How Administry Works
A step-by-step look at how Administry onboards your business, handles your filings, and keeps your operations running — without you doing the work.
Overview
Administry is a managed service, not a software tool. That means when you connect your business to Administry, we take on the operational tasks — you don't learn a new workflow, and you're not clicking through forms yourself. Here's exactly how it works.
Step 1: Intake & Business Profile
When you sign up, you'll complete a short intake questionnaire about your business:
- Business name and entity type (LLC, Corp, sole proprietor)
- California county where you operate
- Industry and type of business activity
- Ownership structure (for multi-member LLCs or corporations)
- Bank accounts and financial accounts you want connected
This information becomes your Business Profile in the Administry platform. Everything we do on your behalf flows from this profile — so accuracy here matters.
Step 2: Formation or Onboarding
If you're forming a new business, we file the paperwork with the California Secretary of State, prepare your operating agreement (for LLCs), obtain your EIN, and register your DBA if needed. See Company Formation for the full breakdown.
If you already have an existing business, we onboard your existing entity: we collect your current filings, set up your registered agent address, and get your compliance calendar up to date.
Step 3: Accounting Setup
Once your business profile is live, we set up your chart of accounts — a structured list of income, expense, asset, and liability categories tailored to your business type. We then connect to your bank accounts (read-only access via Plaid or manual upload) and begin categorizing transactions.
Within your first billing cycle, you'll have a clean, categorized transaction history ready to hand to your accountant or tax preparer. See Accounting for how this works in detail.
Step 4: Compliance Monitoring
Every California business has a set of ongoing filing requirements:
- LLCs must file a Statement of Information with the Secretary of State every two years (first one due within 90 days of formation), and pay the $800 annual minimum franchise tax to the Franchise Tax Board.
- Corporations file a Statement of Information annually.
- DBAs must be renewed every five years, and publication requirements must be met within 30 days of filing.
Administry monitors all of these deadlines and acts on them. You don't need to set reminders — we handle it and notify you when something's been filed or when a payment is due.
Step 5: Ongoing Operations
Once everything is set up, the platform runs in the background:
- Document Vault: All your official business documents — formation filings, EIN confirmation, bank statements, contracts — are stored, organized, and searchable in your vault.
- Invoicing: If you need to bill clients, Administry can generate and send invoices through Stripe or Square, and track payment status.
- Appointments: If your business involves scheduled services, your Administry calendar syncs via CalDAV with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or your existing booking tool.
- Business Phone: A dedicated business phone number routes calls to your personal phone, keeping your business and personal lines separate.
What You Actually Do
Your job is:
- Complete the intake questionnaire honestly
- Connect your bank account(s)
- Review monthly summaries and flag anything unusual
- Respond when we need clarification or a signature
That's it. Everything else is on us.
What Administry Doesn't Do
To be clear about scope:
- We don't provide legal advice or represent you in legal matters
- We don't file your federal or state income taxes (we prepare your books so your tax preparer can)
- We don't manage employees or payroll (yet)
- We don't replace a CPA for complex accounting situations
For the operational and administrative layer of running a California small business, Administry handles everything. For legal and tax strategy, you'll still want the right professional — but they'll have much better data to work with thanks to Administry.
Next Steps
- Set up your account — the quick-start guide
- Learn about formation
- Understand your DBA options