Florida LLC for Non-Residents: Who It Suits, the May 1 Annual Report, Taxes, Privacy and Keeping One in Good Standing

Florida attracts founders from everywhere. Miami is the business capital of Latin America in all but name, the state's ports and airports connect the USA with the Caribbean and South America, and its large and growing population makes it one of the biggest consumer markets in the country. It also has no personal income tax, a fact that features in almost every article about forming a company there.

For a non-resident, though, the question is not whether Florida is a good place to do business. It clearly is. The question is whether your business needs a Florida company, or whether a cheaper, more private state would do the same job. For a property investor, an importer with a Miami warehouse or a founder planning to move to Florida, the answer is usually yes. For a developer in Bangalore invoicing US clients, it is usually no.

This guide covers who Florida suits, what it costs, the annual report that catches owners out, the public record, Florida's taxes for a company run from abroad, and what to do with a Florida LLC that has fallen behind.

Short answer: a Florida LLC costs $299 all-in with UCB and $236 a year to keep active. Its one yearly state filing is an annual report due between January 1 and May 1, with a state fee of $138.75 and a $400 late fee if it is filed after May 1. Florida has no personal income tax, and an ordinary LLC is not subject to Florida's corporate income tax, but the annual report lists the company's managers publicly. Choose Florida when the business will actually operate there; for an online business run from abroad, Wyoming or New Mexico costs less and keeps your name off the record.

Who a Florida LLC suits

Florida makes sense when the company will have a real connection with the state. The clearest cases:

• Property investors buying in Florida. A rental flat in Miami, a holiday home in Orlando or a portfolio in Tampa should usually be held by an LLC formed in Florida. An LLC formed elsewhere that owns Florida property will normally have to register in Florida anyway, paying for two states. See US real estate through an LLC.
• Importers, exporters and distributors. Businesses moving goods through Miami, Port Everglades, Jacksonville or Tampa, especially to and from Latin America and the Caribbean, often need a Florida warehouse, a Florida customs broker relationship and Florida staff.
• Businesses with a Florida office, shop or employees. A restaurant, a clinic, a travel agency, a car export business or a sales office in Florida is doing business in Florida, and a Florida company is the natural vehicle.
• Founders planning to relocate. If you expect to move to Florida, forming there from the start avoids registering the company in a second state later. Any visa questions need an immigration lawyer; forming a company does not by itself give any right to live or work in the USA.
• Latin American and Spanish-speaking markets. Businesses whose customers, partners or staff are in Florida's Spanish-speaking communities benefit from a local presence.

Who it does not suit

Florida is usually the wrong choice for:

• Freelancers, consultants and agencies working remotely for US clients from India, Pakistan, Nigeria or elsewhere. Clients pay a Wyoming LLC exactly as they pay a Florida one.
• SaaS, app and digital product businesses with no physical presence anywhere in the USA.
• E-commerce sellers using marketplace fulfilment (Amazon FBA, Walmart WFS), whose stock sits in many states.
• Owners who value privacy. Florida's annual report names managers, with an address, on a public database.
• Founders who want the lowest yearly cost. Florida's yearly fee is higher than Wyoming's, and New Mexico has none.

If you are unsure where you fall, our state selector asks five questions and suggests a state, and the full comparison is in the best state for non-residents.

What a Florida LLC costs

Florida's own charges are straightforward. Forming an LLC costs $125 in state fees: a $100 filing fee plus a $25 fee for designating the registered agent. Both are included in our all-in price. Every year after that, the annual report costs $138.75. There is no franchise tax and no minimum tax on top.

Federal costs are the same in every state: a foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120 every year, even with no income, and a multi-member LLC files a partnership return. Our US tax filing service is $300. For a full picture of first-year and yearly costs across states, see what a US LLC costs every year, or put your own numbers into the US company cost calculator.

The annual report: Florida's one yearly filing, and its expensive deadline

Every Florida LLC files an annual report with the Division of Corporations each year, starting in the calendar year after the year it was formed. The filing window opens on January 1 and closes on May 1.

The report confirms the company's principal office address, mailing address, registered agent, federal EIN and the names and street addresses of its managers or authorised representatives. At least one must be listed.

Three numbers matter:

The $400 late fee is what surprises people. It applies from the day after May 1, regardless of the reason, and it is larger than the report fee itself. Owners abroad miss May 1 most often because the reminder goes to a registered agent or an email address they no longer check, or because they assumed the company would be billed automatically. It is not: nothing happens unless the report is filed.

If the report is still not filed by the third Friday in September, Florida administratively dissolves the company. A dissolved company can be reinstated, but until it is, banks and payment platforms that check the state record may restrict accounts, and the company cannot obtain a certificate of status, which some banks ask for.

When you keep your company active with us, we remind you well before May 1 and file the report for you, so the late fee never arises.

