How to start an LLC in Florida: Costs and privacy
Amounts last verified on August 30th 2026
Michel Myara is co-founder and product designer at looch, where he designs the ecosystem small businesses use to get paid and manage spend while keeping penny-perfect books.
Starting an LLC in Florida is straightforward, but it isn’t private
To start an LLC in Florida, file Articles of Organization with the Florida Division of Corporations, appoint a Florida registered agent, get an EIN, and stay on top of the annual report. The important tradeoff is public records: The manager or authorized person named on the filing appears on Sunbiz.
Florida can be a practical home state for an operator who lives and works there. The filing is online, the state doesn’t tax pass-through income at the personal state level, and there’s no general statewide business license. But an approved LLC’s only the legal shell. You still need the documents, address, tax ID, and account setup that let the business actually take money and operate.
This guide explains how to start an LLC in Florida, what the state filing requires, and where founders tend to get stuck after formation.
Florida’s basic LLC costs are clear, but annual compliance matters
The state filing fee is $125, made up of a $100 filing fee and a $25 registered agent designation fee. That’s the state minimum for a founder filing directly.
| Florida LLC item | What the page states |
|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $125 total: $100 filing fee plus $25 registered agent designation fee |
| Name reservation | $25, optional |
| Annual report | $138.75 |
| Late annual report fee | $400 after the deadline |
| Mail registration for sales tax | $5 |
The state’s fee schedule is available through the Sunbiz fee schedule. If you want to reserve a name before filing, the optional reservation costs $25 and holds the name for 120 days.
Florida requires an annual report beginning the calendar year after formation. The fee is $138.75, due between January 1 and May 1. Missing the deadline adds a $400 late fee. If the report is not filed by the third Friday of September, the state administratively dissolves the LLC.
That annual report isn’t busywork. It is one of the easiest ways for an otherwise healthy business to lose its good standing. Keep the deadline in your operating calendar, and check our tracker of LLC filing fee and deadline changes when you need a current view across states.
Your LLC name needs to be available before you file
Your Florida LLC name must include “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC,” or “L.L.C.” It can’t be the same as, or confusingly similar to, an existing Florida entity name.
Start with the Sunbiz name database. The search is free. If your preferred name is available and you aren’t ready to file, the optional $25 reservation gives you time to prepare the rest of the filing.
Your entity name will be public on Florida filings. That’s true whether you file yourself or use a formation service. The more consequential privacy question is what personal information you put alongside it.
A Florida registered agent keeps legal mail moving, not your identity anonymous
Every Florida LLC needs a registered agent with a physical Florida street address. A P.O. Box doesn’t meet the requirement. The agent must be available during normal business hours to receive official documents.
You can act as your own registered agent, appoint someone you trust with a Florida address, or hire a registered agent service. The right answer depends on whether you want legal mail arriving where you live and work.
Florida Division of Corporations filings are publicly searchable through Sunbiz. The registered agent address appears in that record. If you list your home as the registered agent address, your home address becomes publicly searchable.
A registered agent service puts a business address on the filing instead. It doesn’t make a Florida LLC anonymous, because Florida still requires public information about the people authorized to act for the business. It does help separate your home from the business record.
looch Start includes a registered agent with a real business address. It renews at $49/year after the first year.
Florida puts an authorized person or manager on the public record
File Articles of Organization through efile.sunbiz.org or by mail. The online form asks for the LLC name, principal address, registered agent details, and the name and address of at least one authorized person or manager.
That last requirement is the Florida-specific point to understand before you form: The manager or authorized-person name and address in the Articles of Organization become public record on Sunbiz. This isn’t an optional field or a formation-service problem. It’s part of Florida’s filing system.
The state’s own Articles of Organization instructions explain what the filing requires.
Florida differs from states that offer more entity-level privacy. Delaware and Wyoming can be worth considering when privacy is central to the ownership structure. Our Delaware LLC vs Wyoming LLC comparison explains those tradeoffs. But forming elsewhere doesn’t necessarily avoid Florida filings. If you operate in Florida, you may still need to register there as a foreign LLC, creating another compliance obligation and another public record.
The practical privacy move for many Florida founders isn’t pretending the public record does not exist. It’s using a business address where the form allows one, keeping a home address off the filing where possible, and understanding exactly what information Florida publishes.
An operating agreement gives the LLC its internal rules
Florida doesn’t require an operating agreement by law. You should still have one.
An operating agreement is an internal document. It isn’t filed with the state. It sets the rules for ownership, management, distributions, decision-making, and an exit or dissolution.
