Florida LLC Registered Agent Cost Breakdown
An honest look at every fee involved in appointing and maintaining a registered agent in Florida.
An honest look at every fee involved in appointing and maintaining a registered agent in Florida.
Before considering what a registered agent service costs, it helps to understand the baseline state fees that every Florida LLC owner pays. When you file your Articles of Organization with the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), the state charges a $125 filing fee. This fee includes the designation of your initial registered agent, so there is no separate state charge just for naming an agent at formation. If you are forming a corporation rather than an LLC, the filing fee for the Articles of Incorporation starts at $35 plus a $35 designation of registered agent fee, for a combined minimum of $70. The exact amount may vary depending on the number of authorized shares.
Foreign LLCs (those formed in another state but registering to do business in Florida) pay $125 for the Application for Authorization under Florida Statute §605.0902, which also includes the registered agent designation.
Florida requires every LLC to file an Annual Report between January 1 and May 1 each year. The filing fee is $138.75. If you miss the May 1 deadline, a supplemental late fee of $400 applies, bringing the total to $538.75. Failing to file by the third Friday in September results in administrative dissolution. Corporations pay $150 for their annual report. These reports are filed through the Sunbiz online portal and include confirmation of your current registered agent information, so they serve as both a compliance filing and an opportunity to update your agent if needed.
The annual report itself is not a registered agent fee per se, but it is directly tied to your agent's information under Florida Statute §605.0212 and represents a recurring cost of maintaining your Florida entity in good standing.
If you opt against serving as your own registered agent, professional services in Florida generally charge between $49 and $299 per year. The budget tier ($49-$99/year) covers basic registered agent services — a Florida address on file with the state, acceptance of service of process, and email notification when documents arrive. Some budget providers may charge extra for document scanning or mail forwarding. The mid-range tier ($100-$175/year) includes everything in the budget tier plus compliance reminders, same-day document scanning, and often a basic online dashboard to view received documents. The premium tier ($200-$299/year) offers full-service packages that bundle registered agent services with additional features like business mail forwarding, LLC formation assistance, operating agreement templates, and dedicated compliance support.
Some national registered agent companies offer the first year free when you purchase LLC formation services through them. While this can be a good deal, always check the renewal price: many such promotions jump to $150-$299 per year after the initial period.
Under Florida law, you can change your registered agent by filing a Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office. For LLCs, the filing fee is $25. For corporations, the fee is $35. Alternatively, you can update your registered agent information at no additional cost when filing your annual report — the agent change is incorporated into the standard annual report fee. If your current registered agent resigns, they must file a Resignation of Registered Agent form. The resignation takes effect 31 days after filing or upon appointment of a successor, whichever occurs first.
Under Florida Statute §605.0114, the resignation fee is $87.50 for agents resigning from a corporation and $25 for agents resigning from an LLC.
Beyond the obvious fees, there are several indirect costs that business owners often overlook. Privacy exposure is a significant concern: if you serve as your own agent, your home address becomes permanently searchable on Sunbiz. Some owners end up paying for a virtual office or mailbox service separately, which can cost $15-$50 per month — potentially more expensive than a registered agent service. Missed service penalties represent another hidden cost: if you are unavailable when a process server arrives and legal papers go unserved, you could face a default judgment. The financial damage from a default judgment dwarfs any registered agent fee. Finally, reinstatement fees are often underestimated: if your LLC is dissolved due to failure to maintain a registered agent, reinstating it costs $100 plus the back annual report fees and any late penalties, which can quickly add up to $600 or more.