The minimum Florida LLC cost is $125, the state fee to file your Articles of Organization. After that, the only cost Florida requires is the $138.75 annual report, due by May 1 every year starting the year after you form. Everything else, from a registered agent service to an attorney-drafted operating agreement, is optional, and some of it is sold at prices you shouldn’t pay.
What does a Florida LLC cost, item by item?
| Item | Cost | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $125 | Yes, one time |
| Annual report | $138.75 | Yes, every year by May 1 |
| Registered agent | $0-$299/year | You need one, but it can be you |
| EIN | Free from the IRS | Needed for banking, hiring and taxes |
| Operating agreement | $0-$500 | Not required, but recommended |
| Local business tax receipt | $25-$400 | Depends on your city or county |
The $125 state filing fee
The Florida Division of Corporations charges $125 to file your Articles of Organization. It’s a one-time, non-refundable fee. It covers processing, gets your LLC into the Sunbiz database, and assigns your document number.
You pay by credit or debit card if you file online, or by check or money order if you file by mail. The fee is the same whether you file yourself or use a service like IncCraft.
Registered agent: $0 to $299 a year
| Option | Cost | Upside | Downside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Be your own agent | $0 | Free | Your address is public and you must be available during business hours |
| A friend or family member | $0 | Free | They take on the legal responsibility |
| Professional service | $49-$299/year | Privacy and reliability | A recurring annual cost |
A paid agent keeps your home address off the public record, receives legal papers when you’re not around, and usually scans your mail so you can read it from anywhere. Prices run from $49 to $299 a year for what’s basically the same job, so shop around. IncCraft’s Standard and Premium packages include the first year free, and we charge $49 a year after that.
EIN: free from the IRS
You need an EIN to open a business bank account, hire employees and file taxes. Applying online at IRS.gov is free and takes about 10 minutes. Formation services charge $50-$150 to do it for you, and some charge $100 or more. If a standalone EIN service costs more than $50, you’re overpaying for a 10-minute form. IncCraft includes the EIN in our Standard ($199) and Premium ($299) packages.
Operating agreement: $0 to $500
Florida doesn’t require one, but it’s the document that protects your personal assets and sets out how your LLC runs. Free templates are everywhere, and IncCraft includes one with all packages. An attorney charges $200-$500 for a customized agreement.
Most single-member LLCs are fine with a template. We’d pay an attorney if you have multiple members with uneven ownership splits, outside investors, or a high-liability business.
florida-llc-operating-agreement
What do you pay every year after that?
The annual report is the one cost Florida requires every year: $138.75, filed on Sunbiz.org by May 1. It confirms your registered agent, address and members or managers are current. File after May 1 and there’s a $400 late fee. Don’t file at all and the state can administratively dissolve your LLC.
If you use a professional registered agent, add that renewal ($49-$299). Some services renew automatically and some make you renew by hand, so check which kind you’ve got.
Most Florida cities and counties also require a local business tax receipt, which used to be called an occupational license. Fees typically fall between $25 and $400 and depend on where you are and what you do.
florida-business-license-requirements
Put together, keeping a Florida LLC running costs $138.75 a year if you’re your own registered agent, or roughly $188-$438 a year with a paid agent, before any local business tax receipt.
DIY or IncCraft: what’s the real difference?
| Item | DIY | IncCraft Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee | $0 | $199 |
| State filing fee | $125 | $125 |
| Registered agent, first year | $0 (you) | Included |
| EIN | $0 (from the IRS) | Included |
| Operating agreement | Free template | Included |
| Cost to form | $125 | $324 |
| Annual report, starting the next year | $138.75 | $138.75 |
For the extra $199, we prepare and file your Articles so they don’t get rejected, review your documents, give you a year of registered agent service (a $49 value), handle the EIN, and send compliance deadline alerts through your online dashboard.
If you’re comfortable acting as your own agent and you don’t mind your address being public, DIY is genuinely cheap in Florida. If you want your home address off Sunbiz, the included registered agent year (a $49 value) covers part of the difference.
Which charges should you skip?
Rush processing. Some services charge $50-$150 for “expedited” filing. Florida’s online filing already takes 2-3 business days, so this is usually money for nothing.
A certificate of good standing at formation. Services upsell it for $50-$100. You can get one from Sunbiz.org for $5 when you actually need it, usually for a bank or a contract.
Overpriced EIN filing. The IRS gives EINs out free.
Reminder-only compliance packages. Some “compliance packages” at $99-$299 a year just send you reminders. A calendar alert for May 1 does the same thing.
Extra charges for digital mail. A basic registered agent service should include scanning important documents. Don’t pay extra to see your own mail.
How does Florida compare with other states?
| State | Filing fee | Annual fee | Filing fee plus one annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $125 | $138.75 | $263.75 |
| Delaware | $90 | $300 | $390 |
| Wyoming | $100 | $60 | $160 |
| Nevada | $75 | $350 | $425 |
| California | $70 | $800+ | $870+ |
| Texas | $300 | $0 (franchise tax) | $300+ |
Florida sits in the middle. Its filing fee is well under Texas’s $300 and close to Wyoming’s $100, and its annual fee is higher than Wyoming’s but far below California’s or Nevada’s. If you live and do business in Florida, forming somewhere cheaper rarely saves money, because you’d still have to register in Florida.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the cheapest way to form an LLC in Florida?
File online yourself, act as your own registered agent, use a free operating agreement template, and get your EIN from the IRS. That’s $125. The next year you’ll owe the $138.75 annual report.
Can I form an LLC in Florida for free?
No. The $125 state filing fee is required and non-refundable. The EIN and a template operating agreement can be free.
How much does it cost to keep a Florida LLC each year?
The $138.75 annual report, plus $49-$299 if you use a professional registered agent, plus any local business tax receipt.
Does filing by mail save money?
No. The fee is the same online or by mail, and online is faster.
Start your Florida LLC
IncCraft Standard is $199 plus the $125 state fee. It covers professional filing, your first year of registered agent service, your EIN and compliance reminders, so the only thing left on your calendar is the annual report next spring.
Questions? Call (352) 557-9713.