Starting a
Florida Corporation
Hire us to streamline your Florida incorporation.
We’ll file your formation documents to keep as much of your personal information off the public record as possible while establishing a stable, professional identity for your business.
Plus, when you work with us, you’ll get:
- A year of Registered Agent service
- Use of our permanent business address on state filings
- 90-day free trial of our web, email, & virtual phone services
- Enrollment Annual Report Renewal Service
- A secure online account for all your critical documents
Save yourself the hassle and let our experts file for you.
Your Business, Inc.
Incorporate Today!
“As a busy business owner, I can appreciate that someone is in my rolodex that can help me with a simple phone call or email.”
What Is a Corporation?
A corporation is a business entity registered with the state whose legal existence is separate from the people who own it. This gives corporations something in common with LLCs, which are also independent legal entities. Also like LLCs, corporations offer their owners a degree of limited liability.
Corporations are more formal than LLCs, though. Additional state laws require that they participate in certain business formalities, like creating bylaws, maintaining a board of directors, and holding regular shareholder meetings with recorded meeting minutes. Corporations also have more limited tax election options.
What are corporate bylaws?
Corporate bylaws document the way a corporation runs itself. They address everything from the number of board members and powers they can exercise to paying out dividends and establishing shareholders’ voting rights.
While your corporate bylaws aren’t on the public record in the same way your Articles of Incorporation are, they must be made available upon request to shareholders. Banks and other business-to-business vendors may also require a copy.
When you hire us to incorporate your business, we’ll include a template for corporate bylaws you can customize to suit your needs.
How are corporations taxed in Florida?
After you incorporate in Florida, you will be required to meet all legal tax obligations. Corporations are taxed as C-corporations by default, which means both the corporation itself will pay taxes and individual shareholders pay taxes on their earned income.
Alternatively, your business can elect to be taxed as a small business corporation, or S-corp, if they meet the requirements to do so.
The Florida corporate tax rate is 5.5%. There is no state income tax. Additional taxes may be levied for sales, use, or other. Be sure to check with the Florida Department of Revenue for additional information.
“If you need corporate service this company is totally recommended. You don’t need to pay more with others.”
Create Your Florida Corporation Today
We’re Florida Registered Agent LLC. Working closely with the state of Florida, our local team have become experts at navigating the state’s business filing registration system. We’ve served as registered agents to hundreds of companies and helped launch thousands more.
When you hire us, you gain the benefit of all that experience plus so much more:
One Year of Florida Registered Agent Service
We include your first year of registered agent service in your incorporation cost. After that, it’s just $49 a year. We’re the most affordable local registered agent in Florida.
Limited Mail Scanning
You can view all of your state and legal documents through your online account, and we include 3 free digital mail scans for any regular business mail you want to view.
Free Permanent Florida Business Address
Using our Florida business address protects your privacy and saves you from a lifetime of junk mail by keeping your personal address of the public record.
Renewal Service
For just $100 plus state fees, our local experts will complete and file your Florida annual report on your behalf. Prefer to file yourself? No problem. Just cancel from within your account.
Free 90-Day Trial: Web & Phone Services
Launch your brand identity online and attract clients with a professional image with our Florida Business Identity package. After that, only keep the services you need.
Access to Additional Filings and Services
Hire us to file your DBA, get a virtual office and higher-volume Florida mail scanning, apply for your EIN, and more. Save time and focus on your business.
Free Business Documents
Free forms library with attorney-drafted corporate bylaws, stock certificates, initial resolutions, and hundreds of other state and legal forms.
A Secure Online Account
Manage and maintain your business through your secure online account. You’ll get notifications, reminders, and everything else in one easy-to-access place.
How to Incorporate in Florida
Incorporating your Florida business is a multi-step process. If you’d like to do it yourself, you can follow along:
1. Name Your Corporation
Your corporation’s name must meet a couple state requirements to be accepted:
- It must be distinguishable from other names in the Department of State’s records.
- It must include an identifier—”Corporation,” “Company,” “Incorporated,” “Corp.,” “Inc.,” or “Co.”
You can see whether your desired business name is in use with the Division of Corporations’ name search.
It’s also a good idea to check whether the name is trademarked, or already in use online. Eventually you’ll want essential branding tools, like a website, and having a unique business name can help your brand stand out in search results.
2. Designate a Registered Agent
Florida state statute Title XXXVI 607.0501 requires a corporation to designate a Florida registered agent when filing Articles of Incorporation. The fee is $35 (this is paid with the filing fee above, for a total of $70). Florida agents must have a physical street location inside the state where they can accept service of process and certified business mail.
Hire us to incorporate your business, and we’ll provide your Articles of Incorporation pre-signed in your online account. You’ll have the option to use our Florida business address as your principal office address and business mailing address.
Our registered agent service, included with your incorporation package, comes with a limited free mail scanning option already (up to 3 pieces of non-state mail per year). If business is booming and you need more, you can upgrade to one of our more comprehensive Florida mail scanning service packages.
3. File Articles of Incorporation
Florida state law requires business to file Articles of Incorporation along with your Designation of Registered Agent with the Division of Corporations to incorporate. The combined filing fee is just $70—$35 for the Articles of Incorporation, and $35 for the registered agent designation.
