Staying compliant in Florida

How does the Florida annual report work?

Every Florida LLC files the report each year in the spring window, pays $138.75, and confirms its addresses, agent and managers on the state record.²

The Division's annual report help page puts the fee rule plainly: "The fee to file a limited liability company annual report is $138.75 if filed between January 1st and May 1st." The fee schedule lists the same figure under the label "Annual Report (& Supplemental Fee)", so the figure already includes the supplemental fee that label names.^{1, 2}

What the report asks for

The help page lists what the report covers: Principal and mailing addresses, FEI number, registered agent and office, and name, address and title of each manager or managing member. On managers, the help page adds that "The limited liability company must provide the name, address and title of each manager or managing member."¹

That list doubles as a yearly audit of your state record. Before you file, gather these.

• the principal office address and the mailing address you want on file
• your federal employer identification number (the FEI number)¹
• the registered agent's name and the registered office address
• each manager or managing member's name, address and title

Look at the agent line carefully. If your agent has changed and you never filed the change, the report is where the mismatch shows up. The Division's fee schedule also lists a separate Change of Registered Agent filing ($25). This page's sources do not say whether the annual report itself can be used to change the agent, so ask the Division which filing a given update needs.²

If you also run an LLC in another state, its schedule may look quite different. Compare staying compliant in Georgia or staying compliant in Alabama, and see annual reports explained for how these filings work in general.

Does Florida charge LLCs a franchise tax or annual state fee?

The recurring charge from the Division of Corporations is the annual report fee of $138.75. Taxes sit with other agencies, and this page's sources do not cover them.²

The Division figures used on this page are filing fees, and the official sources checked for this page include no statement on a franchise tax for LLCs, either way. So this page makes no claim about one.

For tax questions, the Florida Department of Revenue handles state taxes and the IRS handles federal returns. How your LLC is taxed depends on how it is owned, whether it has elected corporate tax treatment, and what it sells; a tax professional can apply those rules to your case. Keep tax dates on a separate list from the spring report, because filing the annual report on time says nothing about whether your tax filings are current.

What happens if a Florida LLC files late or loses its agent?

A report filed after the deadline carries a $400 late fee on top of the regular fee. Losing your registered agent is a ground for administrative dissolution, and reinstatement costs a base fee plus each unpaid year's report fee.¹

The late fee

The help page states it in one line: "After May 1st the limited liability company will be subject to a $400 late fee." The fee schedule shows the combined amount for a late report as $538.75. Florida's penalty is large next to the base fee, and the spring deadline is fixed, so put May 1 on your calendar every year.¹

Administrative dissolution

The statute on dissolution grounds, s. 605.0714(1)(c), includes failing to "Appoint and maintain a registered agent as required under s. 605.0113". This page's sources do not list the Division's notice steps before dissolution, or whether an unfiled annual report triggers it on its own; ask the Division how your record stands if a report has slipped.³

Reinstatement

A dissolved LLC can apply to come back. The fee schedule sets reinstatement at $100 plus the annual report fee for each year owed, so a business that skipped several springs pays the base fee and every missed report. The sources here set no time limit on applying, and they do not say what happens to the LLC's name while it is dissolved. If you rely on the name for a bank account, contracts or a website, apply quickly and ask the Division whether the name is protected in the meantime. If the business kept trading while dissolved, a lawyer can advise on contracts signed in that period. The Florida registered agent guide explains the agent side of dissolution in more depth.²

How do you keep your registered agent current in Florida?

Keep a registered agent on record at all times, with a business address that matches the registered office, and file a change of agent before dropping a service. The annual report shows what the state has on file.

Failing to "Appoint and maintain a registered agent as required under s. 605.0113" is a dissolution ground (s. 605.0714(1)(c)), so the agent duty runs for the life of the LLC (Fla. Stat. § 605.0113). If the agent moves, stops doing business at the registered office, or resigns, the LLC needs a fix. A resignation takes effect on the 31st day after the Department files the statement of resignation or on an earlier filing that names a new agent, and the statute says the agent must promptly mail a copy to the LLC. That copy goes to the mailing address the state holds, which is one more reason to keep that address current on each annual report.^{3, 4, 5}

To change agents, file the Change of Registered Agent for $25, then cancel the old service once the change is on file. The step order is laid out in our guide to changing a registered agent, and cancelling an agent service covers the provider side. Foreign LLCs registered here pay $125 total ($100 filing fee + $25 registered agent designation) at registration under the same "New Florida/Foreign LLC" fee block, and that total includes a required registered agent fee.²

What a provider's compliance features cover in Florida

Because Florida requires a report every year, compliance features have a concrete job here. They differ in whether they remind you or file for you, and in what they charge on top of the state fee. The providers below appear in list order, by our score.

• The Tailor Brands registered agent page mentions reminders and annual report filing on instruction (Regular reminders; agent can file the annual report if instructed). Its formation plans cover annual report filing in some tiers (Included in Essential and Elite; not in Lite), and it doesn't publish a standalone annual report price.^{6, 7}
• ZenBusiness lists Annual Report Filing $100 per report, or Worry-Free Compliance $199/year.⁸
• LegalZoom charges $99 + state filing fees for its annual report service and sends reminders through its Compliance Calendar.^{9, 10}
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) offers annual report filing but doesn't publish a standalone price for it (Annual report filing offered; no standalone price stated).¹¹
• Swyft Filings sells ComplianceGuard $199/year; the plan opens with a trial and then bills automatically (14-day free trial then auto-charged).¹²
• doola lists annual report notifications with its agent service (Yes, annual report notifications) and doesn't publish an annual report filing service.¹³
• Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees, and its page says agent customers are enrolled in that service automatically ("you'll automatically be enrolled in our renewal service").¹⁴
• Rocket Lawyer lists annual report filing at $100 with Pro membership, excluding state fees.¹⁵
• InCorp Services lists $89 + state fees.¹⁶
• Harbor Compliance charges $199 per state per year plus filing fees.¹⁷

Read the pricing wording closely. Where a provider states it, Florida's $138.75 is added on top of the provider's fee. Reminders alone cost nothing extra with some agent services; filing plans do. Also check the deadline the provider files to: a plan that files late still leaves your LLC owing the $400 late fee.

Prices and agent terms side by side are on the Florida registered agent comparison, and services with compliance tools compares these features across states.

What does a Florida LLC compliance calendar look like?

Florida's state filing calendar turns on one recurring window: the annual report window from January 1 to May 1. Everything else is upkeep you do when something changes.¹

Year one

1. Formation. The Division files your Articles of Organization. How that works, and what it costs, is in the Florida LLC formation guide and the cheapest ways to form a Florida LLC.
2. Note your agent's renewal date and the contact details it holds for you.
3. Check with the Florida Department of Revenue and the IRS about tax registrations, which run on their own calendar.
4. Find out when your first annual report is due. The help page gives the yearly window, but this page's sources do not say whether an LLC formed late in a year files in the very next spring; ask the Division when you form.

Year two and later

1. File the annual report between January 1 and May 1 for $138.75, checking every address, the agent and the managers listed.^{1, 2}
2. If the agent changed, file the Change of Registered Agent ($25) rather than waiting for the next report.²
3. Decide on your agent service's renewal before any notice deadline in its terms.
4. If a resignation copy arrives, name a new agent straight away.

Terms used here, such as administrative dissolution and registered office, are defined in our glossary, and what a registered agent is covers the agent's role.