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Initial Fees and Licensing Costs in Florida

April 13, 2006

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If you're going to operate your business in Florida as a corporation, you're likely to incur filing fees when you form your corporation. These fees are collected by the Department of State when domestic or foreign corporations deliver the following documents to the Department for filing:

Businesses operating as limited liability companies (LLCs) are subject to their own set of fees in connection with formation and maintenance:

• registration fee for new Florida or foreign LLC, $100
• designating or changing a registered agent, $25
• registered agent resignation (active), $85
• registered agent resignation (dissolved), $25
• articles of dissolution/withdrawal, $25
• articles of revocation of dissolution, $100
• filing an annual report, $50
• articles of merger (generally), $25 unless specified otherwise

Foreign LLCs must obtain a certificate of authority from the Department of State prior to transacting business in Florida. They must also maintain a registered office and registered agent in Florida. They are subject to the same annual reporting requirements as Florida LLCs. Florida and foreign LLCs are required to file annual reports with the Department of State between January 1 and May 1 of each year.

Suppose you don't operate your business as a corporation or an LLC? You may not be off the hook for filing fees — Florida also imposes miscellaneous license fees for doing business in the state. For this reason, we recommend that you check with the state to make sure you are complying with the licensing requirements, if there are any, for your particular profession.

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