[0:00] The short answer

Dan: To start an LLC in Florida, you file Articles of Organization with the Florida Division of Corporations on Sunbiz and pay the $125 filing fee.

Maya: Is that the whole startup cost?

Dan: For the state, yes. It's $100 to file, plus $25 to designate your registered agent. But Florida also wants an annual report between January 1 and May 1 every year, and that one costs $138.75.

Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today we're taking Florida through six steps for 2026, with the real numbers, and then the three best ways to have it filed for you. Where do people start?

[0:43] Step 1: Choose a name

Dan: The name. It has to say Limited Liability Company, L.L.C., or LLC, and it has to be distinguishable from every name already on file with the Division of Corporations.

Maya: What does distinguishable mean in practice?

Dan: Small changes don't help. Adding the word "the," an ampersand, a plural, or punctuation won't make a taken name available.

Maya: So how should I check?

Dan: Search your idea on Sunbiz. It's free. The Division doesn't pre-check names for you, so the search is on you.

[1:15] Step 2: Name a registered agent

Maya: Next, the registered agent.

Dan: In Florida it's a Florida resident, or a business authorized in Florida, with a Florida street address. You put it in Article 3 of your Articles of Organization.

Maya: What's off limits?

Dan: P.O. boxes. And your LLC can't be its own agent.

Maya: Who signs?

Dan: The agent. They sign the Articles to accept the job. Their name and address then go on the public Sunbiz record.

Maya: So it's not private.

Dan: No, and that's why many owners pay a commercial agent instead of listing a home address.

Maya: What if I change my mind?

Dan: Changing agents is form INHS18, and the fee is $25.

[1:58] Step 3: File Articles of Organization

Maya: Where does the filing happen?

Dan: At sunbiz.org, or by mail. The form is CR2E047.

Maya: And the $125?

Dan: Remember the split. $100 to file, and $25 for the registered agent designation. Online, you choose Start E-Filing, then Limited Liability Company, and pay by card. By mail, you send a check.

Maya: What does the form ask?

Dan: Your company name, your principal office, and your registered agent. Listing managers is optional, though the Division notes that most banks want them on record.

Maya: Can I pay to rush it?

Dan: No. Florida doesn't sell an expedite. Sunbiz works through filings in the order they arrive, so allow at least a week.

Maya: Any tips from the form?

Dan: One. Your first annual report is due the year after you form. If you're forming in December, you can set a January 1 effective date, and that first report moves out a year.

Maya: Okay, one more thing. I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan.

Dan: Good to have you with us, Maya.

[3:01] Step 4: Write an operating agreement

Maya: Do I send my operating agreement to Sunbiz?

Dan: No. Keep it with your records. It isn't filed with the Division of Corporations, and there's no state fee.

Maya: So is it optional?

Dan: Florida's LLC Act even recognizes oral or implied agreements. That's the case for writing it down: who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what happens when a member leaves.

[3:26] Step 5: Get a free EIN

Maya: What about the federal tax number?

Dan: Apply for an EIN free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after Sunbiz has filed your Articles.

Maya: What do I need?

Dan: The Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge. The online application issues the number right away if it's approved.

Maya: Any reason to do it early?

Dan: Yes. Florida's annual report asks for it.

Maya: And the beneficial ownership report?

Dan: Skip it. FinCEN no longer requires it from U.S. companies.

[3:59] Step 6: File the annual report by May 1

Maya: What about the yearly work?

Dan: An annual report with the Division of Corporations, filed online through Sunbiz between January 1 and May 1. It costs $138.75.

Maya: Why such a specific number?

Dan: It's a $50 report fee plus an $88.75 supplemental fee. And the first one is due the year after you form.

Maya: What if I miss May 1?

Dan: Florida adds a flat $400 late fee, with no waiver. If it's still not filed by the third Friday in September, the state dissolves the LLC.

Maya: So the real deadline is earlier than it looks.

Dan: May 1 is the line to watch. Most people set the reminder in January.

[4:46] What it costs

Maya: Total it up for me.

Dan: $125 to form it, then $138.75 a year for the annual report. The EIN is free, and there's no expedite to buy.

Maya: And if I'm late?

Dan: It becomes $538.75. That's the $138.75 plus the $400 late fee.

[5:11] Timing a December formation

Maya: Back to that December tip. Why does the date matter?

Dan: Because the first annual report is due the year after you form. Form in December, and your first report is due in just a few months.

Maya: And the effective date changes that?

Dan: The form lets you set a January 1 effective date. Then the LLC counts as formed in the new year, and the first report moves out a year.

Maya: Is that worth doing?

Dan: If you form late in the year, it's the easiest bit of planning in the whole process, and it costs nothing.

[5:40] Three years of state fees

Maya: Let's put numbers on a three-year view.

Dan: Year one is $125, to form. Years two and three are $138.75 each for the annual report. That's $402.50 in state fees over three years.

Maya: And that's doing it all yourself, with your own registered agent.

Dan: Right, assuming you act as your own agent at a Florida street address. Add a paid agent and the number rises from there.

Maya: How does Mainstay stack up?

Dan: $199 a year for three years is $597, and the $402.50 of state fees stays the same. So $999.50 in all, with the agent and the report filing included.

Maya: And the others?

Dan: $199 in year one, then $99 in years two and three, is $397. With the same $402.50, that's $799.50 if you file the report yourself.

[6:49] The 3 best ways to file in Florida

Maya: And for someone who doesn't want to file anything?

Dan: There are three good options. Number one, our pick for Florida, is Mainstay Filing: $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $125, checkout comes to $324.

Maya: What does the $199 cover?

Dan: Your Articles filed on Sunbiz, your EIN application, and a registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. In Florida, that also covers your annual report, prepared and filed before May 1 each year. You pay only the $138.75 state fee.

Maya: And number two?

Dan: FL Registered Agent.org. It files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, and its registered agent service is free for the first year. After that, it's $99 a year.

Maya: Number three?

Dan: Florida Registered Agent.io. The same deal: $199 plus the state fee, a free first year of registered agent service, then $99 a year.

Maya: Why is Mainstay first if two and three get cheaper?

Dan: Because of the report. If you'll file your own annual report each spring, two and three cost less from year two, at $99 for the agent alone. If you'd rather have the agent and the report handled together at one price, that's Mainstay. The $138.75 is the same either way.

[8:22] Recap

Maya: Give us the whole picture one more time.

Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name a registered agent with a Florida street address, file your Articles of Organization on Sunbiz for $125, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file the $138.75 annual report between January 1 and May 1 every year.

Maya: The links to all three services, and the official sources, are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new Florida LLC.