Stay compliant in Florida

Most of these dates repeat every year. Put them on a calendar now. Florida’s big one is the annual report: every LLC, corporation and limited partnership files it with the Division of Corporations by May 1, and a late one costs far more than an on-time one.

What’s different in Florida

• The annual report is due May 1, with a $400 late fee. It’s required whether or not anything changed. After May 1 an LLC pays $538.75 instead of $138.75, and a profit corporation $550 instead of $150. Nonprofits owe no late fee. A report still not filed by the third Friday of September means administrative dissolution.
• No personal income tax, no state withholding returns. A sole proprietor, a partnership or an LLC taxed as one files no Florida income tax return on business income. A C corporation files Form F-1120 every year, even with no tax due.
• Local and state renew on different clocks. The local business tax receipt renews by September 30 with your county, and your city if it levies one. A fictitious name lasts 5 years and renews in its expiration year.

Your Florida calendar

What	When	Cost
LLC annual report, with the Division of Corporations	Every year January 1 to May 1; the first one between January 1 and May 1 of the year after the calendar year in which the articles took effect	$138.75; $538.75 after May 1
Profit corporation annual report	Every year January 1 to May 1; the first one between January 1 and May 1 of the year after the calendar year in which the articles took effect	$150; $550 after May 1
Nonprofit corporation annual report	Every year by May 1	$61.25; no late fee, but dissolution for not filing
Limited partnership annual report	Every year January 1 to May 1	$500; $900 after May 1
Limited liability partnership annual report	Every year January 1 to May 1	$25
Corporate income tax, with the Department of Revenue	Form F-1120 due May 1 for a calendar year, or the 1st day of the 5th month after a fiscal year ends (the 4th month for a June 30 year end)	5.5% of Florida net income above $50,000; estimated payments once the tax passes $2,500 a year
Sales and use tax returns, with the Department of Revenue	Form DR-15 due the 1st of the month after the reporting period, late after the 20th; new businesses quarterly, monthly once you collect more than $1,000 a year	The tax collected; a late return costs 10% of it, at least $50
Reemployment tax report, with the Department of Revenue	Form RT-6 due the last day of the month after each quarter ends: April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, even with no wages	Tax on the first $7,000 of each employee’s wages; 2.7% for a new employer
Local business tax receipt, with the county tax collector (and the city)	By September 30 each year	Set by county and city ordinance; late adds 10% for October plus more each month after
Fictitious name renewal, with the Division of Corporations	January 1 to December 31 of the expiration year; the registration runs through December 31 of the fifth calendar year, counting the year you register as the first	$50

The corporate income tax row is for C corporations doing business in Florida, including an LLC taxed as one. For S corporations, one that pays no federal income tax at the corporate level (line 23c of federal Form 1120S) doesn't have to file a Florida corporate income tax return. A sole proprietor has the sales tax returns if registered, the local business tax receipt and the fictitious name renewal, and no state income tax return.

Do this

1. File the annual report online on the Division of Corporations’ annual report page by May 1. You need your document number. The report is also where you update officers, directors, managers, the registered agent and addresses, so review them while you’re there.
2. Missed September? Reinstate. Reinstatement costs $100 for an LLC, $600 for a corporation or $175 for a nonprofit, plus the fee for every annual report you missed.
3. File corporate income tax if you’re a C corporation or an LLC taxed as one. Form F-1120 is due May 1 for a calendar year, or the 1st day of the 5th month after a fiscal year ends (the 4th month for a June 30 year end), and estimated payments are required once the tax passes $2,500 a year. A late return costs 10% of the unpaid tax for each month it’s late, or $50 a month when no tax is due.
4. File every sales tax return, including a zero return, at the Department’s file and pay page. The $50 minimum penalty applies even when no tax is due.
5. File Form RT-6 every quarter if you’re a registered employer, by the last day of the month after each quarter ends: April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, even in a quarter with no employees or wages.
6. Renew the local business tax receipt by September 30 with your county tax collector, and your city if it levies one. Renewals go on sale July 1. After September 30 the penalty is 10% for October, plus more for each month after, up to a quarter of the tax.
7. Renew your fictitious name in its expiration year. The Division sends a notice by September 1 of the expiration year, by email if it has your address. Renew online January 1 to December 31 of the expiration year for $50, and the registration continues for another 5 years.
8. Keep your registered agent current. The annual report can change the agent and its address. Between reports, an LLC files a change of registered agent for $25.

What you get back

A filed annual report on your record, free to download from Sunbiz, confirmation of each tax return, a renewed local business tax receipt each year, and a renewed fictitious name good for another 5 years.