● Florida · LLC Formation
How to Form an LLC in Florida
Form your Florida LLC in a no-income-tax state – CountSure files your Articles of Organization on Sunbiz, serves as your registered agent, and guards your May 1 annual report. No state income tax – and $125 to file on Sunbiz.
Requirements, costs & steps for a Florida LLC
Florida is one of the most popular states in the country to form an LLC – no state income tax, a fast online filing system (Sunbiz), and strong asset-protection laws draw hundreds of thousands of new businesses every year. It’s affordable to start at $125, but there’s one deadline you cannot miss: the May 1 annual report, which carries a strict $400 late fee. This guide covers the real costs, the filing order, and that deadline in plain terms. Want it handled for you? Our Florida LLC formation service files everything and tracks your annual report.
The short answer: To form a Florida LLC you file Articles of Organization with the Division of Corporations through Sunbiz for a $125 fee (includes the $25 registered-agent designation), and appoint a registered agent with a physical Florida street address. Online filings process in about 1–3 business days. Every Florida LLC then files a $138.75 annual report by May 1 – miss it and there’s a non-waivable $400 late fee. Florida has no state personal income tax.
You can verify the fees from official website of Florida – Click here to verify
● Key takeaways
What you need to know?
- Filing fee: $125 for Articles of Organization ($100 filing + $25 registered-agent designation), filed via Sunbiz.
- No state income tax: Florida has no personal state income tax - the biggest reason it’s a top formation state.
- Annual report - the trap: $138.75 due May 1; the $400 late fee is strict and CANNOT be waived. Administrative dissolution follows after the third Friday in September.
- Registered agent: Required - must have a physical Florida street address (no PO box), and the LLC cannot serve as its own agent.
- Asset protection: Florida offers strong protections - unlimited homestead exemption and charging-order protection for single-member LLCs.
Florida LLC at a glance
The essentials for forming and maintaining a Florida LLC.
⬤ Step by step
How to form a Florida LLC step by step
Choose and check your LLC name
Your name must include “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company,” and be distinguishable from existing Florida entities. Search the Sunbiz database. Note: Florida does not offer name reservation, so file when you’re ready.
Appoint a registered agent
File Articles of Organization with DLCP
Create an operating agreement
Get an EIN from the IRS
Free, and needed for banking, hiring, and taxes.
Register for state taxes if needed
Calendar your May 1 annual report
⬤ Naming & ownership
Naming & member requirements
A compliant name and a clear management structure keep your Sunbiz filing moving. Here’s what Florida requires.
- Required ending: “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company.”
- Restricted words: Terms implying banking, insurance, or regulated activity generally need approval.
- No name reservation: Florida does not offer a name-reservation process confirm availability on Sunbiz and file when ready.
- Minimum members: One - Florida allows single-member LLCs, which also get charging-order protection. No residency or age requirement.
- New - Protected Series LLCs: Effective July 1, 2026, Florida allows Protected Series LLCs one parent LLC creating multiple protected series, each with separate assets and liability shields.
Ongoing Florida LLC compliance & taxes
Annual report - $138.75, due May 1
This is the one deadline every Florida LLC owner must respect. File your annual report online through Sunbiz between January 1 and May 1 each year for $138.75. It’s an informational filing (contact details, registered agent, managers) – not a tax return. Your first report is due the year after formation. Miss May 1 and Florida adds a $400 late fee that, by statute, cannot be waived or reduced – nearly three times the report fee itself. Fail to file by the third Friday in September and the state administratively dissolves your LLC.
No state income tax
Florida is one of the few states with no personal income tax. LLCs taxed as pass-throughs (single-member or partnership) owe no Florida income tax at all. If your LLC elects C-corporation taxation, Florida’s 5.5% corporate income tax applies (on net income over $50,000).
Sales tax
If you sell taxable goods or services, register with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales tax – 6% state rate plus a county discretionary surtax that varies by location.
EIN and licenses
Get a free EIN from the IRS. Florida has no statewide general business license, but many counties/cities require a local business tax receipt (formerly “occupational license”), and some professions need state licenses.
Florida LLC cost breakdown
What you’ll actually pay to form and run a Florida LLC.
⬤ Expert view
Insight from our team
“Florida is one of the easiest states to recommend – no state income tax, fast Sunbiz filing, and genuinely strong asset protection. But I never let a client leave a kickoff call without circling May 1 in red. The annual report is only $138.75, but the late fee is a flat $400 that Florida legally cannot waive, and after September the state just dissolves you. It’s the single most common way Florida owners lose their LLC, and it’s completely avoidable. We calendar it the day we form the entity.”
Parth Shah
CountSure
⬤ Keep exploring
Related guides & services
- All state formation guides
Frequently asked questions
The state filing fee is $125 for Articles of Organization (that includes the $25 registered-agent designation). After that, the main recurring cost is the $138.75 annual report each May 1.
No. Florida has no personal state income tax, so LLCs taxed as pass-throughs owe no state income tax. Only LLCs taxed as C-corporations pay Florida’s 5.5% corporate income tax.
By May 1 each year, filed on Sunbiz. Your first report is due May 1 of the year after formation. Missing it triggers a non-waivable $400 late fee.
Florida adds a flat $400 late fee that cannot be waived or reduced. If you still don’t file by the third Friday in September, the state administratively dissolves your LLC, and you’d have to reinstate it.
Online Sunbiz filings typically process within 1–3 business days. Florida does not require newspaper publication or name reservation.
Yes. You must appoint a registered agent with a physical Florida street address (no PO box). You can serve as your own if you qualify, but the LLC itself cannot be its own agent.
Get Started
Start your Florida LLC with CountSure
From Articles of Organization on Sunbiz to your registered agent, EIN, and that all-important May 1 annual report, CountSure handles your Florida LLC end to end – so you never lose your entity to a missed deadline.
- Free 30-minute consultation with a CPA
- Fixed-fee, fully transparent pricing
- 100% remote - no travel or visa required