The easiest way to file and pay is through Sunbiz.org, which accepts all major credit cards. You can also mail or hand-deliver with a check or money order made out to the Florida Department of State:
Mail to:
Registration Sections
Division of Corporations
PO Box 6327
Tallahassee, FL 32314
Hand Delivery:
Clifton Building
2661 Executive Center Circle
Tallahassee, FL 32301
The Division of Corporations does permit fax filings, but first you need to set up a Sunbiz E-File Account. An E-File Account works like a bank account. You deposit money into it, and when you need to send a filing, money comes out of the account to cover the fee.
The only drawback with a Sunbiz E-File Account is that it is not designed for companies that need to file only one or two documents. There is a minimum $300 deposit required upfront, which makes this option useful only for corporations that will need to file multiple documents over time.
4. Write Corporate Bylaws
Your corporate bylaws aren’t filed with the state, but Title XXXVI 607.0206 requires your incorporators, board of directors, or shareholders to create one.
Bylaws accomplish two main goals: outlining ownership, and detailing how the company will be run. Like a blueprint, bylaws explain the inner workings of a corporation. Without bylaws, a corporation risks running into a host of administrative and organizational problems.
When you hire us to incorporate your company, we’ll provide a corporate bylaws template you can customize for your business. We also offer plenty of other valuable business documents and extras, to help you set the official tone for how you want your company to run!
5. File Annual Reports
Florida corporations must file an annual report through the Florida DOC website before May 1st each calendar year. The filing fee for corporations is $150, although filing after May 1st will result in a penalty of $400 added to that annual report fee. Failure to file altogether will result in administrative dissolution of your corporation.
Our Renewal Service is included with your incorporation package. For just $100 plus state fees, our experts will file your annual report to help ensure your business remains compliant and avoids penalty fees. If you decide to file yourself, you can easily cancel Renewal Service from your secure online account.
Business Website & Phone:
Claim Your Free 90-day Trial!
Claim your 90-day free trial of our web & virtual phone services when you order business formation.
This package allows your to build a professional, polished website and keep your personal contact information private with a business email and phone line.
Our Florida Business Identity web & phone package includes:
- Domain name of your choice (ex: “YourBusinessNameHere.org”)
- Website with SSL security built with templates easily modified and customized
- Up to 10 email addresses at your domain (ex: “[email protected]”)
- Virtual phone service & a number with a local Florida area code that you can access on your device with our free Android or iOS app (available for download in US app stores)
Plus, our web services team offers zero-cost, individualized assistance setting up your website. If you have any questions, give us a call during business hours. We’ve got REAL people standing by to help you through the process.
Domain service is FREE for a full year (up to $25 value) with affordable renewal options ($25 a year on average). All other services are FREE for 90 days, and then $9/month after that. If you keep all of the services after the trial, you get a 20% discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to some of the most popular questions about corporations and our incorporation service.
Do you have to sign my articles? How does that work?
The Division of Corporations requires our signature if you are submitting a paper copy, but it does not have to be an original signature. When you hire us, you will find pre-signed Articles in your online account. You can print them and mail them in. Or, when you hire us, we will give you a name to use for the online filing through Sunbiz.
Should I hire you before or after I incorporate in Florida?
Hire us now. A Florida registered agent is designated on the Articles of Incorporation, so they will be rejected without one.
Just as important, though, is that by hiring us now we can help you protect your privacy. When you hire us, we can handle your Florida incorporation from start to finish. If we file your documents for you, we can use our name and address in order to keep your private information off the public record.
Do I have to file my annual report online?
The State of Florida no longer accepts annual reports through the mail, so yes, you must file your annual report online.
However, you do not have to PAY online. You can select to pay with a check or money order, in which case you will have to print off a payment voucher and send it with your payment. The annual report will not be processed until payment is received. You can also pay using a Sunbiz E-File Account.
Can I get a website through FL Registered Agent LLC?
When you hire us to form your corporation, we offer you a free 90-day trial of everything you need to launch your business presence. You get a domain name, open-source website, email address, and phone service.
This will help you maintain some separation between your business and personal life and make your business look more professional. Your domain name and all the data on your site will always belong to you.
How do I get a DBA/trade name for my corporation?
A trade name—commonly called a DBA, or what Florida calls a “fictitious name”—is any name you use for your business other than what you have on-file with the state. When you use a different name for your business, that name needs to be registered with the Florida Department of State.
You can do this yourself through the Florida Division of Corporations. Or, we can register your trade name for you! Inside your client account, just select our Trade Name Service, and we’ll register your new name for $175, including state fees.
Florida also requires businesses that have registered trade names to publish an official notice in a local newspaper. If you’d like us to also take care of the publication requirement for an additional $178, this brings your total cost for our Trade Name Service to $353. This is a one-time cost that will last until your trade name needs to be renewed in five years.
How do I convert my corporation into an LLC?
We don’t handle entity conversion but we do provide you with filing information and instructions. If you sign up for our registered agent service, you will find all of the necessary documents for conversion in your online account.
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