Florida LLC

How to Start an LLC in Florida

You can form your Florida LLC yourself, or you can hire a professional incorporation service like Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® to do it for you. Either way, the Florida LLC formation process involves filing Articles of Organization with the Florida Division of Corporations and paying a $125 state filing fee.

Naturally, we think you should hire us. We’re cheap and efficient, and we can help you shield as much of your personal information from the public record as the state allows. But if you still want to form your Florida LLC yourself after discovering more about the services offered by Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®, we can help you there too. This page isn’t just a sales pitch—it’s a helping hand—and we’re happy to share our expertise here free of charge.

Here are the main steps to starting an LLC in Florida:

1. Name Your Florida LLC

You should select a name for your business before you file your formation documents with the Florida Division of Corporations. You cannot register your name if it is already in use by another company, and if you submit your filing with a name that does not adhere to Florida’s naming rules for LLCs, your filing will be rejected. You can do a business name search with the Florida Division of Corporations (at sunbiz.org) to make sure your company’s name is available.

2. Choose a Florida Registered Agent

Every LLC operating in Florida must appoint a Florida registered agent. If you live in Florida, you can be your own registered agent, or you can hire a Florida registered agent service like Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®. We charge only $35 a year for our Florida registered agent service.

3. Submit Your Florida Articles of Organization

File your Florida LLC’s Articles of Organization with the state and pay the $125 state filing fee. Your Florida LLC’s articles can be filed online at sunbiz.org, or you can print the state form from the Florida Division of Corporation’s website and mail it in.

Your Florida LLC Articles of Organization will include the following information:

• The name of your Florida LLC, which must contain either “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC.”
• The mailing and street address of your Florida LLC’s principal office.
• The name and Florida street address of your LLC’s Florida registered agent (your Florida registered agent will also need to sign your Florida Articles of Organization).
• The names and addresses of each person authorized to manage or control your Florida LLC (including member-managers and non-member managers).
• Your Florida LLC’s effective date (if different from the filing date). The effective date can be up to 5 business days prior to or 90 days after the filing date.
• The $125 filing fee for the Articles of Organization and Designation of Registered Agent.

4. Create a Florida LLC Operating Agreement

You don’t necessarily need to have an operating agreement in place for your Florida LLC, but it’s a good idea to have one. Your Florida LLC operating agreement is the guidebook for how you’ll run your company, as it lays out important company details, such as the names and addresses of your initial members and their initial Florida LLC capital contributions, and the internal rules necessary to run your company as efficiently as possible.

Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® includes a free customized Florida LLC operating agreement with all LLC orders.

5. Get an EIN from the IRS

“EIN” means “employer identification number,” and your LLC is going to need one if you intend to hire employees or take advantage of the tax elections, such as the S corporation, available to Florida LLCs. You’ll also need an EIN to open a bank account for your Florida LLC. You can easily get an EIN through the IRS website, or you can hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC® to get one for you.

Order a Florida LLC

Why Hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®?

There are dozens of Florida LLC formation services out there to choose from, so why choose Sunshine Corporate Filings® to form your Florida LLC? Because we’ve balanced all the perks of the best LLC formation services with a reasonable price, including:

Florida Limited Liability Company FAQs

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Florida?

The main cost of starting an LLC in Florida is the $125 state filing fee for your Florida LLC Articles of Organization, but you’ll also need a Florida registered agent. Our Florida registered agent service costs $35 a year.

When you file your Florida Articles of Organization, you also have the option to get a Certified Copy of your FL Articles of Organization for $30 and a Certificate of Status for $5.

How long does it take to start an LLC 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 LLC, we’ll file your Articles of Organization online and get your Florida LLC formed within 8 business days.

What types of LLCs can I form in Florida?

You can form a Florida single-member LLC—owning and running the business yourself—or you can form a multi-member LLC. By default, the IRS treats the owners of single-member LLCs as sole proprietors and multi-member LLCs as partnerships for tax purposes, but your Florida LLC can also elect to be taxed as an S-corporation.

Do LLCs pay taxes in Florida?

Florida doesn’t have a state income tax, which means you won’t pay state income taxes on earnings from your Florida LLC. That doesn’t get rid of federal and local obligations, of course, but it does significantly reduce your Florida LLC Taxes, and it’s one of the main perks of starting an LLC in Florida.

Should I open a bank account for my Florida LLC?

You will need a business bank account to keep your Florida LLC’s finances separate from your personal finances. It’s a good idea to contact your bank to get clear about its requirements, but you can typically expect to bring the following items with you to the bank:

• A copy of your Florida LLC Articles of Organization
• Your Florida LLC Operating Agreement
• An initial resolution authorizing you (or a representative) to open the account

Can I form a Florida LLC if I live outside Florida?

You bet! You are not required to live in Florida to form an LLC in Florida. The only in-state requirement is that you’ll need to appoint a Florida registered agent with a physical location in Florida. That’s why we own the building we work out of in Florida—to ensure that our clients have a stable, secure, and permanent business address.

Does an LLC need a business license in Florida?

Florida requires most businesses, including most Florida LLCs, to get a Business Tax Receipt before doing business in Florida. The tax is administered at the county level, and the cost varies a little from county to county. Check with your local tax collectors office to determine your fees and requirements.

What is the Florida annual report?

The Florida LLC annual report is an informational report you’ll file each year with the Florida Division of Corporations. Both domestic LLCs and foreign LLCs registered in Florida must file a Florida annual report each year by May 1st.

The annual report fee for a Florida LLC is $138.75. You can file the report yourself online at sunbiz.org, or you can hire Sunshine Corporate Filings® to file your Florida annual report for you.

If you fail to file your Florida LLC’s annual report, your company might be dissolved by the Florida Division of Corporations. If this happens, you will need to reinstate your Florida LLC if you want to keep doing business in Florida.

Can Sunshine Corporate Filings® file my Florida LLC annual report?

Absolutely! When you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings® to form your Florida LLC, we’ll also serve as your Florida registered agent—and that means the Florida Division of Corporations will send us your 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.

What’s a Florida trade name?

A trade name—also called a DBA or a fictitious name—is a name you use for your business other than what’s listed on your formation papers. It’s sort of like a pseudonym. And if you use a trade name for your business, you’ll have to register it with the Florida Division of Corporations.

Can Sunshine Corporate Filings® register my Florida trade name for me?

Definitely! Inside your client account, select our Trade Name Service and we’ll register your trade name for just $150, including state fees. You can also request that we take care of the state’s publication requirement (see FL Stat § 50.011) for an additional $128. That brings your total to $278.

The nice thing about trade name registrations is they only have to be renewed every five years. And until your registration is up, we won’t charge you a thing.

Can I get Florida mail forwarding service with my Florida LLC?

Yes! We know that receiving your mail at an in-state address is a major concern for LLCs operating inside and outside Florida, which is why we offer three Florida mail forwarding service options to suit your needs:

• Our free limited mail forwarding option is already available when you hire us to form your Florida LLC, and it includes forwarding up to 5 pieces of non-state mail per year for free;
• Our Deluxe Florida mail forwarding package includes 25 non-state mail scans for $125 a year; and
• Our Premium Florida mail forwarding package includes unlimited mail scans for $225 a year.