Privacy: what Florida's public record shows

Florida runs one of the most open business registers in the country. Anyone can search a company and see its filings, including:

• the company name, document number and status,
• the principal office and mailing addresses,
• the registered agent's name and Florida address,
• the names and addresses of the managers or authorised representatives listed on the annual report,
• copies of the filed documents themselves.

For a single-member LLC, the person listed is usually the owner. That means your name, and an address you give, become searchable by anyone, including competitors, customers and people you may prefer not to hear from. The address shown does not have to be your home: a business address can be used, and our US business address add-on ($60 a year) gives you a separate address with its own suite number. See US business addresses explained.

Compare this with Wyoming and New Mexico, which do not require members or managers on the formation document and, in New Mexico's case, have no annual report at all. If keeping your name off a public database matters, Florida is not the state for you. See Wyoming LLC for non-residents and New Mexico LLC for non-residents.

Florida taxes for a company run from abroad

Florida's tax reputation is "no income tax". That is true for individuals and only partly true for companies, so it is worth being precise.

Personal income tax: none

Florida has no personal income tax. If you eventually live in Florida, you pay no state tax on your salary or your share of LLC profits. For an owner living abroad, this matters less: you are not a Florida resident either way.

Corporate income tax: depends on how the LLC is taxed

Florida does have a corporate income tax, at 5.5% on income apportioned to Florida, after a $50,000 exemption. Who pays it depends on federal classification:

• A single-member LLC owned by an individual is disregarded for federal and Florida purposes and does not file a Florida corporate income tax return.
• A multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership does not pay Florida corporate tax itself. It files a Florida partnership information return only if one of its members is a corporation, and that corporate member must then file a Florida corporate return.
• A single-member LLC owned by a company, for example a Florida LLC owned by your Indian private limited company or your UAE free-zone company, is a special case. Florida requires the corporate owner to file a Florida corporate income tax return reporting the LLC's income, even if owning the LLC is that corporation's only connection with Florida. Plan for this before you set up a subsidiary this way. See US subsidiary for a foreign company.
• A Florida corporation, or an LLC that elects to be taxed as one, pays Florida corporate income tax on its Florida-apportioned income, in addition to the 21% federal rate. See the 21% corporate tax explained.

Florida corporate returns are state returns, which we do not prepare; we will tell you whether one applies and can refer you to a Florida accountant.

Sales tax

Florida charges a 6% state sales tax, plus a county discretionary sales surtax in most counties. It applies to most goods and some services.

A business with a physical presence in Florida, such as a shop, warehouse or staff, must register and collect from its first taxable sale. A remote seller with no Florida presence must register once its taxable sales into Florida exceed $100,000 in the previous calendar year. Sales made through a marketplace that collects Florida tax on your behalf are handled by the marketplace.

One welcome change: Florida's sales tax on commercial rent, which used to add to the cost of leasing an office or warehouse, was repealed with effect from October 1, 2025.

Sales tax registration and returns are not part of our services; ask us and we will point you in the right direction. See state taxes for foreign-owned LLCs and US LLC for e-commerce sellers.

Federal tax is the same as anywhere

Whether the LLC's profits are taxed federally depends on whether they are effectively connected with a US trade or business, not on the state. A Florida LLC run entirely from abroad, with no US office or staff, is in the same federal position as a Wyoming one. A Florida LLC with a Miami warehouse and Florida staff almost certainly has effectively connected income and owes federal tax on it. See effectively connected income explained.

Florida compared with Wyoming, New Mexico and Delaware

The pattern is simple. If the business will be in Florida, form in Florida. If it will not, Florida costs more each year than Wyoming or New Mexico and gives away the privacy they offer, for no benefit the business uses.

The one mistake to avoid is the "middle path": forming in Wyoming to save money while running a shop, warehouse or rental property in Florida. That company will usually need to register in Florida as a foreign LLC, file Florida's annual report anyway, and keep a Florida registered agent, so you pay for two states. See the best state for non-residents.

LLC or corporation in Florida?

Most non-residents should form an LLC. A Florida corporation ($249 with UCB) suits founders whose home country treats a US LLC badly, or who need shares; it pays Florida corporate tax on its Florida income as well as federal tax. Venture investors expect a Delaware corporation instead. See LLC vs Inc for non-residents.

Banking and payment platforms

Florida companies are entirely familiar to US banks and fintechs. As with every state, approval depends on the business and the owner far more than on the state: a clear business description, a working website, consistent names and addresses across your documents, and a credible source of funds.

A few Florida-specific points:

• If the business is physically in Florida, a traditional bank account with a Florida branch relationship may suit you better than an online account, particularly for cash deposits, property transactions or trade finance. Our physical bank account package ($899 with formation) handles that application.
• Keep the annual report current. Banks and platforms such as Stripe sometimes check the state record. A company showing "inactive" after a missed report can trigger a review or a freeze.
• Use the same address everywhere. The principal office address on your annual report, your EIN record and your bank application should match.

