Where To Register A Corporation In Florida

How to Open a Corporation in Florida

Use our free guide beneath to form a corporation in Florida:

Create a Proper name For Your Florida Corporation
Cull a Florida Registered Agent
Choose Your Florida Corporation's Initial Directors
File Manufactures of Incorporation
Go an EIN

Or, use a professional service:

Northwest ($39 + state fee)

Forming a Corporation in Florida is Easy

Forming a corporation in Florida is a simple process that is achieved by filing the Articles of Incorporation with the Department of State. In the guide below, we volition show you step-by-step how to start a corporation in Florida.

Step ane: Create a Proper name For Your Florida Corporation

When naming your Florida Corporation, you will need to:

Follow Florida Name Requirements
Complete a Proper name Search With the Florida Department of Land
Consider Securing a Domain Name (URL)

To learn more, read our How to Name a Business concern in Florida guide.

Name Requirements

First, you lot will need to cull a name that complies with the Florida Department of State naming guidelines:

Your name must contain 1 of the post-obit words or abbreviations: corporation, company, incorporated, Corp., Inc., Co., Corp, Inc., or Co.
Your name cannot contain linguistic communication implying that the corporation is organized for an unlawful purpose or one not stated in its manufactures of organization.
Your name cannot incorporate language implying that the corporation is connected with a country or federal government agency or corporation.
Your proper noun must exist distinguishable from whatever existing concern in your country, except for sure fictitious name registrations, full general partnership registrations, and limited liability partnership statements.

You tin can also read Florida land statute 607.0401 almost corporation naming guidelines for more information.

Name Search With the Florida Department of Land

You will need to cheque name availability by searching the business name database on the Florida SunBiz website.

This tool is also useful if yous decide to annals a fictitious name or DBA (Doing Business As) for your company. For detailed data near setting upward a DBA for your Florida corporation, check out our How to File a DBA in Florida guide.

Secure Domain Proper name

We recommend checking to see if your business proper name is bachelor equally a web domain (URL). Fifty-fifty if y'all don't plan to make a business organisation website today, you may want to purchase the spider web address in order to preclude others from acquiring it. It'south gratuitous to search.

Discover a Domain At present

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One time you lot reserve a domain proper name for your corporation, it'due south time to gear up a concern phone service to improve client back up and boost brownie. Our first pick is Nextiva because of its quick setup and variety of helpful features. Try Nextiva.

Need Help Naming Your Business?

Apply our Corporation Name Generator to brainstorm your business's perfect name. For more than help, visit our free How to Proper name a Business guide. And so, create a logo with our free Logo Maker.

Step 2: Choose a Florida Registered Amanuensis

When you file your Florida Articles of Incorporation, you volition exist asked to give the name of your Florida registered agent.

A registered amanuensis is a person or entity that accepts tax documents and service of process on behalf of your LLC or corporation.

Who Can Be a Registered Agent? Your registered agent can be an individual, business entity, or professional registered agent service. A registered amanuensis must:

be 18 years or older
have a physical address in the state where business activity is conducted
always be available (in person) during normal business hours

ZenBusiness offers 1 yr of free registered agent services with their corporation germination packet ($39 + State Fees).

Step 3: Choose Your Florida Corporation'southward Initial Directors

Yous must engage at least i director who, among other things, volition oversee your Florida corporation until the offset shareholder coming together.

The directors of a corporation are in charge of the adoption, amendment, and repeal of the operational bylaws equally well equally the supervision, election, and removal of officers.

Subsequently you will prepare an "Incorporator Statement" with complete names and addresses of each manager and keep information technology in your corporate records book. For now, yous only need 1 initial director to list on your Florida Articles of Incorporation.

Pace 4: File the Florida Articles of Incorporation

At present that yous have called a registered agent and at least i director, information technology's fourth dimension to make your corporation official by filing the Articles of Incorporation form with the Florida Department of State.

The Articles of Incorporation will disclose some nuts of your concern for the public record, including:

Corporate proper name, principal accost, and argument of purpose
Corporate registered agent proper noun, signature, and street address
Number of shares corporation is allowed to issue
Corporate officer and director names and addresses
Incorporator name and address

Filing Fee: $35 plus $35 for designation of a registered agent

Filing Options

Submit the completed Articles of Incorporation form, forth with the filing fee, using one of 3 options:

Mail:
New Filing Section
Department of Country
Sectionalisation of Corporations
P.O. Box 6327
Tallahassee, FL 32314

In-Person Commitment:
New Filing Section
Department of Land
Division of Corporations
2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810
Tallahassee, FL 32303

Online: Florida SunBiz website

Step 5: Get an EIN

The Employer Identification Number (EIN), or Federal Taxation Identification Number, is used to identify a business entity. It is substantially a social security number for the company.

Why do I need an EIN? An EIN is required for the following:

To open a business organization bank business relationship for the company
For Federal and Country tax purposes
To rent employees for the company

Where do I get an EIN? An EIN is obtained from the IRS (free of charge) past the business owner after forming the visitor. This can be done online or by mail.

To learn more virtually EINs, read our What is an EIN guide.

