To form your LLC in Florida, you file the Florida LLC Articles of Organization with the Division of Corporations and pay $125. The form is one page. You can submit it online at efile.sunbiz.org or mail a paper version to Tallahassee, and once the Division approves it, your LLC legally exists and can open bank accounts, sign contracts, and do business.
What the Form Requires
Florida Statute 605.0201 asks for only three pieces of information, but a few optional fields are worth thinking through before you start.1Florida Statutes. Florida Code 605.0201 – Formation of Limited Liability Company; Articles of Organization
- An LLC name that includes “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC” and is distinguishable from every other entity name on file. Run a free search at sunbiz.org first.2Florida Statutes. Florida Code 605.0112 – Name
- A principal office address, meaning the physical street address where business records are kept, plus a mailing address if it differs.
- A registered agent’s name, Florida street address, and signed acceptance.
- Optionally, the names of managers or members authorized to act for the LLC. Listing them puts your management structure on the public record.
- Optionally, an effective date. It can’t be more than five business days before or 90 calendar days after the Division receives the filing.3Florida Department of State Division of Corporations. Florida LLC Articles of Organization Form
You don’t need to state a business purpose. Florida law presumes your LLC can engage in any lawful activity.
Picking a Registered Agent
Your registered agent has to be physically present at a Florida street address during normal business hours to accept lawsuits, subpoenas, and state notices.4Florida Statutes. Florida Code 605.0113 – Registered Agent You can name yourself, another member, or a manager, but that puts a home address on Sunbiz and requires someone to be reachable there every weekday. A missed delivery can mean a missed court deadline.
Commercial registered agent services keep your personal address off the public record and staff their offices to receive documents. They generally charge between $50 and $300 per year.
Filing Online
The fastest route is efile.sunbiz.org. Select the Florida LLC formation option, enter your name, addresses, registered agent details, and any optional fields, and submit. The system flags common problems, like a missing registered agent acceptance, before it takes your money.5Division of Corporations. Florida Limited Liability Company
Payment options include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit cards; Visa or MasterCard debit cards; and prepaid Sunbiz E-File accounts. You get a confirmation number as soon as the payment clears.
Filing by Mail
Download Form CR2E047 from the Division of Corporations website, fill it out, and print it. Mail the completed form with a check or money order payable to the Florida Department of State to:
Department of State
Division of Corporations
P.O. Box 6327
Tallahassee, FL 32314
If the payment amount is wrong or the check bounces, the Division returns the whole application unprocessed, so confirm the total before you seal the envelope.
What It Costs
Two fees are mandatory and paid together at filing:
- $100 filing fee
- $25 registered agent designation fee
That brings the required total to $125.6Florida Department of State. LLC Fees Two optional add-ons are available:
- $30 for a certified copy of the Articles
- $5 for a certificate of status
A certified copy is a stamped duplicate of your filed Articles, which some banks and lenders ask for when opening a business account. A certificate of status confirms the LLC is active and in good standing. Ordering both at filing brings the total to $160.7Division of Corporations. Fees
Processing and Approval
The Division processes filings in the order received, and the backlog moves. Don’t assume approval within a few days. Current processing dates are posted at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/document-processing-dates, and during busy periods delays of several weeks for online filings and two months or more for mailed filings are not unusual.8Florida Department of State. Document Processing Dates
Once approved, an electronic acknowledgment goes to the email address you provided, and your LLC appears in the Sunbiz searchable database at sunbiz.org. Certified copies and certificates of status arrive separately.
If the Division rejects the filing, you’ll get a notice identifying the statutory problem. The usual causes are a name that conflicts with an existing entity, a missing registered agent acceptance signature, or an incomplete address. You can fix the issue and refile, but you pay the fees again.5Division of Corporations. Florida Limited Liability Company
After Your LLC Is Approved
Approval is the legal birth of the LLC, not the finish line. A few follow-up steps should happen promptly.
Get an EIN From the IRS
Most banks won’t open a business account without a federal Employer Identification Number, and you’ll need one to hire employees or file certain tax returns. The IRS issues EINs free at irs.gov. The online application takes about ten minutes and gives you the number at the end. The tool is limited to one EIN per responsible party per day and isn’t available late at night or during parts of the weekend.9Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
Your LLC has to be officially formed with the state before you apply. The IRS will ask for your entity type, the LLC’s legal name and address, and the Social Security number of the responsible party, usually the managing member.10Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your EIN (Publication 1635)
Put an Operating Agreement in Writing
Florida doesn’t require an operating agreement, but skipping one is a mistake, especially with more than one member. The agreement spells out ownership percentages, how profits and losses are split, voting rights, and what happens if a member leaves or the company dissolves. Without it, those questions default to the rules in Chapter 605 of the Florida Statutes, which may not match what you and your co-owners agreed to. Single-member LLCs benefit too, because a written agreement reinforces the separation between owner and entity.
Know How the IRS Will Tax You
The IRS doesn’t have its own tax category for LLCs. A single-member LLC is treated as a sole proprietorship by default, with income flowing to the owner’s personal return. A multi-member LLC is treated as a partnership, with each member reporting a share of income on their own return.
To be taxed as an S corporation instead, file IRS Form 2553 no later than two months and 15 days after the beginning of the tax year you want the election to cover. Filing late can push the election to the following tax year.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2553
Calendar Your Annual Report
Every Florida LLC has to file an annual report with the Division of Corporations to stay in good standing. It costs $138.75 and is due by May 1. Filing after that triggers a $400 late fee. If you still haven’t filed by the third Friday in September, the state starts administrative dissolution proceedings, which effectively kills the LLC until you fix it.12Division of Corporations. File Annual Report
Your first annual report is due the calendar year after formation. File your Articles in October 2026, and your first annual report is due May 1, 2027. Reports are filed online through Sunbiz and take a few minutes if nothing has changed.