Incorporate in Florida

What Is a Florida Corporation?

A Florida corporation is a business entity formed in Florida with a legal existence separate from its owners, called shareholders, who own shares of the company’s corporate stock. Incorporating in Florida grants your business the ability to enter into contracts, pay taxes, and take legal actions on its own behalf—a great way to separate the interests of your Florida corporation from your personal assets.

When you incorporate in Florida, your business is governed by its corporate bylaws, which describe the ownership of the company and how it is administered. Although a corporation’s management structure isn’t as streamlined as that of an LLC, the corporate structure is trusted the world over and commands the kind of respect you’ll likely need to attract investors as your company expands and grows.

But the benefits of incorporating in Florida don’t stop there:

Florida Incorporation Benefits

• Low state filing fees
• Stellar limited liability protections
• No minimal capital requirements
• Low corporate income tax rate
• Only one director needed

When you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings® to incorporate your business in Florida, you’ll get these benefits and more. Our Florida incorporation service includes the free use of our Florida business address on your articles of incorporation and annual reports, one full year of our Florida registered agent service, and the lifetime support of our Florida incorporation experts.

The above just scratches the surface of what we can do. We own the building where we work, and that opens a lot of doors for your business. Need mail forwarding? Can do. Looking to rent dedicated office space from us as your company grows? We’ve got you covered.

How to Incorporate in Florida

To incorporate in Florida, you must file Articles of Incorporation with the Florida Division of Corporations and pay $70 in state filing fees. You can file these documents yourself if you’re willing to take the risk, but we recommend hiring a professional incorporation service like Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® to do it for you.

Here are the main steps to starting a corporation in Florida:

1. Name Your Florida Corporation

You’ll need to choose a name for your Florida corporation before registering with the Florida Division of Corporations, and you’ll need to make sure your corporation’s name isn’t already taken. Fortunately, you can do a business name search at Florida’s sunbiz.org to make sure your company’s name isn’t being used by someone else.

In general, your Florida corporation’s name must meet the following requirements:

• Your Florida corporation’s name must include “Corporation,” “Incorporated,” “Company,” or their abbreviations (“Corp.,” “Inc.,” or “Co.”).
• Your Florida corporation’s name cannot contain words that suggest it is a government agency (such as “State Department,” “Treasury,” “FBI,” etc.).
• Certain words, such as “University,” “Bank,” and “Attorney,” may require a member of your Florida LLC to be a licensed professional in that practice and file additional paperwork.

2. Appoint a Florida Registered Agent

All corporations operating in Florida are required to have a registered agent with a street address in Florida. You can be your own registered agent if you reside in Florida, but you can also hire a commercial registered agent service. At Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®, we only charge $35 a year for our Florida registered agent service. You can also hire a commercial registered agent service.

Your best bet, though, is to hire a service that actually owns a commercial building in Florida because it ensures privacy, stability, and security. That’s us. At Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®, we only charge $35 a year for our Florida registered agent service.

3. File Your Florida Articles of Incorporation

To register your Florida corporation with the state, you need to file a form called Florida Articles of Incorporation with the Division of Corporations and pay a $70 state filing fee. You can print the state form and file by mail, but it’s a lot easier to submit your Articles of Incorporation online at the MyFlorida Sunbiz website.

Your Florida corporation’s Articles of Incorporation will include the following:

• The name of your Florida corporation
• The street address of your Florida corporation’s principal office (and its mailing address if different)
• A statement of purpose if your business is a professional corporation—a business providing state-licensed services, such as legal services or medicine (this is optional for most Florida corporations)
• The number of shares of stock your Florida corporation is authorized to have
• The names and addresses of your Florida corporation’s directors and/or officers (including this information is optional)
• The name and address of your corporation’s Florida registered agent (that’s us when you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®)
• The name and address of your Florida corporation’s incorporator—the person who prepares and signs your Florida Articles of Incorporation (that’s also us when you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings®!)
• Your Florida corporation’s effective date—the date of its official creation—if different from the filing date (your effective date can be no more than 5 days prior to and no more than 90 days after your filing date)
• The $70 state filing fee

4. Write Your Florida Corporation’s Bylaws

All Florida corporations must create and adopt corporate bylaws. Your Florida corporate bylaws will dictate the ownership of your Florida business, lay out a plan for how your business will be managed, and determine your corporation’s initial shareholders and their rights and responsibilities. Your corporate bylaws will also assign your initial board of directors and corporate officers (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, etc.).