Florida Corporation Operating Procedures and Housekeeping

Gear up a Corporate Records Book

Think of this equally the hard-copy record book where all critical corporate documents are kept, like your Florida Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, meeting minutes, stock certificate ledger, stock transfer documents, etc.

You should keep the corporate records book at your chief location. Corporate records book kits can be purchased online, or yous can utilize a large generic binder to shop your records.

Prepare Bylaws for Your Florida Corporation

Bylaws are the rules that make up one's mind how your system will exist governed and run.

You can think about the bylaws every bit a constitution for your corporation. It makes the rules and priorities clear for anybody involved.

In your bylaws, be sure to include:

How the corporation will be governed – the part of directors and officers
How meetings are held, voting procedures, electing officers or directors
How records will be kept and managed
How disputes will be handled
How bylaws will be added/amended in the future

NOTE: A corporation's bylaws will supplement any rules fix along by the federal government or the country.

Ready to get started? Bank check out these bylaws templates which you can customize to suit the needs of your incorporated business.

Conduct Your First Board of Directors Meeting

An organizational meeting is the first official coming together of your corporation.

These are some of the things that are discussed in a typical organizational meeting:

Taking omnipresence to bear witness you have a quorum (minimum number needed)
Appointing temporary officers, chairmen, secretary, etc.
Adoption of the bylaws
Adoption of conflict of interest policy

Don't forget to record "minutes" of the meeting and take information technology signed past all attending directors. Here are some corporate minutes templates to aid you lot get the ball rolling.

Protect Your Avails and Stay Compliant

In order to protect your assets and stay compliant after you start your Florida corporation, you volition need to:

Open up a Business Banking concern Account
Establish and Build Your Business Credit Score
Accounting For Your Corporation
Research Business organisation License Requirements

Open a Bank Account For Your Florida Corporation

There are 2 disquisitional reasons to open a unique corporate banking company account.

The beginning is that separating your personal assets from your business organisation assets adds another layer of protection in the event that your business concern is sued.

The second is that syncing a single business relationship with business bookkeeping software will make managing your finances much easier.

Establish and Build Your Business Credit Score

Edifice business organisation credit involves a number of factors, including establishing your business'southward fundability, getting listed with the most important concern credit agencies, and establishing credit lines while keeping them in good standing to build your score.

A good business credit score can assistance with many things, including credit cards that are issued in your concern's proper name instead of depending on your personal credit score, better interest rates on loans, college lines of credit, and more.

All of these factors help protect your personal assets by making your concern the entity responsible for the liability instead of yourself.

Accounting For Your Corporation

Information technology's of import to become your books in order, even if y'all haven't officially opened for business. A well-managed accounting organisation will help you:

Track your business organization finances, including bills, expenses, and income.
Simplify and file your annual taxes.

You can maintain your accounting in two means:

Use a DIY bookkeeping software. This tin can come with an increased risk of errors especially when starting a new business.
Rent an accounting service. They can provide comprehensive advice to assistance optimize your accounting and taxes every bit well as additional services such equally payroll etc.

Recommended: For most pocket-size businesses, nosotros recommend using a reputable bookkeeping service. Schedule a free revenue enhancement consultation for your business now to avoid costly errors in the time to come.

Get Insurance for Your Florida Corporation

The next stride is to protect your corporation past getting concern insurance. Depending on the type of corporation y'all're operating, your insurance requirements and needs may vary.

So, what is business concern insurance exactly? Business organisation insurance protects your corporation'southward avails from losses that tin can happen naturally while doing business organisation, such equally property damage or lawsuits.

To acquire more than nearly the verbal type of business organisation insurance your corporation will need, visit our When to Go Insurance for Your New Business guide.

Discover out the real cost of getting insurance for your corporation. Get a free quote or phone call 855-602-1925.

Research Business License Requirements

To operate your corporation, you must comply with federal, state, and local authorities regulations. The details of business concern licenses and permits vary from state to state, so make sure to inquiry carefully and program accordingly.

Detect out how to obtain necessary licenses and permits for your business or accept a professional business licensing service practice information technology for y'all:

Federal: Utilize the U.S. Minor Business organization Administration (SBA) guide.
Country: Use the Florida Department of State's website.
Local: Contact your local county clerk and inquire about local licenses and permits.

Recommended:Hiring a professional service will assist simplify the incorporation process for you lot. Check out our review of the best online incorporation services!

What is an S Corporation?

An S corporation (Due south corp) is an incorporated business organisation that is taxed as a laissez passer-through entity. This means that Due south corps do not pay federal taxes on their business income. Instead, the business profits "laissez passer-through" to the owners of the S corp, who are also known as shareholders. And then, the shareholders pay income tax and report their share of the profits in the form of salaries on their private taxation returns, which are then taxed.

In guild to elect an S corporation condition for tax purposes, corporations will demand to file grade 2553 Election by a Small Business Corporation. The form must be signed by all shareholders and must exist filed within two months and fifteen days afterwards the start of the initial tax year.

To learn more than, read our What is an S corporation guide.

Florida Business Resources