For a single-member LLC, the agreement helps document that the business is separate from its owner. For an LLC with multiple members or a manager-managed structure, a generic single-member document isn’t enough. The agreement should match how the owners actually intend to run the company.
A useful operating agreement addresses:
- Ownership percentages
- Member-managed or manager-managed structure
- Profit and loss distribution
- Voting and decision rules
- Ownership transfers and dissolution
looch Start includes a single-member LLC operating agreement. Founders with more complex ownership should use documents suited to that structure and seek appropriate legal guidance when needed.
An EIN is the bridge between formation and a working business
An Employer Identification Number is the federal tax ID for your LLC. You generally need it to open a business account, hire employees, file relevant tax forms, and accept payments from many clients.
If you have an SSN or ITIN, apply directly through the IRS EIN application. The EIN itself is available from the IRS at no cost.
If you don’t have an SSN or ITIN, you can’t use the IRS online portal. You can file Form SS-4 by fax or mail, using “Foreign” on line 7b where applicable. You can also contact the IRS International EIN line with a completed Form SS-4.
This is where non-US founders often lose momentum. The state formation may be complete, but the business can’t move easily into account opening or payment acceptance until the EIN is confirmed.
looch Start handles EIN filing for founders without an SSN or ITIN. looch delivers the official IRS CP-575 confirmation letter through the in-app virtual office.
Florida compliance continues after the state approves the LLC
The annual report is the main recurring state obligation. File it between January 1 and May 1, pay the $138.75 fee, and do not leave it until the deadline. A $400 late fee applies after May 1, and failure to file by the third Friday of September leads to administrative dissolution.
You may also have tax and local licensing obligations depending on what the business sells and where it operates.
If you sell taxable goods or services in Florida, register with the Florida Department of Revenue using Form DR-1. Online registration is free. Registration by mail carries a $5 fee. Start with the Florida Department of Revenue for the current registration process and tax rules.
Florida doesn’t impose a general statewide business license. A county or city may require a local business tax receipt or another local license, depending on the business location and industry. Check with the relevant local authority before you open.
Formation is only useful when the business can run afterward
Most Florida LLC guides stop after the state filing. That leaves founders with an entity but no clear path to an account, cards, payment acceptance, or books.
To get a business account set up, founders commonly need their filed Articles of Organization, EIN, operating agreement, and business address. Gathering those pieces across separate providers creates gaps. A filing service may finish formation but leave the banking work to someone else. A business account provider may expect the entity and EIN to already be complete.
looch Start is designed around that handoff. It’s $249 all-in, with the state filing fee included. It covers the state filing, registered agent with a real business address, a single-member operating agreement, and an EIN, including for non-US founders without an SSN.
After formation, you onboard into looch’s no-fee business accounts, Smartcards, payment acceptance, and real-time accounting. That’s the difference between a formation checklist and an operating system for the business. Our guide to formation and banking in one app explains why that connection matters.
For payments, looch Pay lets businesses accept cards and instant pay by bank. The customer approves the payment from their own bank, the money is pushed to the business, and it’s final on arrival. Read more about pay by bank for small businesses.
Florida is a strong fit for founders who actually operate there
Florida’s often a sensible choice for a founder based in the state. It has no personal state income tax on pass-through LLC income and no franchise tax. That can make the ongoing picture simpler than states with minimum franchise taxes, such as California’s $800 minimum.
The tradeoff is openness. Florida’s public filing system means founders should make informed choices about addresses and the authorized person or manager named on the Articles of Organization.
Florida can suit:
- Service businesses operating in Florida
- Brick-and-mortar businesses
- E-commerce founders based in the state
- Non-US founders who want a US entity
- Founders who want pass-through taxation without personal state income tax
It may be a weaker fit when entity-level privacy is the deciding factor. In that case, compare the state choice carefully before filing, not after personal details have entered the public record.
Non-US citizens can form a Florida LLC
Florida doesn’t impose a citizenship or residency requirement on LLC members or managers. Non-US founders can form a Florida LLC, obtain an EIN, and apply for business financial services, subject to each provider’s verification requirements.
You will need reliable identity documentation, a usable mailing or business address, and an EIN. The process becomes easier when formation, the EIN, and the business address are coordinated rather than handled as separate errands.
looch Start brings those core formation steps together. It’s $249 all-in, with the state filing fee included. The EIN is included, even without an SSN, and looch returns the IRS CP-575 letter through the in-app virtual office. The virtual office and registered agent renew at $49/year. After formation, you onboard directly into your business account.
