Should You Use Sunbiz Directly or a Company Like ZenBusiness to Start Your Florida LLC?

The Florida Department of State's published fee schedule sets the cost of a new LLC at $125.00. That total is a $100 filing fee plus a $25 registered agent designation fee. The state collects the same amount whether you file yourself or through a provider. What changes is what you pay on top of it. ZenBusiness's Starter plan adds $0 to the state fee, Pro costs $199 per year, and Premium costs $299 per year. Its registered agent service is separate on every tier, including Premium. It costs $99 for the first year when you form with ZenBusiness and $199 per year after that.

After formation, every Florida LLC owes the state a $138.75 annual report fee. A report received after May 1 costs $538.75 because of a $400 late penalty. That deadline applies no matter who formed the company.

Two steps cost nothing on either path. The IRS issues an Employer Identification Number (EIN) free, and it says to form the entity with the state before applying. FinCEN states that companies created in the United States are exempt from federal beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting.

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Florida LLC fees and requirements at a glance

What filing directly on Sunbiz involves

Sunbiz is the Florida Division of Corporations' online filing system. Formation is governed by section 605.0201 of the Florida Statutes. The Division's filing instructions state that it does not give legal advice. That matters in practice: the state processes what you submit, but it will not tell you whether your choices suit your business.

Filing yourself means completing the articles of organization online, naming a registered agent, and paying $125.00. The Division's instructions explain who may serve as registered agent. The role involves receiving legal papers on the company's behalf. If you or someone you trust qualifies and can do that reliably, the do-it-yourself path costs nothing beyond the state fee.

The harder part of doing it yourself is not the form. It is the calendar. Each year you file the annual report and pay $138.75. If you miss May 1, the same report costs $538.75. Changes cost extra too: a registered agent change is $25, and articles of correction are also $25.

What ZenBusiness adds, and what it costs

The table below separates what the state charges from what the provider charges, so the service fee is visible on its own.

Here is what each path costs in total, adding the state fees to the ZenBusiness fees.

Filing yourself without a paid agent costs $125.00 in the first year and $138.75 in each year after.

ZenBusiness Starter with its registered agent costs $224 in the first year ($125.00 state fee plus the $99 agent). In each later year it costs $337.75 ($138.75 annual report plus the $199 agent).

Pro with the agent comes to $423.00 in the first year, then $536.75 per year.

Premium with the agent comes to $523.00 in the first year, then $636.75 per year.

These totals cover only the fees above. Any add-on services would increase them.

When filing yourself is the better call

If the Sunbiz form doesn't intimidate you, you have a registered agent arrangement that meets the Division's instructions, and you will put May 1 on your calendar and keep it there, a service adds cost without adding much. That describes many single-owner Florida LLCs. Over a few years, the difference between $138.75 a year and $337.75 a year for the cheapest service option is real money for a small business.

Filing yourself also makes sense if you want to understand exactly what was filed in your company's name. Nothing is hidden when you are the one who submitted it.

When ZenBusiness is worth paying for

ZenBusiness fits the owner who has no dependable person or address for the registered agent role. It also fits someone who does not want to be the point of contact for legal papers, or who would rather hand off the formation filing entirely. For that reader, Starter plus the registered agent is the lowest-cost way to get both handled, at $224.00 in the first year and $337.75 per year after that.

Pro and Premium only make sense if their specific contents solve a problem you actually have. Compare the tier details on ZenBusiness's pricing page before paying $199 or $299 a year. Keep in mind that the registered agent fee comes on top of either tier.

No plan changes the state's $138.75 annual report fee or the May 1 deadline.

llcprovidercompare.com earns a commission on some links, including ZenBusiness. That doesn't change the cases above where this page says filing yourself is the better choice.

Frequently asked questions