FTB Form 3715: Domestic Corporation Request for Voluntary Administrative Dissolution

FTB Form 3715 is the document California domestic corporations use to request voluntary administrative dissolution through the Franchise Tax Board. It’s part of a streamlined process the state created for corporations that want to close down cleanly but don’t want to go through the full formal dissolution procedure involving the Secretary of State and a board/shareholder vote documented separately.

This form is issued by the California Franchise Tax Board and is available as a fillable PDF, meaning you can type your entries directly into the document before printing and submitting it. That said, accuracy matters here — this isn’t a routine filing, it’s a request that triggers the legal winding-down of a corporate entity in the eyes of the state.

What Voluntary Administrative Dissolution Means

Voluntary administrative dissolution is an option available to qualifying domestic corporations that meet specific criteria set by the FTB and the Secretary of State. Generally, this route is meant for corporations that have not conducted business for a certain period, have no remaining assets, and owe no outstanding tax liabilities that would need to be settled through a more formal winding-up process. If your corporation fits that profile, Form 3715 lets you request dissolution administratively rather than filing full dissolution paperwork with attached tax clearance certificates.

The benefit is simplicity. Instead of navigating separate filings with the Secretary of State and the FTB, this request consolidates the process, provided your corporation qualifies.

Who Needs This Form

This form applies specifically to domestic corporations — meaning corporations originally formed in California, not those formed elsewhere and merely registered to do business in the state. If your corporation is inactive, has stopped operating, and you want to formally close it out without ongoing franchise tax obligations piling up year after year, this is the form to look at.

It’s not meant for corporations that are still operating, have outstanding debts, or have unresolved tax assessments. In those cases, other dissolution paths — or first resolving compliance issues — would be necessary before this voluntary route becomes available.

When to Use Form 3715

You’d typically file this form once your corporation has stopped all business activity and you’ve confirmed there are no assets left to distribute and no unpaid taxes, penalties, or fees owed to the state. Filing it prematurely, while the corporation still has open liabilities, can result in rejection of the request or a request for additional documentation from the FTB before dissolution is approved.

Timing matters for another reason too: until the dissolution is finalized, the corporation typically remains on the hook for minimum franchise tax and annual filing requirements. Submitting this request as soon as your corporation qualifies helps stop that clock.

How to Get and Complete the Form

Form 3715 is available directly from the Franchise Tax Board’s website as a downloadable PDF with fillable fields. You can complete it on your computer, entering your corporation’s name, entity number, and other identifying details electronically before printing for signature and submission — since this type of request generally requires an authorized signature from an officer of the corporation.

Before filing, double-check your corporation’s status and any outstanding balances through the FTB’s online account services. If there are franchise tax balances due, those typically need to be addressed first, since unresolved liabilities are one of the main reasons voluntary administrative dissolution requests get denied.

If your corporation isn’t eligible for this streamlined process — for example, if it needs revival first because it was previously suspended — you may need to look at related filings, such as the Application for Certificate of Revivor for Corporations, before dissolution can move forward. Limited partnerships facing a similar situation would instead look at the Application for Confirmation Letter for Limited Partnership Revival, since Form 3715 applies only to corporations, not partnerships.

Once submitted, the FTB reviews the request against its records to confirm no taxes, penalties, or fees remain outstanding. If everything checks out, the dissolution is processed, and the corporation’s obligations to file and pay franchise tax going forward come to an end.