Need help getting started? Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® includes a free customized corporate bylaws with all Florida corporation orders.

5. Hold Your Florida Corporation’s Initial Meeting

Not long after incorporating, you’ll need to hold the first meeting of your Florida corporation’s board of directors. Your initial shareholder meeting is an opportunity to adopt corporate bylaws, select where your corporation will bank, and issue stock.

6. Obtain an Employer Identification Number

The IRS requires all corporations to obtain an employer identification number (EIN), even if your corporation doesn’t or won’t have any employees. You can get an EIN for free through the IRS website, but if you’d rather not deal with the IRS, you can hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® to get one for you.

How do I authorize stock for my Florida corporation?

When you incorporate in Florida, you will need to authorize stock for your corporation. This is done on your Florida Articles of Incorporation. Shares of stock are how the ownership of your Florida corporation is determined. Every individual or entity that owns shares of your stock is an owner of your company.

You can authorize different classes of stock, though you do not have to do so. A Florida corporation might authorize both Common Stock and Preferred Stock. Common Stock would designate ownership and come with very basic voting rights. Preferred Stock would be stock with special rights, which could be any rights you wish to confer. Preferred Stock might come with (or without) special voting rights, or it might guarantee that the value of those shares can never drop below a certain point, or that owners of those shares will receive special dividends on a regular basis.

When authorizing stock, you will also need to determine a par value for your shares. Par value is not the actual value of the stock, but rather the lowest price for which a particular share of stock can be sold. If you set the par value of your Common Stock at $1, that means the shares could never be sold for less than $1.

Authorizing stock is not the same as issuing stock. Authorizing stock is the act of creating shares. Issuing shares is the process of allocating those shares to owners. You do not issue stock on your Articles of Incorporation. You issue initial stock in your corporate bylaws, and the issuing is approved at your Florida corporation initial shareholders meeting.

Order a Florida Corporation

Why Hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®?

There are numerous Florida incorporation services to choose from, so why pick Sunshine Corporate Filings® to form your Florida corporation? Because we’ve created and priced our services with the small business owner in mind, and at $140 we offer one of the fastest, easiest ways to incorporate your business in Florida.

Plus, because we’re a business located in Florida, hiring Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® comes with perks rarely available through our national competitors, including:

Why We Include a Florida Mailing Address

At Sunshine Corporate Filings®, we care about your privacy and your ability to conduct business in Florida. That’s why we include a Florida mailing address as part of our incorporation service. Having a Florida mailing address for your corporation has numerous advantages, most notably enabling you to keep your private information off documents available to the public.

Can I get a Florida mail forwarding service with my Florida corporation?

Yes. We know receiving mail at an in-state address is an important concern for many corporations operating in Florida, which is one of the reasons we purchased a building in Florida and created three Florida mail forwarding service options to fit our clients’ needs:

1. Our free Florida mail forwarding service is already available when you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings® to be your Florida registered agent. Our free Florida mail forwarding service includes up to 10 pieces of non-state mail per year.
2.  Our Deluxe Florida mail forwarding service includes 10 more non-state mail scans for $49 a year—perfect for a business that’s growing.
3. Our Premium Florida mail forwarding service package includes 25 more non-state mail scans for $99 a year.

Or, if you’re looking for the most comprehensive and affordable package, you can check out our Florida Virtual Office package. For $19/month, you get unlimited digital mail scans, a Florida phone number, and an office lease—everything you need to establish a stable and professional local presence without being tied to one spot.

Florida Incorporation FAQs

How much does it cost to incorporate in Florida?

When you incorporate in Florida, you’ll pay the $70 state filing fee, but you’ll also need to appoint a Florida registered agent. Our Florida registered agent service comes to $35 a year—one of the lowest yearly prices you’ll find.

