Start a Free LLC in Florida

Per the Florida Department of State, as of September 2026, Florida charges $125 to file the Articles of Organization. After that, the Annual Report costs $138.75 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Florida registered agent service, so year one costs $224.

The Division of Corporations does not publish a standard processing time for Articles of Organization. Florida does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Florida, choose an available name, appoint a Florida registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Florida Department of State for $125. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through Sunbiz e-file, or by mailing the paper Articles of Organization to the Division of Corporations. The Articles of Organization costs $125.

In Florida you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization (Form CR2E047) with the Florida Department of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $125.

No. Florida does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. The Division of Corporations does not publish a standard processing time for Articles of Organization.

Use the Florida Department of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Florida LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC", and must be distinguishable on the Department of State's records. A difference only in a suffix, an article (a/an/the), "and" vs "&", singular/plural/possessive form, or punctuation does not make a name distinguishable.

Your Florida LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC", and must be distinguishable on the Department of State's records. A difference only in a suffix, an article (a/an/the), "and" vs "&", singular/plural/possessive form, or punctuation does not make a name distinguishable. The rules are set by the Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act, Chapter 605, Florida Statutes.

No. Florida does not offer LLC name reservations. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Florida LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent must maintain a Florida street address (no P.O. box) and be either a Florida-resident individual or an entity authorized to transact business in Florida, with a business address identical to the registered office. The agent must sign a statement accepting the appointment.

Yes. A member, manager or other individual associated with the LLC can serve as its registered agent if they are a Florida resident with a Florida street address. The LLC itself cannot serve as its own agent. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Your registered agent must maintain a Florida street address (no P.O. box) and be either a Florida-resident individual or an entity authorized to transact business in Florida, with a business address identical to the registered office. The agent must sign a statement accepting the appointment. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Florida.

File the Statement of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both for Limited Liability Company (INHS18) with the Florida Department of State. The fee is $25.

Serving as your own Florida registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Florida registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Florida LLCs must file the Annual Report every year. The state fee is $138.75.

The Annual Report is due between January 1 and May 1 every year. Your first one is due between January 1 and May 1 of the year after your articles become effective. It is filed with the Florida Department of State.

Per the Florida Department of State, as of September 2026, the Annual Report state fee is $138.75. It is due between January 1 and May 1 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

A $400 late fee is added after May 1, and there is no provision to waive it. An LLC that still hasn't filed by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the third Friday in September is administratively dissolved the following Friday. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Florida has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs as such. Its 5.5% corporate income/franchise tax, with a $50,000 exemption, applies only to an LLC classified as a corporation for federal and Florida income tax purposes.

Florida has no personal income tax, so profits of an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity pass through to members without state income tax. Only an LLC taxed as a corporation files Florida Form F-1120, and a partnership-taxed LLC with a corporate member files Form F-1065. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

If you sell taxable goods or services, register with the Department of Revenue for a Certificate of Registration (Form DR-11) through the Florida Business Tax Application before making sales.

Before you hire, register with the Department of Revenue for reemployment tax through the Florida Business Tax Application or Form DR-1. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Florida regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Sunbiz: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Florida does not require an operating agreement, and nothing is filed with the state. Chapter 605 recognizes an agreement that is oral, implied, in a record, or a combination, to govern relations among members and managers. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Florida LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Florida or be a U.S. citizen to form a Florida LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Florida. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Florida allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

Yes. Florida allows protected series LLCs as of July 1, 2026: each series is created by filing a protected series designation, and its name must begin with the LLC's name and include "protected series", "P.S." or "PS".

Yes. Licensed professionals form a professional LLC under Chapter 621, Florida Statutes, the Professional Service Corporation and Limited Liability Company Act.

No. Florida does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Status from the Florida Department of State for $5. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Florida by filing the Application by Foreign Limited Liability Company for Authorization to Transact Business in Florida with the Florida Department of State. The fee is $125, and the LLC needs a Florida registered agent. A foreign LLC applying for authorization to transact business in Florida needs a certificate of existence from its home jurisdiction dated within the last 90 days.

File the Articles of Amendment to Articles of Organization with the Florida Department of State for $25. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Articles of Dissolution with the Florida Department of State for $25. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

Before registering a Fictitious Name for $50, advertise it at least once in a newspaper in the county of your principal place of business. Registration runs through December 31 of the fifth calendar year and is renewable. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Florida has no personal income tax, so profits of an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity pass through to members without state income tax. Only an LLC taxed as a corporation files Florida Form F-1120, and a partnership-taxed LLC with a corporate member files Form F-1065.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Florida it costs $125 to form and the Annual Report is $138.75 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Florida LLC costs $125 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Florida. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Florida for $125 and keep a Florida registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Florida registered agent service. The state still charges its $125 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $125 state fee: Florida LLC formation in year one, a Florida registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Report every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at New Filing Section, Division of Corporations, P.O. Box 6327, Tallahassee, FL 32314 (courier: The Centre of Tallahassee, 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303).

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Articles of Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.