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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class session 1 · Florida

Florida LLC Formation Class (2026): 7 Assignments and the 3 Best LLC Services

Graded for 2026, the best help with starting an LLC in Florida comes from FL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Florida Registered Agent.io ($199), in that order. Florida charges $125 to file and expects the annual report every year; the 7 assignments walk you through it.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

Fee to form$125Source for this: flsenate.gov, October 2026
Annual report$138.75 a yearHand-in date: May 1
Three-year state cost$402.50Without any service fee
Assignment count7Each one explained

Class objectives

  • The Florida formation paper, its price and its destination
  • What the agent rule says
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • The services at the top of the class

Who we would hire in Florida

Graded on the grading page: three-year tuition (30%), homework done (34%), year-two tuition, fit with the Florida class and fees a student can read.
Top of the class

1. FL Registered Agent.org: best for a small first bill

$199 the first year, $99 after

We start with FL Registered Agent.org; a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

Mainstay Filing loses to it on three-year tuition, and tuition is a big slice of the grade.

The annual report is not in the price, so you hand it in every year.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra

Weak spots

  • The annual report remains your responsibility
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Upkeep covered

2. Mainstay Filing: best for having the annual report filed by someone else

$199 per year, and the $324 charged at checkout includes the state fee

Mainstay Filing makes a respectable second: $199 yearly covers the formation, the registered agent and the annual report, and the renewal bill is $199.

Add up three years: it comes to $200 more than FL Registered Agent.org.

Add the annual report to what it does, with Florida's $138.75 passed along at cost.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • No markup on the state fee

Strengths

  • $199 when you renew
  • It files your EIN application for you
  • One yearly fee of $199, annual report included

Weak spots

  • FL Registered Agent.org renews for $100 less
One-state plan

3. Florida Registered Agent.io: best for a local filer

$199 the first year, $99 after

Florida Registered Agent.io makes a respectable third: a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

The annual report is not in the price, so you hand it in every year.

It charges exactly what FL Registered Agent.org charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • The agent renews at $99

Weak spots

  • The annual report remains your responsibility
  • An EIN add-on costs $99

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1FL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit FL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Florida Registered Agent.io$199$99/yr$397Visit Florida Registered Agent.ioPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Add the $125 state fee to every row.

The class, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Pick the LLC's name

    Search the business records kept by the Florida Division of Corporations first. They show whether the name is already on the Florida register.

    Keep a backup in your notebook.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Decide who will be a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Florida resident, or a business entity authorized in Florida, whose business address is the registered office. The agent files a written acceptance.

    The address has to be a Florida street address that matches the agent's business address. P.O. boxes are not accepted. Florida law sets minimum hours of 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

    Any of the graded services can take the registered agent role.

    Textbook page: Source for this: flsenate.gov, October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    File on your own or hire a service

    With no service, the bill is the state's $125. Each of the graded services adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Draw up the Articles of Organization for Florida Limited Liability Company

    the Florida Division of Corporations forms the LLC once it accepts the Articles of Organization for Florida Limited Liability Company (Form CR2E047) and $125, as Fla. Stat. § 605.0201 provides.

    Textbook page: Source for this: flsenate.gov, October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Apply to the IRS for an EIN

    After Florida approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; banks and payroll providers need it. Hire Mainstay Filing and this assignment is done for you.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Draft the operating agreement

    Ownership and decision rules live in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Florida filing.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Stay in good standing in Florida

    To stay active, send in the annual report every year ($138.75) by May 1. Late filings bring $400.

    Textbook page: Source for this: flsenate.gov, October 2026

The bill

ItemPayeeTotal
Filing to form the LLCThe state$125
Annual reportThe state$138.75 every year
Late filingThe state$400
Service fees (optional)Service$199 to start
State total across three yearsThe state$402.50
Rows for the state use Florida's published fee schedules (see the textbook pages beneath the table), and each service row uses that company's own price. Over three years the state row adds the filing, the year-two report, the year-three report and any minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

Tuition across three years settled first place in Florida. It is worth 30% of the grade, and the rest comes from homework the price does, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

FL Registered Agent.org costs $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $200 more.

What students ask

What will starting a Florida LLC cost?

The state's fee is $125. A graded service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Assignment 4 shows how to fill out the Articles of Organization for Florida Limited Liability Company (Form CR2E047) and where it goes: the Florida Division of Corporations.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Florida require each year?

Hand in the annual report every year, $138.75; deadline May 1.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Allowed. File on your own for $125 and arrange a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

FL Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Florida Registered Agent.io, from the highest grade to the lowest.

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. If you want proof of the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations facts, dos.fl.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  2. If you want proof of the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations facts, dos.fl.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  3. If you want proof of the Florida yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source facts, flsenate.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  4. If you want proof of the Florida report due date facts, leg.state.fl.us is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  5. If you want proof of the Fla facts, flsenate.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  6. If you want proof of the Florida formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts, dos.fl.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  7. If you want proof of the Florida formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts, flsenate.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  8. If you want proof of the Florida registered agent statute facts, flsenate.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  9. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from FL Registered Agent.org
  10. Pulled November 13, 2026: Florida service page from Mainstay Filing
  11. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Florida Registered Agent.io