How to start an LLC in Florida: a simple blueprint for beginners
You want to start an LLC in Florida, but the filing paperwork raises questions before you even file. What does a registered agent do? It accepts legal notices for your company. You’ll also submit Articles of Organization, the documents that create the LLC.
Prepare those details before filing. After Florida approves your LLC, address the federal tax requirements that apply to it. You’ll need to establish how the IRS will tax the company. Forming the LLC doesn’t settle that.
Below, you’ll find the steps to start an LLC in Florida explained for beginners, including what you’ll pay and what follows approval. You’ll also learn whether you need an employer identification number (EIN), your business’s federal tax ID, and when Florida requires you to file an annual report.
Quick answer: what does it take to start an LLC in Florida?
To start an LLC in Florida, choose a name that meets state rules, appoint a Florida registered agent, and file Articles of Organization with the Florida Division of Corporations through Sunbiz using Florida’s Articles instructions. The required state formation fee is $125. Florida’s approval creates your LLC. It doesn’t settle how the IRS will tax it or whether you need an employer identification number (EIN). Your business activities determine licensing and tax registration requirements. You’ll also file Florida’s annual report separately from tax filings.
Before you open Sunbiz, get these details ready
You’ll need the information below to start an LLC in Florida through Sunbiz’s filing form.
Your LLC name
Search Sunbiz for the name you want. It must be distinguishable from names in Florida’s records and include an accepted LLC designation, such as LLC or L.L.C. A search result doesn’t guarantee that Florida will accept your filing.
Your registered agent
Choose a person or business to accept legal notices for the company at a Florida street address. A P.O. box won’t qualify. The agent must accept the appointment, and the LLC itself can’t serve as its own agent. Florida’s filing instructions explain these requirements.
Addresses, management and effective date
Have this ready before filing:
- Your principal office’s street address.
- A mailing address, if different.
- Any optional manager or authorized representative information you decide to list.
- Your chosen effective date, within Florida’s permitted range, when you want the LLC’s existence to begin before or after filing.
For the mailing address, a P.O. box is allowed. Florida puts the information you submit in the public record, which anyone can view online through the state’s website.
How to start an LLC in Florida on Sunbiz
File the Articles of Organization
The Articles of Organization are the documents you submit to start an LLC in Florida. The state must accept the filing before it creates the LLC, subject to any permitted effective date you’ve requested.
List the LLC’s name and principal office street and mailing addresses. Include the registered agent’s name, Florida street address and written acceptance. These are the minimum contents under Florida law.
File online or by mail
You can start an LLC in Florida through either filing method:
- Complete Sunbiz’s online form or fill out the mailing application.
- Have an authorized representative sign the Articles. The registered agent must also accept the appointment.
- Send the Articles and payment to Florida’s Division of Corporations.
Check the email address you enter if you’re filing online. That’s where Florida sends approval or rejection notices, and you’ll need access to receive any messages about your filing. The Sunbiz filing page explains both submission options.
Keep the filing confirmation
Save the approved Articles and filing acknowledgment. Florida emails confirmation for online filings and mails it for paper submissions. Retain the document number and filing date, with any effective date on the confirmation.
If the filing is rejected
The rejection email explains what needs fixing. Return to the online filing using its tracking number and PIN, then make the required corrections.
Processing times change. Check Florida’s processing dates rather than relying on a fixed approval estimate.
If you need help preparing the submission, H&S Accounting & Tax Services offers formation help.
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Florida?
The required state fees to start an LLC in Florida total $125. The Florida LLC fees schedule lists the charges below.
| Cost | Amount | When or whether required |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $100.00 | Required at formation |
| Registered agent designation | $25.00 | Required at formation |
| Required formation total | $125.00 | Both required charges combined |
| Certificate of status | $5.00 | Optional |
| Certified copy | $30.00 | Optional |
| Annual report | $138.75 | Recurring state filing |
| Annual report received after May 1 | $538.75 | Total with late charge |
A Sunbiz screen showing $160 includes both optional documents: the $5 certificate of status and $30 certified copy. You can leave those out and pay the required $125. The certificate confirms the LLC’s status; a certified copy verifies the filed Articles.
Budget separately for the annual report. The $538.75 late amount is the annual report total after May 1, not an additional payment on top of $138.75.
What should you do after Florida approves the LLC?
Save the approved formation records
The paperwork you receive when you start an LLC in Florida includes the approved Articles of Organization and filing acknowledgment. Keep both, with the document number and effective date, in your LLC’s formation file.
Put an operating agreement in place
The Articles form the LLC. A written agreement lets you describe the rights and responsibilities of owners and managers, along with how to make future changes to the LLC’s rules. Keep it with your formation records. Read Florida’s rules on what an operating agreement covers.
Decide whether to get an EIN
An EIN (employer identification number) identifies your business for federal taxes. Employees or certain excise tax returns may require your LLC to get one. Those filings cover taxes on specific products or activities.
If your LLC has one owner and reports its activity on that owner’s federal return, check whether it has employees or owes applicable excise taxes. With neither, a separate EIN may be unnecessary for federal tax purposes. IRS guidance explains when this exception applies.
Federal rules aren’t the only consideration. A bank or state tax requirement may make an EIN necessary.
Get bookkeeping support if you need help recording the LLC’s income and expenses from the first transaction. Keep its banking separate from your personal account.
How will the IRS tax your Florida LLC?
Your LLC’s number of owners generally determines its default federal income tax treatment. An eligible LLC can request different treatment through a tax election, a formal choice you submit to the IRS.
