Florida Business Registration | Florida Business Licenses
About Florida Business Registration And Licenses:
Getting Started Business in the state of Florida: Welcome to InfoTaxSquare.com e-Filing program to file business documents with the Florida Department of state for conducting business in the state of Florida. We will share a brief overview below to register business in the state of Florida, and what documents to be filed according to the entity type that has been chosen to start business in Florida. It's advised to stay connected with our live operators, who are available 7 days and 24 hours for your help.
The state of Florida is one of the most efficient and motivated states that has a very effective electronic portal to file documents online.
One of the most common questions to start a company in the state of Florida, What are the parameters to choose a right business type? Corporation, limited liability company or if there is another alternative available which is a great fit for your business.
What you need to cover under a business plan to start business in the state of Florida?
- Choose a right business type to lower the taxes, veil personal assets and ability to raise capital if needed.
- Are you buying an existing business in Florida?
- How would you get a business license in Florida for your newly formed company?
- How much is the registration fee to open company in the state of Florida?
- What is an estimated time to register a business and obtain licenses in the state of Florida?
- Rules and regulations of tax filings in Florida.
How does a Florida Entity Type control a business?
It is a general concept of an individual that an entity type controls the taxation rather protecting personal and the business assets. But, in reality deduction, credits and a good planning lower the tax instead of an entity type, that we will describe how each entity type results the taxes and the protection below:
- Florida Sole Proprietorship: is controlled by a single owner and a business owner is personally liable for all the business debts. All business income and losses are reported on the income tax return. Taxes are paid based on the net income. The owner of the business is not allowed to take payroll.
- Florida General Partnership: A partnership agreement is prepared and at least two partners are required to establish a partnership. The partnership is controlled by the partnership agreement between the parties. All business partners are liable for the partnership debts as per the partnership agreement. Each partner pays taxes based on the ownership and the taxes are paid as per the individual and corporate tax rates.
- Florida Limited Partnership: This requires two or more partners. It contains two classes, general partners and limited partners. General Partners can dissolve the partnership without a consent of the limited partners, whereas the limited partners do not have this option. General partners generally operate business, according to the specific partnership agreement.
- Florida C Corporation: A C-Corporation is controlled by minimum one stockholder and there is no limit (Unlimited). The business is managed by the board of directors and the owners of the business hold the company stocks. In the C Corporation, the owner's liability is limited to the capital contributed in the business unless acting as guarantor of the corporate debt. Taxes are paid twice under the C Type entity, first the corporation pays taxes, then the dividend transfers to the stockholders, who report the income on the income tax return.
- Florida Public Benefit Corporation: It is also controlled by the stockholders and there is no limitation of the stockholders. The same rules apply as applies to a C Corporation.
- Subchapter S Corporation: S corporation is controlled by a stockholder, income and loss pass through to the stockholder same as a partnership that reports on the income tax return of each stockholder. Owners liability is limited to the capital invested in the business. Currently, maximum 100 stockholders are allowed in the S Corporation.
- Florida Limited Liability Company: It controls by the members and managers and at least one member or a manager is required to incorporate an LLC. A member of an LLC is equivalent to an owner whereas, a manager is appointed by an LLC member's to look after the company affairs. Income and loss are pass-through to the LLC owners and generally, the owner's liability applies same as in the C Corporation. In a simple word, a manager is an authorized representative. An LLC can have unlimited members and it can file taxes as a partnership, corporation or an S Corporation.
- Florida Limited Liability Partnership: Partners control a company, as it is defined in the partnership agreement and the owners are liable to the extent of the capital invested. Profit and loss pass-through to the partners, who report it on their income tax return end of the year. The taxes cannot be deferred, and it should be paid in the year it was earned.
Steps to Start A Business In Florida:
- Determine the legal structure of your business; such as registering a business name in Florida under your personal name or incorporate business name as an LLC or a Corporation which enables you to isolate or protect the personal assets from business. It is very important to veil your personal assets with a right entity type and insurance.
