All lenders licensed under the California Finance Lenders Law as of the end of the preceding calendar year must file an annual report with the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation by March 15 of each year, even if the lender has done no business in California with the license. Cal. Fin. Code § 22159. The report must be completed online on the DFPI’s website at https://docqnet.dfpi.ca.gov/. CFL licensed lenders that fail to meet this deadline are likely to have their licenses summarily revoked. The DFPI uses this report primarily to:

• Prepare its own annual report, Annual Report -- Operation of Finance Companies, mandated by Cal. Fin. Code §§ 22160 & 22692;
• To determine each licensee's annual assessment is based on income reported by the licensee as earned from activities conducted under the CFL license; and 
• To assess the licensee's compliance with the applicable statutory net worth requirement.

Separately, legislation enacted in 2023 requires any person engaged in the business of offering or providing commercial financing or another financial product or service to a small business, nonprofit, or family farm, as defined by California Code of Regulations, title 10, sections 1060(f), (h), and (i), whose activities are principally directed or managed from California is required to file an annual report by March 15 with the DFPI pursuant to the authority under the California Consumer Financial Protection Law. This is the first year in which a report is due. Importantly, a lender is not required to file this report if it is not a "covered provider" as defined in 10 CCR § 1060(e)(2) to the extent that it conducts its commercial financing under the authority of its CFL license. Cal. Fin. Code § 90002(b)(2). See also 10 CCR § 1062(d) ("A covered provider who is licensed under division 9 ( commencing with section 22000) of the Financial Code shall not include in the report required under this section information for activity conducted under the authority of that license."). CCFPL commercial financing annual reports must be submitted electronically through the DFPI Self-Service portal.