Budget cuts affect California processing times

The time to process customer filings and to respond to records requests at the Secretary of State’s office has increased – an unfortunate result of cutbacks that reduced the agency’s budget by 25 percent, or $8.9 million, over the past two years announced the California Secretary of State.

The state budget cuts have meant difficult changes including closing offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Fresno, meaning more documents are filed in the remaining Sacramento and Los Angeles offices and eliminating paid overtime for staff members and the use of temporary staffing to help with the workload especially during heavy filing periods.

Even though automating will save money for both businesses and the state in the long run, there is little state funding available to invest in the computers and technology necessary to meet such a goal soon. 

The Secretary of State’s office receives hundreds of business filing requests each day and we treat every request on a first-come, first-served basis based on the level of service requested.

Entrepreneurs looking to incorporate in California, can visit the SOS Website to obtain current estimates of mail processing times. Updated regularly, this web page indicates what day’s requests are currently being handled and the estimated turnaround time for mail submissions.

Alternatively, in order to expedite the process, future business owners can use the services of an incorporating company that offer walk-in services to shorten (considerably) the turnaround time of their California filings.