Florida DBA Cost and Renewal Requirements

The Florida DBA cost is $50 for the state filing plus $30 to $100 for the required newspaper notice, so most people spend $80 to $150 to get started. Florida calls a DBA a fictitious name, and the registration lasts five years. It expires on December 31 of the fifth year, and renewing costs another $50 with no new newspaper notice.

What’s the full Florida DBA cost?

The $50 state filing fee

The Florida Division of Corporations charges $50 to register a fictitious name, online or by mail. Online you pay by credit card. By mail it’s a check or money order.

The newspaper notice: $30 to $100

Florida law requires you to publish a notice of the fictitious name in a newspaper of general circulation in your county before you file with the state.

This is the one cost you can shop. Bigger counties tend to have more papers competing for legal notices, and some papers charge $30 to $40 and others $75 to $100 for the same notice, so call two or three before you commit. Online legal notice services can also find you a lower rate.

A certified copy: $30, usually skippable

Most businesses never need one. It can come up when a bank asks for it, when a contract requires it, or when you’re dealing with an out-of-state company.

How much does a Florida DBA renewal cost?

$50, the same as the original filing. You don’t publish another newspaper notice, so renewal is just the state fee.

Because the registration runs five years, that’s the only recurring cost. Over the first five years, a single DBA costs you the $80 to $150 you paid up front and nothing more.

When and how to renew

Your registration expires on December 31 of its fifth year. We’d renew a month or two before that, not in the last week of December when you’re also dealing with the holidays and year-end books.

To renew online, go to sunbiz.org, search for your fictitious name record, click “Renew,” pay the $50, and you’ll get confirmation right away. You’ll need the exact name as registered, your document number from the original registration, and a payment method.

By mail, send the renewal form from sunbiz.org with a $50 check or money order and allow 2 to 3 weeks for processing. We’d renew online.

What happens if you don’t renew?

Your registration expires, and you no longer have a valid fictitious name. Keep operating under it and you’re breaking Florida law.

Once it expires, the name is open for anyone else to register, and you could lose the name your customers know you by.

To get it back, you start over with a new $50 registration and a new $30 to $100 newspaper notice, roughly double what the renewal would have cost.

Operating under an unregistered fictitious name is a misdemeanor in Florida. Prosecution is rare, but you’d technically be violating Florida Statutes Chapter 865.

What if you need more than one DBA?

Every name is billed separately: its own $50 registration, its own newspaper notice and its own $50 renewal.

If you’re running several brands, put them under one LLC ($125) and register the DBAs to the LLC. The LLC’s annual report is $138.75 no matter how many DBAs it holds, and every brand gets the LLC’s liability protection.

How does that compare with an LLC?

The LLC’s five-year figure is the $125 filing plus four $138.75 annual reports.

The DBA is far cheaper and gives you no liability protection. The extra money for an LLC buys personal asset protection, statewide name protection, more credibility and the ability to build business credit.

When is a DBA worth the money?

You already have an LLC and want a trade name. “Holdings Company LLC” wants to run a bakery called “Sweet Treats Bakery.” About $100 up front gets a customer-friendly name, and the LLC’s liability protection still covers the bakery. This is the case where a DBA is clearly worth it.

You’re testing a very small side business, like selling crafts at local markets, or you’re a freelance graphic designer who wants to trade as “Creative Designs Studio.” About $100 covers it, and you’re accepting that you have no liability protection.

Costs that don’t show up on the fee schedule

Banking. Some banks want extra paperwork before they’ll open an account for a sole proprietor with a DBA, maybe a $30 certified copy or additional ID. Some only open business accounts for LLCs and corporations.

Lost work. Some clients, corporate ones especially, only contract with LLCs or corporations. A DBA can cost you those jobs.

Liability. This is the big one. Without an entity, your savings, home equity, vehicles and other personal assets are exposed. One lawsuit can cost far more than the lifetime difference between DBA and LLC costs.

Keeping the registration in order

Set a reminder a few months before the expiration date, decide whether you still need the name, and renew if you do. Keep the registration confirmation, proof of publication and renewal confirmations together.

If you move or other details change, update the registration. That’s a new filing ($50), but it keeps the public record accurate.

Canceling a DBA

If you don’t need the name anymore, file a Fictitious Name Cancellation with the Division of Corporations. The filing fee is $50. Canceling stops future renewal fees and removes the registration from the public record.

So what should you budget?

Budget $80 to $150 for a DBA that’s good for five years, then $50 to renew it. If the DBA is going under an existing LLC, that’s the whole bill. If it’s meant to replace an LLC for a business with real customers, spend the $125 on the LLC instead.

IncCraft can help you decide on the right structure and handle the filing for a DBA, an LLC, or both.

Get started with your Florida business today.