Your Florida corporation also has the option to pay $8.75 for a Certificate of Status, and you can get a Certified Copy of your Florida Articles of Incorporation as well. The Florida Division of Corporations charges $8.75 for a Certificate of Status, plus $1 per page for each page over 8 (with a maximum of fee of $52.50).

How long does it take to start corporation in Florida?

Florida typically processes online filings in around 8 business days, and paper filings can take a week or so longer. When you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings® to form your Florida corporation, we’ll file your Articles of Incorporation online.

Can I form a corporation in Florida if I don’t live here?

Yes! You don’t need to be a resident of Florida to start a corporation in Florida—but you do need a Florida registered agent with a physical location in Florida. Naturally, we recommend hiring Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® because we’re local specialists working out of the building we own in Florida. You’re not going to find that kind of stability and security elsewhere.

Can I incorporate in Florida anonymously?

No. A Florida corporation cannot be anonymous or private. If Florida business privacy is a major concern for you, you might consider setting up a Florida Double LLC™ instead. Our special Florida Double LLC™ package will keep your name and address off records available to the public.

How do I get a DBA for my Florida Corporation?

A trade name—also known as a DBA or a fictitious name—is any name you use for your business other than its legal name (the name listed on your formation papers). In that sense, it’s like a pseudonym. But you can’t just pick a new name for your company and start using it at will. You must register any active trade names with the Florida Division of Corporations.

Can Sunshine Corporate Filings® register my Florida trade name?

Absolutely. Just select our Trade Name Service at inside your account, and we’ll register your trade name with the state for you. The cost is $150 (including state fees). You can also ask us to take care of the state’s publication requirement (see FL Stat § 50.011) for an additional $128.

So, for full Trade Name Service including publication, you’re looking at $278 for a registration that will last five years.

How do I dissolve a Florida corporation?

You can dissolve a Florida corporation by filing Articles of Dissolution with the Florida Division of Corporations. There is a $35 filing fee. You can submit Articles of Dissolution by mail, but the easiest way to dissolve your Florida corporation is online at Florida’s Sunbiz.org.

How will my Florida corporation be taxed?

Your Florida corporation’s first $50,000 in income is exempt from the state’s corporate income tax—which is one of the biggest perks to starting a corporation in Florida. Otherwise, Florida’s corporate net income tax rate is currently 4.458%.

Florida’s state sales tax rate is 6%. However, Florida’s counties can add up to 2% in sales tax, so your Florida corporation’s total sales tax rate could range between 6% and 8%.

Learn more at our guide to Florida Corporate Taxes.

Should I open a corporate bank account?

Every corporation needs a corporate bank account, and you’ll need to present the following documents (at the least) to make that happen:

• A copy of your Florida Articles of Incorporation
• Your corporate bylaws
• Your Florida corporation’s employer identification number (EIN)
• A resolution authorizing you (or a representative) to open the account

Does a Florida corporation need a business license?

Yes. Your Florida corporation needs to get a Business Tax Receipt before doing business in Florida. The tax gets handled at the county level, and the cost may vary from county to county. It’s best to check with your local tax collectors office to determine your corporation’s requirements and fees.

What is the Florida annual report?

Every corporation registered in Florida must file a Florida Corporation Annual Report with the Florida Division of Corporations. This report is due by May 1st each year. It can be filed online at Florida’s Sunbiz.org. There is a $150 filing fee.

What if I don’t file my Florida annual report?

A Florida corporation that fails to file its annual report will get fined $400. If the corporation still neglects to file the report, the Florida Division of Corporations will administratively dissolve the corporation. If this happens, you will need to reinstate your Florida corporation to continue doing business.

Can Sunshine Corporate Filings® file my Florida annual report?

Yes! When you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings® to incorporate your business in Florida, we’ll be your Florida registered agent—so the Florida Division of Corporations will send us your corporation’s annual report notifications each year.

We carefully track these annual requirements and will automatically inform you of any upcoming deadlines, but we also provide our Florida annual report renewal service for $100 a year. Hiring Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® to file your Florida annual reports will help ensure your business never falls out of good standing with the state.