Florida LLC Cost: $125 Filing + $138.75 Annual Report (2026)

Forming an LLC in Florida costs $125 to file Articles of Organization with the Division of Corporations ($100 filing fee + $25 registered agent designation), plus a $138.75 annual report due May 1 each year. Florida has no personal income tax, making it one of the most popular states for solo founders and remote workers — over 500,000 new LLCs file each year per the Sunbiz annual report. Year-one cost: $263.75. Five-year cost of ownership: $680.

Reviewed by Soft Crown Editorial Team — fact-checked against primary government sources • Last updated 2026-04-25 • 4 primary government sources cited

TL;DR

Florida LLCs file Articles of Organization via Sunbiz.org, the Division of Corporations’ online portal. The $100 filing fee plus the $25 registered agent designation equals $125 total at formation. The annual report is the catch — $138.75 every May 1, with one of the highest late penalties in the country: $400 if filed after May 1. Failure to file by September 1 results in administrative dissolution. There’s no state-level income tax for LLC owners (Florida is one of 9 no-income-tax states), so pass-through profits flow to your federal return without a state-level entity layer. Florida processes online Sunbiz filings within 24-48 hours — among the fastest in the country.

Florida LLC cost breakdown (2026)

Line item	Cost	Source
Articles of Organization	$100	sunbiz.org
Registered Agent designation	$25	sunbiz.org
Annual Report (due May 1)	$138.75	sunbiz.org
Late filing penalty (after May 1)	$400	sunbiz.org
Certified copy of Articles	$30	sunbiz.org
Certificate of Status	$5	sunbiz.org
Year 1 total (no add-ons)	$263.75
Year 2+ ongoing	$138.75
5-year total	$680

All figures verified 2026-04-25 from primary Florida state sources.

Why Florida is popular

The combination is hard to beat: $125 formation fee, no state income tax for owners, and a fast online filing system. Florida ranks #2 nationally in new LLC formations behind California per the Florida DOS Sunbiz annual report. The state has invested heavily in business-formation infrastructure — Sunbiz processes filings within 24-48 hours and offers a public records search, name reservation, and document retrieval all from one portal.

The downside: the $138.75 annual report is mid-tier (median state report fee is $50), and the $400 late penalty is among the harshest. Florida is unforgiving about missed deadlines — administrative dissolution kicks in after September 1 if the May 1 report wasn’t filed.

Filing steps (DIY, no service)

1. Pick a name — search Sunbiz at search.sunbiz.org. Names must include “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company.”
2. Designate a registered agent — must have a Florida street address (no PO boxes). You can be your own RA if you live in Florida.
3. File Articles of Organization — $125 total ($100 filing + $25 RA designation). File at efile.sunbiz.org.
4. Get a federal EIN — free at irs.gov.
5. Draft an operating agreement — not required by Florida law but recommended. Banks (Truist, Chase, BoA, Fifth Third) typically require one for business account opening.
6. Register for sales tax — if selling tangible goods, get a Florida Sales and Use Tax certificate (free) via floridarevenue.com. Registration takes 3-5 business days.
7. Register as employer — if hiring employees, register with the Department of Revenue for unemployment tax (free) and Department of Economic Opportunity for reemployment assistance.
8. Open a business bank account — Florida banks accept Sunbiz-filed Articles. Most need EIN letter, operating agreement, and personal ID.
9. File the annual report — due May 1 of each year via Sunbiz. $138.75 fee. Calendar this — the $400 late penalty is one of the harshest in the country.
10. Renew BOI with FinCEN — under the Corporate Transparency Act, beneficial ownership reports are due within 30 days of any change. Source: fincen.gov/boi.

Online filings via Sunbiz are typically completed within 24-48 hours. Mail filings take 7-10 business days. There’s no expedited filing option in Florida — online IS the expedited option.

Page-unique facts

• Florida has no state personal income tax. LLC pass-through profits flow to the federal return only. The Florida 5.5% corporate income tax applies only if you elect C-corp treatment. Source: floridarevenue.com.
• Florida ranks #2 nationally in new LLC formations. Approximately 500,000+ new LLCs file each year per Sunbiz. Source: Florida Division of Corporations annual report.
• The $400 late penalty is the highest in the country for missed annual reports. Most states charge $25-$200; Florida’s flat $400 is harsh by design.
• Sunbiz is the fastest filing system in the country. Online filings are typically processed within 24-48 hours. California (7-10 days), New York (1-2 weeks), and Massachusetts (5-7 days) are all slower.
• Foreign LLCs operating in Florida pay $125 to register + $138.75 annual. Same fees as domestic LLCs — Florida doesn’t penalize foreign qualifiers, unlike CA ($800 franchise tax).

