The cost to register a business in Florida starts at $125 for an LLC or $70 for a for-profit corporation, paid to the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) when you file your formation documents. That’s the baseline. Once you add the first annual report, a registered agent if you hire one, and the other filings most new businesses need, expect real first-year costs of roughly $300 to $700 for a typical LLC.
What Florida Charges to File
The state fee depends entirely on which entity you form. Every entity pays two mandatory line items: a filing fee for the formation document and a separate fee to designate a registered agent.
- LLC: $100 Articles of Organization + $25 Registered Agent = $1251Division of Corporations – Florida Department of State. LLC Fees
- For-profit corporation: $35 Articles of Incorporation + $35 Registered Agent = $702Florida Department of State. Fees – Division of Corporations
- Nonprofit corporation: $35 + $35 = $703Florida Department of State. Florida Non-Profit Corporation
- Limited partnership: $965 + $35 = $1,0004Division of Corporations – Florida Department of State. LP Fees
The corporation’s $70 is genuinely lower than the LLC’s $125 at formation, but the corporation’s annual report fee is higher, so the gap closes fast.
A business formed in another state that wants to operate in Florida registers as a “foreign” entity and pays the same amounts: $125 for a foreign LLC, $70 for a foreign corporation. A foreign LLC also has to submit a certificate of existence from its home state dated no more than 90 days before filing.5Online Sunshine. Florida Code 605.0902 – Registration to Do Business in This State That certificate’s cost varies by state but is typically under $25.
The Registered Agent Line
Every Florida LLC and corporation has to designate and continuously maintain a registered agent in the state to receive legal documents and official notices.6Online Sunshine. Florida Code 605.0113 – Registered Agent You can be your own agent for free if you have a physical Florida street address (no P.O. boxes) and can be there during business hours to accept service. The tradeoff is that your name and address become public record.
Commercial registered agent services typically run $100 to $300 per year depending on the provider and any extras they bundle in, like compliance reminders or mail forwarding.
The Annual Report You’ll Owe Next Year
This is the recurring cost that trips up new owners more than any other. Every Florida LLC, corporation, and limited partnership must file an annual report between January 1 and May 1 of each year after formation:
- LLC annual report: $138.75
- For-profit corporation annual report: $150.00
Miss the May 1 deadline by a single day and Florida adds an automatic $400 late fee.7Florida Department of State. Division of Corporations – File Annual Report A late LLC report costs $538.75 instead of $138.75. There is no grace period and no waiver process.
If you still haven’t filed by the third Friday of September, the Division administratively dissolves or revokes the entity at the close of business on the fourth Friday of September.7Florida Department of State. Division of Corporations – File Annual Report A dissolved business loses its liability protection, can’t enforce contracts in Florida courts, and may lose its name to another filer. Reinstatement costs $100 plus $138.75 per missed year for an LLC, or $600 plus $150 per missed year for a corporation.8Florida Department of State. File Reinstatement – Division of Corporations
Fictitious Name Registration If You Use a Trade Name
Any business operating under a name other than its legal name on file with Sunbiz has to register a fictitious name, commonly called a DBA. This is standard for sole proprietors and partnerships using a trade name, and it also applies to an LLC or corporation doing business under a name different from its articles. The state fee is $50.9Online Sunshine. Florida Code 865.09 – Fictitious Name Registration
Before filing, Florida law requires you to publish a notice of intent to register the name at least once in a qualifying newspaper in the county where the business is located.9Online Sunshine. Florida Code 865.09 – Fictitious Name Registration Publication costs vary widely by newspaper and county, typically $40 to over $100. The registration lasts five years, expiring on December 31 of the fifth calendar year, and renewal is another $50.
Federal Filings That Are Free
Two federal items apply to most new Florida businesses, and neither one costs anything.
An Employer Identification Number is issued by the IRS through a free online application and assigned immediately. You need it to open a business bank account, hire employees, and file federal taxes.10Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Ignore any third-party website that charges for this.
Beneficial Ownership Information reporting was originally required under the Corporate Transparency Act, but FinCEN revised the rules in 2025 to exempt all domestic entities and their U.S. beneficial owners. Only companies formed under foreign law and registered to do business in a U.S. state are now required to file.11FinCEN.gov. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting A standard Florida LLC or corporation no longer has to file a BOI report.
Other Costs to Budget For
Local Business Tax Receipt
Most Florida counties and many municipalities require a local business tax receipt (formerly called an occupational license) before you begin operating. These are set at the local level, due annually by September 30, and vary by jurisdiction and business type. Operating without a required receipt can result in a 25% penalty on the tax owed, with additional monthly penalties for continued delinquency.12Online Sunshine. Florida Code 205.053 – Local Business Tax Receipts Contact your county tax collector for the fee that applies to your category.
Operating Agreement or Bylaws
Florida doesn’t require LLCs to file an operating agreement or corporations to file bylaws with the state, but drafting them is strongly recommended. Without an operating agreement, Florida’s default statutory rules govern your LLC, and those defaults rarely match what the owners actually intended. Attorney fees typically run $500 to $1,500 for a straightforward business, more for complex ownership structures.
Sales Tax Registration
If your business sells tangible goods or certain services in Florida, register with the Florida Department of Revenue using Form DR-1. There’s no state fee for the registration itself.
Name Reservation
Optional. If you’re not ready to file but want to lock in a name, Sunbiz will hold it for 120 days for $25 (LLC) or $35 (corporation).2Florida Department of State. Fees – Division of Corporations Skip this unless you need time to finalize funding before formally filing.
First-Year Total for a Typical LLC
Mandatory state fees for a new single-member Florida LLC:
- Articles of Organization: $125.00
- First annual report (due by May 1 of the following year): $138.75
- EIN: Free
- State-only total: $263.75
Add a fictitious name ($50 plus publication) if you’re using a trade name, a local business tax receipt if your county requires one, and a commercial registered agent ($100–$300) if you don’t want to serve as your own. All in, first-year costs for a typical Florida LLC land somewhere between $300 and $700.