# Florida LLC Filing Fee (2026): $125 to Form, $138.75 a Year

- Link: https://clearlegaltips.com/florida-llc-filing-fee/
- Published: 2026-07-31T10:00:00-04:00
- Author: ClearLegalTips

**Affiliate Disclosure:** ClearLegalTips is reader-supported. When you buy through
links on this page we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never 
affects which services we recommend. [Learn more](https://clearlegaltips.com/affiliate-disclosure/).

## Download This Resource

Get the fillable cost worksheet, the editable version, and a filing checklist:

[Fillable PDFPrint & complete](https://clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-worksheet.pdf)
[Editable DOCXFill in your details](https://clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-worksheet.docx)
[Action ChecklistStep-by-step PDF](https://clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-checklist.pdf)

**The short version (2026):** The Florida LLC filing fee is $125: $100 for the Articles
of Organization plus a $25 registered agent designation fee, both set by Fla. Stat.
s. 605.0213. If you serve as your own registered agent and skip the optional extras,
that $125 is your entire required state cost for year one. From the following calendar
year on, Florida collects $138.75 for the annual report, due between January 1 and
May 1. File after May 1 and a $400 statutory late charge makes it $538.75, so the
calendar matters as much as the checkbook.

Form an LLC in Florida and the state’s bill is $125. That single payment, the Florida
LLC filing fee, covers the two charges the state requires at filing: $100 for the
Articles of Organization (the document that legally creates the company) and $25
for designating a registered agent. Both amounts are written into statute, not set
by an agency price list. What pricing pages tend to bury is the second number: $
138.75 every year for the annual report, inside a fixed January-to-May window, with
a $400 late charge standing behind it.

This guide takes the Florida LLC filing fee apart line by line, straight from the
Florida Statutes: what the $125 buys, why the annual report lands on the odd figure
of $138.75, the September cutoff that can end the company on paper, and the effective-
date rule that lets a late-year filer lawfully push the first report out a full 
year. Every dollar amount below is quoted from Florida’s official statute databases
rather than from a formation seller’s price sheet.

## What the $125 Florida LLC filing fee covers

![Florida LLC filing fee 2026: the $125 total is $100 for articles of organization
plus a $25 registered agent designation](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-
content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-01-the-answer.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Two line items make up the total, and both sit in [section 605.0213 of the Florida Statutes](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0213),
the fee schedule of chapter 605, which the statute itself names the Florida Revised
Limited Liability Company Act. The state charges $100 for filing original Articles
of Organization and $25 for the certificate designating your registered agent. Every
new LLC files both together, so the required state total is $125.

Numbers this load-bearing deserve a second source, so here is one: the identical
amounts appear in [Online Sunshine](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0213.html),
the Legislature’s other official statute database. Search for Sunbiz LLC fees and
you will see the same two charges bundled into one $125 payment on the state’s filing
portal, which is where the articles actually get submitted. In most cases, that 
payment is the entire cost of bringing the company legally into existence.

Most Florida LLC fees beyond the $125 are optional, conditional, or recurring, which
is why quotes elsewhere drift between $125 and several hundred dollars. The full
schedule is tabled below.

## The $25 registered agent charge is a state fee, not a service

![The $25 Florida registered agent designation is a state fee, not a private registered
agent service](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-
llc-fee-02-agent-fee.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

A registered agent is the person or company named to receive lawsuits and official
notices for the LLC. The $25 inside your formation total is the state’s charge for
recording that designation under s. 605.0213(7). It is not a subscription, and it
does not hire anyone.

You are generally free to serve as your own registered agent, and plenty of owners
do. Private registered agent services are optional; they can make sense for privacy
or convenience, and they are typically sold as a yearly subscription. The distinction
is worth a sentence because formation sites often blur it, folding a paid service
into “required” startup costs. The only registered agent charge inside the Florida
LLC filing fee is the $25 designation fee you were paying anyway. Read the line 
item before you pay for it twice.

## Every Florida LLC cost on one table

![Complete Florida LLC fee table for 2026 with statute citations from chapter 605](
https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-03-fee-
table.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Here is the complete schedule, from formation through a worst-case reinstatement.
Beyond the Florida LLC filing fee itself, every line is optional, conditional, or
annual, and each row lists its statute section so you can verify it yourself.