Frequently asked questions

What is Florida’s annual report deadline?

May 1 of each year. Filed online at sunbiz.org. The annual report fee is $138.75. Late filing after May 1 incurs a $400 penalty — one of the harshest in the country. Failure to file by September 1 results in administrative dissolution of the LLC. Source: sunbiz.org annual report page, verified 2026-04-25.

Does Florida tax LLC profits?

Florida has no personal income tax, so LLC pass-through income (single-member disregarded or multi-member partnership) is not taxed at the state level for owners. C-corp election triggers Florida’s 5.5% corporate income tax. The $138.75 annual report is a flat fee, not a tax. Source: Florida Department of Revenue.

Why is Florida popular for LLC formation?

No state personal income tax + relatively cheap formation ($125) + fast Sunbiz processing (24-48 hours) + business-friendly regulation. Florida has historically ranked top 3 in new LLC formations per the Florida DOS annual report. Out-of-state founders also form Florida LLCs to take advantage of the income-tax-free environment, though this only saves money if they actually relocate to Florida (Florida won’t tax them anyway, but their home state still might).

Can I form a Florida LLC if I live in another state?

Yes, but consider the tax math. If you live and operate outside Florida, you’ll still owe income tax in your home state regardless of formation state. Florida-formed LLCs operating in California still owe the $800 California franchise tax via foreign qualification. Form Florida only if your operations have Florida nexus — otherwise the no-income-tax benefit is illusory.

What is Sunbiz, and why is it the only filing channel?

Sunbiz is the public-facing brand name of the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations’ online portal at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz. Florida moved to online-first filings in the mid-2000s and now accepts paper filings only as a backup; over 95% of Florida LLC formations go through Sunbiz directly. The portal is uniquely fast (24-48 hour turnaround is the standard, not expedited tier — Florida has no expedite option because the standard tier is already the fastest in the country). Sunbiz also offers two upgraded annual-report tiers (“Gold” $50 surcharge, “Platinum” $150 surcharge) that bundle certified-copy delivery and registered-agent services — these are widely ignored as unnecessary. The IRS treats Florida LLCs identically to any other state for federal purposes; see IRS Publication 3402.

What’s the actual cost of missing Florida’s May 1 annual report?

Florida’s $400 late penalty is among the harshest in the country, but the consequence escalates quickly: $138.75 if filed by May 1, $538.75 ($138.75 + $400) if filed May 2 to September 1, then administrative dissolution after September 1. Reinstatement after dissolution costs $100 + the missed $138.75 + $400 penalty + a $138.75 reinstatement fee = $777.50, plus the LLC loses its name reservation if anyone else has registered it during the dissolved window. Florida is unforgiving by design — the SBA local assistance directory lists Florida SBDC offices that offer free annual-report calendar reminders.

State quirk: Sunbiz, the fastest filing system in America

Florida’s Sunbiz portal (the Department of State’s brand for its online filing system) is the only state filing system that processes LLC formations in 24-48 hours as the standard tier — most states’ standard turnaround is 5-14 days, and same-day expedites cost $50-$300. Florida has no expedite option because there is no slower tier to expedite past. Florida is also one of only nine states with no personal income tax (along with AK, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY), which is the structural reason it ranks #2 nationally in new LLC formations behind California despite being the third-largest state. The annual-report fee structure is unique too: $138.75 base with optional $50 “Gold” and $150 “Platinum” upgrade tiers that bundle certified copies and RA service — both upgrades are widely considered unnecessary by Florida CPA associations.

Common mistake in Florida

The most expensive Florida LLC mistake is missing the May 1 annual report deadline because it’s not on the founder’s personal-tax-time radar. The $400 late penalty is one of the harshest in the country, and Sunbiz dissolves LLCs that don’t file by September 1 — at which point reinstatement runs $777+ plus loss of the name. Founders relocating to Florida for the no-state-income-tax benefit often forget the LLC has a separate annual deadline from federal personal taxes.

Sources

1. Florida Sunbiz / Division of Corporations — last verified 2026-04-25
2. Sunbiz e-File LLC Portal — last verified 2026-04-25
3. Florida Department of Revenue — last verified 2026-04-25
4. Sunbiz Corporate Records Search — last verified 2026-04-25
5. IRS Publication 3402 — Taxation of Limited Liability Companies — last verified 2026-04-25
6. SBA Local Assistance Directory (Florida SBDCs) — last verified 2026-04-25

About the author

Aissam Baidi is the founder and researcher behind llcformationcost.com. He verifies Florida LLC fees directly from sunbiz.org on a quarterly cycle. Connect on LinkedIn.

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Not legal advice. Estimates based on publicly available data from each state’s Secretary of State office. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.