- Check Business Name Availability with the Secretary of State Florida. State of Florida does not file a duplicate business name, and rejects such application.
- Fill out a right application according the entity type, that you have chosen to transact business in the state of Florida, such as; a trade name, corporation or a limited liability company.
- Florida Secretary of State charges all filing fees before processing the order.
For Example; A corporation has the ability to issue shares to the investors for raising the capital. A corporation shares are issued to the accredited and non-accredited stockholders whereas, an LLC is a hybrid business entity and profit and loss transfer to the company owner/member much like a partnership or a sole proprietorship. An LLC is well suited to a single owner company, where an owner of a company simply reports, business income and loss on the Internal Revenue Form 1040. There are always pros and cons and the situation can be changed over time, and a conversion can be filed to change the structure of a company.
Unlike, a limited liability company of the state of Florida cannot go to the public, like a C corporation of the state of Florida . For that reason, the venture capital companies often prefer corporations instead a Limited Liability Company Florida.
Should you hire an Attorney or a CPA to register a company?
It is not required, but if you need consultation pertaining to choosing a right entity type, we advise to consult an attorney for the legal questions and certified public accountants for the tax planning because the legal and tax laws are very complex in the USA.
Can A Local Resident of Florida, register an out of state entity?
- Why Not? A local resident of the state of Florida is required to register business in the state of Florida regardless business is online or physically operated in the state of Florida. It is a wrong conception or interpretation of the Florida laws that a company can be registered as per the wish.
- Yes, as a branch office to do business in the other state as well. But, not for the tax benefits.
Florida Entity Name Search:
Regardless, the entity name is unique and not found a match in different search engines such as Google, Yahoo and DueClix.com, the Florida company name must be searched in the Florida Secretary of State database.
After deciding the legal entity type and preliminary business name search with the Florida Secretary of State, it is highly recommended to search business name with the USPTO website too, to avoid any future dispute, if a company has already trademarked name nationwide and challenge you to take-off or change the business name. Though the business name confirmation with the USPTO is not required, but it will help you in future, if you ever decided to trademark your business name nationwide.
Florida Secretary of State Provide the following Provisions To Register Business:
Look Up A Business In Florida | Florida Profit Corporaiton | Florida LLC | Florida Nonprofit Corporation | Florida Limited Partnership | Dissolve or Withdraw Buiness In Florida | Florida Reinstatement | Certificate of Status Florida | Certified Copies Florida | Fictitious Name Registration Florida | Fictitious Name Renewal Florida
Florida Business Licenses And Taxation:
About the business licenses and permits in the State of Florida, inquire and acquire by the Florida department of revenue.
The sales and use tax is becoming a very complex issue across the United States due to the internet sales, So, it is advised to hire an experienced accountant to handle your sales tax returns correctly to avoid the complications.
Renewal And maintenance of the Florida Company:
The state of Florida requires every business entity to renew and maintain business name registration and licenses on time to legally transact business in the state of Florida.
How to open a business account in Florida?
Generally, most banks ask company owners or the responsible parties to come physically in the bank along with the proof of the company registration such as Article of incorporation, Article of Organization or a business certificate and the employer identification number.
A bank may also request to provide an operating agreement and minutes of meeting to open a bank account. The social security number is not required for a Non US Resident to open a business account. A Non US Resident gets an ITIN, which is an alternative of a social security number, but only after filing income tax return.
Grow with Alliances in Florida:
Make local alliances in the state of Florida, to grow businesses faster, which also creates job opportunities in the state of Florida. A right alliance also gives, a business owner flexibility to take some time off from the business and share business responsibilities with other partners.
Why choose InfoTaxSquare.com for the State of Florida Business Registration?
InfoTaxSquare.com is a private agency and it is not associated with any government agency. We file documents with the different government agencies as a representative . InfoTaxSquare.com operators are available online 24/7 for the customer support. We respond to all inquiries within 24-48 hours.
Choose One Of The Following Links To Proceed For A Business Name Registration or Business Licenses In The State of Florida:
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