  |  Item |  Amount |  When |  Where it goes |  
   |  Articles of Organization |  $100 |  Once, at filing |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 605.0213(2)) |  
 |  Registered agent designation |  $25 |  Once, at filing (required; part of the $125) |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 605.0213(7)) |  
 |  Certified copy of articles (optional) |  $30 |  At filing or later |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 605.0213(1)) |  
 |  Certificate of status (optional) |  $5 |  At filing or later |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 605.0213(12)) |  
 |  Annual report |  $138.75 ($50 + $88.75) |  Every year, January 1 to May 1 |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 605.0213(5); s. 607.193(1)) |  
 |  Late charge |  +$400 |  Report remitted after May 1 |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 607.193) |  
 |  Reinstatement |  $100 + each missed annual report |  After administrative dissolution |  Fla. Dept. of State (s. 605.0213(6)) |  
 |  Fictitious name / DBA (optional) |  $50, plus $50 renewal |  Valid through Dec. 31 of the 5th year after registration |  State of Florida (s. 865.09) |

The combinations stay simple. The Florida LLC cost at formation is $125 with nothing
optional, $130 if you add a certificate of status (the state’s one-page confirmation
that the company exists and is active), $155 if you add a certified copy of the 
articles, and $160 with both.

The $125 covers what the state files. It does not include an operating agreement,
the internal document that says who owns what, how profits split, and what happens
if an owner leaves. LawDepot’s LLC operating agreement template is fully editable,
written in plain English, and yours to customize in minutes.

[Build Your Operating Agreement →](https://clearlegaltips.com/go/lawdepot-business)

## Why the annual report costs the odd $138.75

![Why the Florida LLC annual report costs $138.75: a $50 report fee plus an $88.75
supplemental corporate fee](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/
2026/07/fl-llc-fee-04-why-13875.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

The Florida LLC annual report fee looks strange until you see that it is two statutory
fees stacked together. The first piece is the $50 annual report filing fee in s.
605.0213(5). The second is an $88.75 “supplemental corporate fee” that [section 607.193](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/607.193)
imposes on every business entity required to file a Florida annual report, LLCs 
included. Stack them and you get the $138.75 on your renewal invoice.

The split has a practical payoff. The $400 late charge lives in that same section
607.193 and attaches when the supplemental fee is remitted after May 1, so the deadline
that matters is written directly into the statute that creates the fee. Put differently:
the Florida LLC filing fee opens the company once, and this $138.75 pair is what
keeps it on the state’s books every year after.

## Your first year: what you pay and when

![Florida LLC year-one cost timeline from the $125 filing to the first $138.75 annual
report](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-
05-year-one.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

So how much does an LLC cost in Florida for year one? Generally the $125 Florida
LLC filing fee and nothing else, if you act as your own agent and skip the add-ons.
Under [s. 605.0212](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0212), your 
first annual report is not due in the year you form. The first one doesn’t come 
due until the year after the calendar year your articles became effective, in the
January 1 to May 1 window. Form in March 2026, for example, and that first $138.75
won’t land until 2027.

That timing is why the “$263.75 to start” figure some guides publish overstates 
the up-front bill. It bundles the first annual report into the formation price. 
The state charges $125 to form; the $138.75 first recurs the following January-to-
May window. Both numbers are real, but they land in different years, and merging
them misstates your startup cash flow. If you are budgeting the whole launch beyond
state fees, our [LLC formation cost calculator](https://clearlegaltips.com/llc-formation-cost-calculator/)
covers the rest.

Copy-paste Florida LLC year-one calendar (2026):

    ```
    Day 0: File Articles of Organization on Sunbiz, pay $125 (optional: +$30 certified copy, +$5 certificate of status)
    January 1 (year after your effective year): first annual report window opens ($138.75)
    May 1: annual report deadline; after this date the statute adds a $400 late charge ($538.75 total)
    Third Friday in September, 5:00 p.m. ET: last day before the state may administratively dissolve the LLC
    Every later year: repeat the January 1 to May 1 window, $138.75
    ```

## File after May 1 and the report costs $538.75

![Florida's $400 late charge turns the $138.75 annual report into $538.75 after 
May 1](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-
06-late-charge.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Florida’s late penalty is statutory, and it lands flat: no sliding scale, no grace
window. Section 607.193 imposes a $400 late charge when the fee is remitted after
May 1, which turns the $138.75 report into a $538.75 one. Miss the deadline and 
the state’s bill runs nearly four times the report itself.

The section allows exactly one exception: an entity that has been administratively
dissolved and, rather than filing late, applies for reinstatement and pays the reinstatement
fee. That is a description of how the statute reads, not a recommendation, because
dissolution carries its own costs, covered next. For everyone else the rule is short.
The window is four months wide, and a report filed in January costs the same $138.75
as one filed on April 30.

## The September cliff, and what coming back costs

![Florida administrative dissolution cutoff: 5 p.m. ET on the third Friday in September,
then $100 reinstatement](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/
2026/07/fl-llc-fee-07-september.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Missing May 1 makes the report expensive. Missing the fall cutoff changes the company’s
legal status. If the annual report still has not been delivered by 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Time on the third Friday in September, s. 605.0714 authorizes the Department of 
State to administratively dissolve the LLC, meaning the state ends its existence
as a matter of record. You can reverse that outcome. You cannot reverse it for free.

