How to Start a Business in Florida (2026): Sunbiz Filings, Taxes and Licenses

To start a business in Florida, choose a structure, file with the Florida Division of Corporations on Sunbiz ($125 for an LLC, $70 for a profit corporation), get a free EIN, register with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales and reemployment tax as needed, and obtain a local business tax receipt from your city or county. The recurring date to remember is May 1: every Florida LLC and corporation files an annual report between January 1 and May 1, and LLCs pay $138.75 ($400 more if late).

Florida has no personal state income tax, which keeps pass-through owners’ paperwork lighter than in most states. Fees and rules below are current as of October 2026.

Updated October 2026.

Best Business Formation Services in Florida (2026)

Comparing services for forming a business in Florida? Start with this ranked shortlist; details for each pick follow the table.

1. Mainstay Filing

Mainstay Filing is our top pick in Florida. It costs $199/year + state fee at cost and covers lLC formation filing, registered agent for the year, EIN application, annual report preparation and filing. The price stays the same every year, with no add-on menu.

2. FL Registered Agent.org

FL Registered Agent.org is a Florida registered agent service at $99/year. It provides $99 per year, flat; in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.

3. Florida Registered Agent.io

Florida Registered Agent.io is a Florida registered agent service at $99/year. It provides in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.

How much does it cost to start a business in Florida?

Step 1: Choose your Florida business structure

• Sole proprietorship: no Sunbiz entity filing; you’re personally liable. If you trade under any name besides your own, register a fictitious name.
• General partnership: shared ownership and shared personal liability, also no required entity filing.
• LLC: liability protection with pass-through taxation by default; the most common choice for small Florida businesses.
• Corporation: cheaper to form in Florida than an LLC ($70 vs $125) but with a slightly higher annual report fee and more formalities. C corporations pay Florida corporate income tax; S corporation status is a federal election.

Because Florida doesn’t tax individual income, an LLC or S corporation’s profits pass through to owners without a state personal income tax return. Our Florida LLC guide covers the LLC route in detail.

Can you form a Florida business if you live elsewhere?

Yes. Florida doesn’t require LLC members or corporate officers to live in the state. What you do need is a registered agent with a Florida street address, and the entity’s principal address becomes public on Sunbiz. If you live in another state and run the business from there, check whether your home state also expects you to register the company as a foreign entity, since that adds a second set of fees and reports.

Step 2: Pick a name and check Sunbiz

Search existing names on Sunbiz before you file. Florida LLC names must end with “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC” or “L.L.C.,” and corporations need a word such as “Corporation,” “Company” or “Incorporated” or its abbreviation. Our Florida business name search guide explains how to run the Sunbiz search and read the results.

Generate options with the Namechk business name generator, then confirm on Namechk that the domain and social handles match.

Registering a fictitious name in Florida

Florida’s DBA is the fictitious name, registered with the Division of Corporations rather than a county. Under Florida Statutes 865.09:

• The fee is $50 for registration and $50 for each renewal.
• Before registering, you must advertise your intention to use the name at least once in a newspaper in the county of your principal place of business, and certify that you did so.
• The registration lasts through December 31 of the fifth calendar year, then renews for another five years.

Step 3: Designate a Florida registered agent

Florida charges for the registered agent designation as part of formation ($25 for an LLC, $35 for a corporation), which shows how central the agent is to the filing. The agent must have a physical street address in Florida and accept legal papers during business hours, and the agent signs to accept the appointment.

The company can’t name itself, but a member or officer who lives in Florida can serve; your address then becomes searchable on Sunbiz. Changing an LLC’s agent later costs $25 with a Statement of Change (Form INHS18), and you can also designate a new agent on the annual report. Mainstay Filing provides a registered agent for the first year with its formation service. Our Florida registered agent guide covers the rules.

Step 4: File your Articles on Sunbiz

1. Open the Sunbiz e-filing page for a Florida LLC or Florida profit corporation and read the filing instructions.
2. Enter the name, principal and mailing addresses, registered agent (with signature) and managers or authorized representatives (LLC) or directors and officers (corporation).
3. Decide whether you want a certified copy or certificate of status; both are optional.
4. Pay $125 (LLC) or $70 (corporation) by card.

Once filed, draft an operating agreement or bylaws and hold your first organizational meeting if you formed a corporation. For a cost breakdown including optional extras, see Mainstay’s Florida LLC cost guide.

Step 5: Get an EIN

Apply free on the IRS website. You need it for Florida Department of Revenue registration, payroll and most business bank accounts. Save the IRS confirmation notice, because banks often ask to see it.

There’s no federal BOI report for U.S. companies anymore; FinCEN’s final rule confirming the exemption took effect August 14, 2026.

Step 6: Register with the Florida Department of Revenue

The Department of Revenue (DOR) handles Florida’s main business taxes, and you register online.

• Sales and use tax: businesses making taxable sales register each location with DOR. Florida’s state rate is 6%, and most counties add a discretionary sales surtax, according to DOR’s sales tax page. Registered dealers receive a new Annual Resale Certificate each year.
• Reemployment tax: Florida’s name for state unemployment tax, administered by DOR. Employers register once they meet the liability rules.
• Corporate income tax: applies to C corporations and some LLCs taxed as corporations.

Florida employers also report new hires to the state’s new hire reporting center.

Florida’s minimum wage

Florida’s constitution set the minimum wage to reach $15.00 per hour on September 30, 2026, according to Article X, Section 24. From September 30, 2027 onward, the rate is adjusted annually for inflation.

Step 7: Get a local business tax receipt and any licenses

Most Florida cities and counties require a local business tax receipt (often still called an occupational license) before you open. If your business is inside city limits, you usually need both the city and county receipts.

State licensing comes from several agencies. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licenses contractors, cosmetologists, real estate professionals and restaurants, among others; the Department of Health licenses healthcare professions; and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates businesses such as movers, telemarketers and food production.

Step 8: Open a bank account, insure the business and launch online

Open a business account using your Sunbiz filing, EIN and operating agreement or bylaws. Keeping finances separate supports your LLC’s liability protection and makes the annual report and tax filings easier.

For insurance, start with general liability, add professional liability for service work, and talk to an agent about Florida’s workers’ compensation rules before hiring, since the thresholds differ by industry. Hurricane-related property coverage is also worth reviewing early. Then register a matching domain and publish a basic website.

What do you file every year in Florida?

• Annual report: due between January 1 and May 1 every year, starting the year after formation: $138.75 for LLCs, $150 for profit corporations. The Division of Corporations applies a $400 late fee after May 1 and does not waive it, and entities that don’t file are administratively dissolved.
• Fictitious name: renew every five years.
• Sales tax returns: on the schedule DOR assigns.
• Reemployment tax reports: quarterly once you have employees.
• Local business tax receipts: usually renewed each year by September 30.

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