Start an LLC in Florida · All 50 states
Florida is one of the busiest states for new LLCs, with no personal income tax and a simple online filing. The date that matters is May 1. Here is the process, the real yearly cost and who should form here.
By the Lobi Space compliance team. Current as of October 2026. Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice; we prepare and file documents at your direction.
Step by step
Five steps from name to EIN. We handle the filing steps for you at your direction, and you keep the decisions.
The name must include "Limited Liability Company", "L.L.C." or "LLC" and be distinguishable on the state's records. Search Sunbiz first: the Division no longer offers preliminary name searches or name reservations.
Your agent needs a Florida street address, not a P.O. box, and signs the articles to accept the appointment.
$125 covers the filing fee and the registered agent designation. The articles list the name, principal office and mailing addresses and the registered agent. Listing managers or authorized members is optional at this time.
Florida does not file your operating agreement. The IRS issues your EIN for free, and banks will ask for both.
$138.75 for an LLC. After May 1 a $400 late fee applies. If it is still not filed by the third Friday of September, the LLC is administratively dissolved a week later.
Want the general version first? Read how to set up an LLC and what every formation add-on actually is.
Costs
State fees only: what you pay once, what repeats and what is optional. You also need a registered agent in Florida. Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year, through our partner network.
Compare our service fees on formation pricing.
| Item | State cost | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization and registered agent designation | $125 | One time |
| Certified copy | $30 | Optional |
| Certificate of status | $5 | Optional |
| Annual report | $138.75 | Every year, January 1 to May 1 |
| Late annual report | $400 late fee, $538.75 in total | Only if filed after May 1 |
Privacy
At formation it can be. Listing managers or authorized members on the Articles of Organization is optional at this time, though the state's own form notes that banks and the Department of Financial Services generally require it.
The annual report is where Florida keeps the names and addresses of managers and authorized members up to date, and the Division's records are searchable online. Plan on at least one name being public once the company is running.
Federal reporting is not the issue it was: FinCEN's final rule of August 2026 removed beneficial ownership reporting for US companies and US persons. Read what changed in Anonymous LLC in 2026.
Timing
Florida's articles instructions do not list an expedite option. Filing online through Sunbiz is the usual route, and an acknowledgment letter is issued free once the LLC is registered.
You can set an effective date up to 5 business days before or 90 days after the filing date.
Names
Registered agent
Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year.
Is it right for you
Corporations
A Florida profit corporation pays a $35 filing fee plus the registered agent designation, and a $150 annual report, $550 if filed after May 1.
Florida's corporate income tax applies to entities taxed federally as corporations.
We file corporations too. Pro and Premium include bylaws and initial corporate documents.
Taxes and publication
The Florida Department of Revenue states that Florida does not impose personal income tax.
Florida's corporate income tax applies to entities taxed federally as corporations, not to an LLC taxed as a partnership or sole proprietorship.
Publication: Florida has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
Operating in Illinois
Forming in Florida does not take your company out of Illinois. If your Florida company has an office, staff or regular operations in Illinois, it generally has to register in Illinois as a foreign company before it does business here. For an LLC that is the Application for Admission to Transact Business, and the Illinois fee is $150, the same as forming a new Illinois LLC.
After that you pay both states every year: Florida's own annual costs plus the Illinois annual report, $75 for an LLC. You also need an Illinois registered agent with a street address here. That is the double cost most Illinois founders do not see coming, and it is why a business that only operates in Illinois is usually better off with an Illinois LLC.
If you do form in Florida and operate here, we can be your Illinois registered agent from our staffed office in Chicago.
We check the name, prepare the filing and send it at your direction. You get the documents and a team that answers the phone.
Filing service packages
One time service fees, prepared by a person you can call. The Florida state fee is passed through at cost and confirmed in your quote before anything is filed.
plus the Florida state fee, at cost
Your Florida LLC or corporation filed, with your EIN, by a team you can call.
Continue with StarterIncluded
plus the Florida state fee, at cost
Everything in Starter, plus the documents your bank asks for and a registered agent.
Continue with ProIncluded
plus the Florida state fee, at cost
Everything in Pro, plus your first annual report filed and the documents to run the company.
Continue with PremiumIncluded
All 50 states
Same packages, same team, any state. These are the guides founders ask us about most, with the state fee to file and the yearly cost to keep the company active.
Lobi Space is not a law firm, and no one on our staff, including our notary public, is an attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois. We prepare and file formation documents only at your direction, using the information you give us. We cannot give legal or tax advice, tell you which entity type to choose, or review your situation the way a lawyer would. For those decisions, talk to an Illinois attorney or a CPA.
Notice from our notary public (Illinois law, 5 ILCS 312/3-103)
I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN ILLINOIS. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DRAFT LEGAL DOCUMENTS OR RECORDS, NOR MAY I GIVE LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY MATTER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, MATTERS OF IMMIGRATION, OR ACCEPT OR CHARGE FEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.
Sources: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, checked October 2026. Written by the Lobi Space compliance team, current as of October 2026. State fees and rules change; we confirm the current fee before we file. This page is general information, not legal advice.
From $145 plus the Florida state fee. A person on our team checks the name, prepares the filing and sends it at your direction.
