's settings. I refused to file by Mail, I purchased TurboTax specifically so that I could e-file. So I had to call customer support and spend about an hour of my time trying to resolve the issue. The person on the phone finally agreed that I was right but he was unable to resolve my issue with the filing. Eventually, I solved the issue myself by entering all zeros instead of any number, and the e-filing was allowed to proceed. I hope that TurboTax will fix this issue immediately. It is an egregious mistake that cost the filers much time unnecessarily.

I even started doubting myself for a minute, and I called the Cal. SOS office. They confirmed that corporations in CA have 7-digits numbers ONLY, and LLCs have 12-digit numbers.

cropredy

Level 2

Echoing @IMPERIUMLAW ; I'm the filer for a California General Partnership. TurboTax expects the Secretary of State Filing Number to match the rules for LLCs - must start with 19 or 20. I'm not filing for an LLC. My partnership's filing number is 12 digits, not starting with 19 or 20.

The workaround of entering all 0's allows electronic filing but would only create confusion at the FTB that I don't need to rebound to me.

I ended up filing by mail; so 1980s.

IMPERIUMLAW

Level 2

It's so strange that they still didn't fix it, this software had so many glitches.

LenaH

Employee Tax Expert

California Secretary of State File Numbers are assigned to all entities in the state of California by the Secretary of State. The business will either have a seven-digit corporation number or a 12 digit file number. You can call the office of the Secretary of State to see which one they have if they don't have their original application form.

@dvcoviello

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"