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Compliance and filings in Florida

Florida compliance is a $70 foreign qualification, a $150 annual report due by May 1 with a $400 late fee, the F-1120, and local business tax receipts where you have an office.

Jurisdiction
Florida
Reading time
1 min
Checked
October 13, 2026
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Key figures

Florida compliance

2026, with sources

Foreign qualification fee
$70Form CR2E007; certificate of status is $8.75 extra.
Annual report fee
$150First report is due the year after qualifying.
Annual report late fee
$400Added after May 1; there is no provision to waive it.
Franchise tax
None separateThe F-1120 is titled an income/franchise tax return, but there is no separate capital-based tax.
Unclaimed property report
Due before May 1For property presumed unclaimed in the preceding calendar year.
Estimated tax threshold
More than $2,500 a year

Qualifying and staying active on Sunbiz

A Delaware corporation doing business in Florida files an Application by Foreign Corporation for Authorization to Transact Business (Form CR2E007) with the Division of Corporations, for $70, naming a Florida registered agent with a street address.

Every profit corporation then files an annual report online between January 1 and May 1, starting the year after it qualifies. The fee is $150, and the late fee after May 1 is $400.

Local business tax receipts

Florida counties and municipalities levy a local business tax, issued as a business tax receipt, on businesses located in their jurisdiction. A company with a Florida office may need one from both the county and the city, generally renewed each year by September 30.

Deadlines

  1. Between January 1 and May 1Profit corporation annual report on SunbizAnnual Report
  2. May 1, or 15 days after the federal due date if laterCorporate income/franchise tax return (calendar year)Form F-1120
  3. Before May 1Unclaimed property report for the preceding calendar year
  4. Last day of the month after the quarterEmployer’s Quarterly Report (reemployment tax)Form RT-6

The federal baseline

This page covers what Florida adds. The federal rules underneath it apply here too.

FederalFederal compliance for startupsThe federal compliance calendar is short but unforgiving: Form 1120 and its extension, estimated tax once there is a profit, 83(b) elections, Form 3921 and Form D around equity events, and Form 5472 if the owners are foreign. BOI reporting no longer applies to US companies.

Common questions

Is the Florida annual report late fee really $400?

Yes. Sunbiz charges a $400 late fee on a profit corporation annual report filed after May 1, and the Division of Corporations says there is no provision to waive it. A company that does not file is eventually administratively dissolved or, for a foreign corporation, has its authority revoked.

Do we have to make Florida estimated tax payments?

Only once the company expects more than $2,500 of Florida corporate tax for the year. Below that, the tax is paid with Form F-1120 (or with Form F-7004 if the return is extended, since the extension covers filing, not payment). The $50,000 exemption means many early-stage companies never reach the estimate threshold.

Do we need a local business license in Florida?

Usually, yes. Counties and many cities issue a local business tax receipt to businesses with a location in their jurisdiction, at amounts each one sets. A home office can be covered too; check with the county tax collector and the city.

Compliance next door

How Florida compares

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More of the Florida guide

Sources

Checked against each agency’s own page on . Rates and thresholds change, usually on January 1.

General information for US companies, not tax, legal or accounting advice for yours. Rules and thresholds change; confirm the specifics with a CPA or the agency before you act on them.

All state guides