Reinstatement costs $100 under s. 605.0213(6), plus every annual report the company
missed along the way. Run the statutory numbers and the detour prices out like this.
Skip the 2026 report, get dissolved that September, come back in March 2027: the
state wants the $100 reinstatement fee plus both missed reports, 2026 and 2027, 
at $138.75 apiece. Total, by our arithmetic, $377.50. And the $400 late charge? 
Absent, because reinstatement is the single path s. 607.193 exempts. A business 
that wants to keep going survives all of this. What changes is the bill, which grows
at every step past the $138.75 that would have prevented the whole trip.

Filing the state paperwork yourself keeps Florida’s bill at $125. Put part of the
savings into the document Florida never files for you: a written operating agreement.
LawDepot’s customizable template walks you through ownership, voting, and buyout
terms step by step.

[Start with LawDepot →](https://clearlegaltips.com/go/lawdepot-business)

## Forming late in the year? A January 1 date saves a full cycle

![A January 1 effective date lets late-year Florida LLC filers defer the first annual
report a full year](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/
07/fl-llc-fee-08-effective-date.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Here is the timing rule the pricing pages skip. Under [s. 605.0207](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0207),
your articles may specify a delayed effective date up to 90 days after filing, or
a retroactive one up to five business days before. The effective date is the day
the LLC legally begins to exist, and for annual reports it is the date that starts
the clock.

Pair that with s. 605.0212 and the math turns friendly for October-to-December filers.
File in November 2026 with no stated date and the articles are effective in 2026,
so the first $138.75 report is due in the January-to-May window of 2027, weeks after
you formed. File the same articles naming January 1, 2027 as the effective date 
and the first report moves to the 2028 window, because the report follows the year
after the effective year. The Florida LLC filing fee stays $125 either way; what
moves is the year your recurring costs begin. Since the delay tops out at 90 days,
the January 1 option generally works for filings from early October onward.

## Optional extras: copies, a DBA, and the EIN you never pay for

![Optional Florida LLC costs: $30 certified copy, $5 certificate of status, $50 
fictitious name, free EIN](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/
2026/07/fl-llc-fee-09-optionals.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

Three add-ons cover most real needs. A certified copy of the articles costs $30 
under s. 605.0213(1), and a certificate of status costs $5 under s. 605.0213(12).
Banks and licensing agencies sometimes ask for one or the other. Both can be ordered
after formation, so there is no need to guess on day one.

Then there is the fictitious name, which is what Florida calls a DBA (“doing business
as” name). You only need one if the company will operate under something other than
its legal name. Registration runs $50 under s. 865.09 and stays valid through December
31 of the fifth calendar year after you register; renewal is another $50. One quirk
comes first: the statute requires the name to be advertised at least once in a county
newspaper before you register, and the paper, not the state, sets that price.

The employer identification number, your federal tax ID, costs nothing. Get it directly
from the IRS, which puts it plainly: “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN.” Any
site charging for one is reselling a free government service.

## Taxes, and how Florida compares with other states

![Florida's $125 LLC filing fee compared with the $122 national average and $100
median](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/fl-llc-fee-
10-compare.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

On entity-level income tax, the statute is specific in the LLC’s favor. Florida’s
corporate income tax code defines “corporation” broadly, but s. 220.03(1)(e) excludes
limited liability companies that are taxable as partnerships for federal income 
tax purposes. Read together, a default, pass-through Florida LLC generally owes 
no Florida entity-level income tax; the 5.5% rate in s. 220.11(2) reaches an LLC
only if it elects to be taxed as a corporation. Tax elections carry consequences
beyond this page, so treat that as the entity-level picture, not personal tax advice.

On formation cost, Florida sits at the middle of the national pack. Our verified
[50-state LLC filing fee table](https://clearlegaltips.com/llc-filing-fees-by-state/)
shows a national average of about $122 and a median of $100, so the Florida LLC 
filing fee is right at the national average. Montana is the cheapest at $35. Kentucky(
$40) and Arkansas ($45) come next. At the other end, Massachusetts charges $500 
to form and another $500 every year.

  |  Benchmark |  Fee to form |  
   |  Cheapest state (Montana) |  $35 |  
 |  National median |  $100 |  
 |  National average |  about $122 |  
 |  Florida |  $125 |  
 |  Most expensive (Massachusetts) |  $500 to form, $500 every year |

The bottom line? The Florida LLC filing fee gets paid once. $125, done. After that
the annual report runs $138.75 a year, and a single date, May 1, decides whether
the yearly bill stays $138.75 or becomes $538.75. Filing the articles yourself takes
an afternoon; marking the window on your calendar takes a minute. None of these 
dates should sneak up on you now.