When you start an LLC in Florida, you create a business under state law. That filing doesn’t automatically choose how the IRS will tax it.
| LLC situation | Default federal treatment | Possible election |
|---|---|---|
| One owner | Disregarded entity: the IRS includes the LLC's activity on the owner's income tax return | Corporate treatment, if eligible |
| Two or more owners | Partnership | Corporate treatment, if eligible |
Under IRS classification rules, an eligible LLC can use Form 8832 to elect C corporation treatment.
The LLC reports its business activity on Form 1065 when using partnership treatment. Schedule K-1 then shows each owner’s share of income, deductions and other tax items for their return.
For a one-owner LLC, the income tax rule doesn’t carry over to employment taxes or certain excise taxes on specific products or activities. The IRS treats the LLC separately for those taxes.
An eligible LLC uses Form 2553 to elect S corporation treatment. Form 1120-S is its tax return after the election takes effect. Your Sunbiz filing doesn’t make that election.
Which Florida registrations might still apply after formation?
Florida approves the LLC through Sunbiz. You’ll handle any tax registrations and licenses separately, based on business activities and operating location. When you start an LLC in Florida, check these separately:
- Florida tax registration. If you’ll sell taxable goods or services, you may need sales and use tax registration. For sales tax, Florida’s tax registration page explains the Florida Business Tax Application. You’ll provide the business’s activities, operating address and opening date. Check for employer registration too if the LLC plans to hire employees. Include those checks in your payroll setup.
- Professional or industry licensing. Some businesses and professions need a license from the appropriate Florida agency. Select your profession or business on the state’s licensing requirements page to find the application that applies.
- Local requirements. Business license and tax receipt rules can differ from one city or county to another. Check with both for your location.
Do Florida LLCs still have to file BOI reports?
No. As of the publication of this post, LLCs created under Florida law don’t have to file beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports, which identify the people who own or control a company. FinCEN guidance confirms the current exemption for all U.S.-created companies. This exemption concerns where the company was created; a company formed outside the United States and registered in Florida may still face reporting requirements.
Older formation articles and checklists may still tell you to submit a BOI report. Check that their instructions reflect the current rule before following them.
How do you keep a Florida LLC active?
File an annual report with Sunbiz each year to maintain active status. After you start an LLC in Florida, this filing becomes a recurring obligation.
- Deadline: File between January 1 and May 1 of the calendar year following your LLC’s filing date or, if listed, its effective date. Check your approved Articles of Organization to determine when your first report is due.
- Purpose: Update the LLC’s details through this filing or confirm they’re correct. Florida isn’t asking for a financial statement showing the business’s income or expenses. Sunbiz’s annual report instructions explain the filing.
- Fee: The annual report costs $138.75. After May 1, you’ll pay $538.75 altogether, including the regular filing fee. Don’t add $138.75 to that amount. Confirm the total in the LLC fee schedule.
If the report stays unfiled, Florida can eventually dissolve your LLC through its administrative process. The company then loses its active status.
Beginner mistakes that create avoidable problems
- Don’t treat a clear name search as approval. Wait for the state’s filing acknowledgment when you start an LLC in Florida.
- The information you enter becomes public. Consider what you’re submitting before putting personal details in the state filing.
- Your registered agent needs a Florida street address and must accept the appointment. A P.O. box won’t qualify.
- Certified copies and certificates of status are optional. Don’t count those charges as required formation fees.
- An LLC doesn’t automatically receive S corporation tax treatment. That requires a separate IRS election and eligibility.
- What you do and where you operate determine required tax registrations and licenses. Sunbiz doesn’t handle those.
- Set your annual report reminder when the LLC forms. It’s a recurring state filing, not a financial statement.
- An older BOI checklist may tell domestic Florida LLCs to file. Current FinCEN rules exempt U.S.-created companies.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start an LLC in Florida by myself?
Yes. If you’re authorized to file Articles, you can start an LLC in Florida yourself through Sunbiz. Check the Florida instructions for information and signatures your Articles need. Unusual ownership or unresolved management, tax or legal questions can justify professional advice. You may handle a straightforward LLC filing by yourself.
What's the yearly cost of keeping a Florida LLC active?
Florida’s current fees list $138.75 for the annual report. If the state receives it after May 1, the total is $538.75, including the regular fee. That’s the annual report cost only. Your business may have other yearly expenses, so don’t treat it as your entire operating budget.
Can I be my own registered agent in Florida?
Yes, if you’re an individual associated with the LLC and meet Florida’s registered agent requirements. You’ll need a physical Florida street address and must accept the appointment. A P.O. box doesn’t qualify. Being the sole owner doesn’t let the LLC appoint itself. You’d serve as an individual.
How soon can I expect to start an LLC in Florida?
There’s no guaranteed approval date. Sunbiz works through the filings in the order they arrive. Its current processing dates show which receipt dates staff are working on. Check the row for new Florida business filings and match the online or mail category to how you submitted yours.
Check these details before you submit the LLC filing
- Confirm the final legal name, including its LLC designation.
- Check the registered agent’s name and Florida street address, plus their acceptance.
- Verify the principal office and mailing addresses.
- Decide whether to list manager or authorized representative information.
- The effective date you’ve entered should match when you want the LLC’s existence to begin.
- Required fees total $125. Copies and certificates are optional.
- Confirm the correspondence email where Sunbiz will send notices.
If you’re ready to start an LLC in Florida but still have questions about ownership, tax choices or who makes decisions, get formation help before submitting. Review any setup obligations you haven’t resolved.