See US business bank accounts for non-residents, Stripe for non-residents and why banks reject non-resident applications.

If you already own a Florida LLC

Many non-residents hold a Florida LLC formed for a property purchase, a past business or on a friend's recommendation. Here is how to keep it healthy, or deal with it if it has slipped.

Keeping it compliant

A Florida LLC in good standing needs three things each year: a registered agent with a Florida street address, the annual report filed by May 1, and the federal return filed on time. Keep your operating agreement current, and update the state record and the IRS when your address or the company's managers change.

You missed May 1

If the report was not filed by May 1 but the company has not yet been dissolved, it can still be filed, with the $400 late fee. It is worth doing immediately: the fee does not grow with time, but the risk of dissolution in September does.

The company has been administratively dissolved

A dissolved Florida LLC can apply for reinstatement. Florida charges a $100 reinstatement fee plus the annual report fee for every year that was missed. Once reinstated, the company continues as if it had never been dissolved. Before you reinstate, two checks matter:

• Is the name still available? If another business has taken the name in the meantime, reinstatement needs a name change.
• Are the federal filings up to date? A company that missed its Florida report has often missed its Form 5472 too, and federal penalties for that start at $25,000 per return. See missed US tax filings: what to do and Form 5472 explained.

See reinstating a dissolved US LLC. We help non-residents with Florida reinstatements: we check the record, tell you the exact state cost, file the reinstatement and back reports, take over as registered agent if needed, and bring the federal filings up to date.

You no longer need it

Close it properly rather than letting it lapse. Formal dissolution stops future annual reports, and a final federal return closes the IRS side. Our company closure service costs $249. Abandoned companies are the ones that produce unpleasant letters years later.

You want to keep the company but leave Florida

Changing a company's home state is possible in principle, but whether it is worth it depends on the company's history, contracts and assets. Ask us and we will tell you honestly whether keeping it, closing it and forming fresh, or seeking advice on a move makes most sense.

A Florida LLC's yearly calendar

Worked examples

These are illustrative examples, not client cases.

Example 1: the Miami rental. A doctor in Lagos is buying a flat in Miami to rent out. A Florida LLC holds the property, files the annual report each spring and has its own bank account for rent and expenses. Rental income from US property is US income, so the LLC and its owner have federal filings beyond Form 5472; she will need an ITIN ($249) for her own return. Recommendation: Florida LLC, formed before the purchase.

Example 2: the freelance developer. A developer in Hyderabad wants a US LLC to invoice American clients. He has heard Florida has no income tax. Neither does Wyoming, and a Wyoming LLC costs less each year and keeps his name off the public record. Recommendation: Wyoming or New Mexico.

Example 3: the importer. A family trading company in Dubai plans a small warehouse near Miami to distribute food products to Latin America and the Caribbean. The warehouse, staff and stock are in Florida. Recommendation: a Florida LLC, with sales tax registration handled by a local accountant, and a check of whether the parent company owning the LLC triggers a Florida corporate return.

Example 4: the dissolved LLC. A UK owner formed a Florida LLC in 2022 for a consulting business, then missed the 2025 and 2026 annual reports. The company was dissolved in September 2025 and the business bank account is now restricted. Recommendation: reinstate, file the missing reports, confirm the federal returns, then decide whether to keep the company or close it properly.

Common mistakes with Florida LLCs

1. Choosing Florida for "no income tax" when Wyoming offers the same for an online business at lower cost.
2. Missing May 1 and paying a $400 late fee for a $138.75 report.
3. Ignoring the September dissolution date and losing good standing with banks and platforms.
4. Listing a home address on a public annual report without realising it is searchable.
5. Owning a Florida LLC through a foreign company without planning for the corporate owner's Florida return.
6. Forming in another state while operating in Florida, then paying for two states.
7. Assuming the state handles the federal return. Form 5472 is due every year, whatever the state.

How UCB helps

We form Florida LLCs and corporations for non-residents remotely, all-in: state fees, first-year registered agent and EIN included, so a Florida LLC is $299 with nothing added by the state. We can add a US business bank account application, an ITIN, a US business address or a virtual office, and a DBA if you trade under another name. Each year, for $236, we renew the registered agent and file the annual report before May 1, and with our US tax filing service we prepare and file the federal return. For existing Florida LLCs, we handle late reports, reinstatement and closures. For Florida sales tax and state corporate returns, we will refer you to a local accountant. If Florida is not right for your business, we will tell you, and recommend a state free of charge. See Florida company formation.

Thinking about a Florida LLC, or holding one that has missed its annual report? WhatsApp us at +91 8105 199 399 or email enquiries@ucbsolutions.com and we will tell you what Florida will cost you, or what it takes to bring your company back into good standing.