Every fee on this page goes to the state. The one document that protects the owners
from each other, the operating agreement, is the piece you supply. Build yours from
LawDepot’s fully editable template and keep it with your Florida LLC records.

[Get the Template →](https://clearlegaltips.com/go/lawdepot-business)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How much is the Florida LLC filing fee in 2026?

$125 total. The Florida LLC filing fee splits into $100 for the Articles of Organization
and $25 for designating your registered agent, both fixed by s. 605.0213 of the 
Florida Statutes. That is the entire required state cost to form if you serve as
your own registered agent. A certified copy of the articles runs $30 more if you
want one, and a certificate of status adds $5. Neither is required. The federal 
EIN? Free, straight from the IRS. Do not fold the $138.75 annual report into your
startup math. It repeats yearly. The first falls between January 1 and May 1 in 
the year after your articles take effect.

### How much is the Florida LLC annual report fee?

$138.75 a year, and it’s separate from the one-time Florida LLC filing fee. Two 
statutory fees make up the odd number: a $50 annual report filing fee under s. 605.0213(
5) and an $88.75 supplemental corporate fee under s. 607.193. The window is January
1 to May 1. Your first report waits until the year after the calendar year your 
articles of organization became effective; after that, the same window comes around
each year.

### What happens if I miss the May 1 annual report deadline in Florida?

Miss it and the statute adds a flat $400 late charge. The bill becomes $538.75. 
If the report still has not been delivered by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the third
Friday in September, the Department of State may administratively dissolve the LLC
under s. 605.0714. Coming back from dissolution means applying for reinstatement:
$100 plus every annual report the company missed. The one exception to the $400 
charge, under s. 607.193, is an entity that was administratively dissolved and instead
applies for reinstatement and pays the reinstatement fee.

### Do I have to pay for a registered agent for a Florida LLC?

You must name a registered agent, but you generally do not have to hire one. The
$25 registered agent charge inside the $125 Florida LLC filing fee is a state designation
fee, paid to the Department of State when you name your agent, and it applies whether
the agent is you, a co-owner, or a company. You can generally serve as your own 
registered agent, and many owners do. Private registered agent services are optional
and typically sold as a yearly subscription.

### When is the first annual report due for a new Florida LLC?

Between January 1 and May 1 of the year after the calendar year in which your articles
of organization became effective, under s. 605.0212. Form in March 2026 and your
first $138.75 report is due in the 2027 window. The effective date, not the filing
date, controls. Because s. 605.0207 lets your articles set an effective date up 
to 90 days after filing, an LLC filed in late 2026 with a January 1, 2027 effective
date owes its first report in the 2028 window, a full year later.

### Get the free legal DIY newsletter

Plain-English legal guides, new fill-in-the-blank templates, and state-law updates—
in your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

We respect your privacy. Read our [Privacy Policy](https://clearlegaltips.com/privacy-policy/).
Unsubscribe anytime.

### Related Articles

 * [LLC Filing Fees by State (2026): Every Fee, Verified](https://clearlegaltips.com/llc-filing-fees-by-state/)
 * [How to File an LLC Annual Report Online (State-by-State 2026 Compliance)](https://clearlegaltips.com/file-llc-annual-report-online/)
 * [How to Form an LLC Online in 10 Minutes (Step-by-Step 2026)](https://clearlegaltips.com/how-to-form-an-llc-online/)

### Sources & References

 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0213)
 * [leg.state.fl.us](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0213.html)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/607.193)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0212)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0714)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/865.09)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0101)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/605.0207)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/220.03)
 * [flsenate.gov](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/220.11)
 * [irs.gov](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number)
 * [clearlegaltips.com](https://clearlegaltips.com/llc-filing-fees-by-state/)

_Fact-checked: August 2026_

**Legal Disclaimer:** This article is general information, not legal advice. ClearLegalTips
is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. Laws vary by state 
and change over time. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a licensed
attorney in your jurisdiction.

![ClearLegalTips](https://i0.wp.com/clearlegaltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/
clt-site-icon-512.png?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1)

[ClearLegalTips](https://clearlegaltips.com/author/clearlegaltips/)

ClearLegalTips is an independent publisher of plain-English legal guides, free document
templates, and cost calculators for common U.S. legal tasks. Every article is reviewed
by founder and editor Fatih Öztürk and fact-checked against official sources: statutes,
court fee schedules, and government filing pages. Not a law firm; nothing here is
legal advice.

### _Related_