NOTICE: The 2025 renewal cycle will open February 1, 2025, and close March 30, 2025. Annual fees will be due April 1, 2025.
Licensing fee increases
Planning to switch from active to inactive status? You must submit your Application for Transfer to Inactive by December 1, 2024, and the effective date must be on or before December 31, 2024, to qualify for the inactive fee in 2025.
See Notice on 2025 Fee Cycle Changes.
Payment of annual fees is due by April 1, 2025.
You can calculate your fees online through My State Bar Profile and then pay with a credit card or an electronic check from a checking/savings account (ACH). You can also print the invoice available after you calculate your fees to mail with a payment by check. Mailed payments must include a copy of the generated invoice. Use of My State Bar Profile will ensure compliance with rule 2.11 and avoid nonconforming payment penalties.
View frequently asked questions about paying fees.
Individual attorneys can make payments online through My State Bar Profile. Attorneys should make sure that the email provided for communications from the State Bar is current.
Law firms and agencies can use the State Bar’s Agency Billing application to calculate billing costs and make group payments.
To review any fee scaling eligibility, refer to rule 2.15 of the Rules of the State Bar of California. Pursuant to rule 2.15, active licensees who have a total gross annual individual income from all sources of less than $60,478.35 may request a twenty-five percent fee scaling reduction of annual fees. Requests to fee scale must include the required fee scaling declaration signed under penalty of perjury and payment of the reduced fee. The required fee scaling declaration may be submitted online through My State Bar Profile when calculating your annual fees. View Frequently Asked Questions about fee scaling.
To review any waiver eligibility, refer to rule 2.16 of the Rules of the State Bar of California. Pursuant to rule 2.16(c), licensees who have a total gross annual household income from all sources of $20,000 or less may request a fifty percent waiver of annual fees. A licensee may apply for a fifty percent waiver of payment of the annual fees by downloading and submitting the required Licensing Fee Waiver Application form.
Once payment of the annual license fees has been initiated, a paper bar card is available for download through My State Bar Profile. Plastic bar cards are available only upon request through My State Bar Profile. To download a paper bar card or order a plastic bar card, go to My State Bar Profile, and select “Bar Card, Payment Receipt(s), and Other Documents.”
After you have paid online, you will be able to access your online payment confirmation and receipt through My State Bar Profile under “Bar Card, Payment Receipt(s), and Other Documents.”
Please note that payments initiated by check will not generate an online receipt and take several business days to process and reflect in your record.
The 2025 State Bar annual license fees are due April 1, 2025. Late payments will incur the following penalties:
A transfer to inactive status requires submission of the Application for Transfer to Inactive form. Attorneys are only eligible to pay at the inactive rate if they transfer to voluntary inactive status by December 1, 2024, and the effective date must be on or before December 31, 2024, to qualify for the inactive fee in 2025. A change to inactive status after December 1, 2024 is permissible, however, the attorney must pay annual fees at the active rate and is not entitled to a refund because of the change to inactive status.
A transfer to active status requires compliance with the fingerprinting requirements and submission of the Request to Transfer to Active Status form. Additionally, if applicable, once the annual fees have been adjusted, payment will be expected promptly.
View more information and access the required forms.