A Corporation Built For What Comes Next
Articles of Incorporation filed with the state, a federal tax ID in the corporation's exact name, and books and a tax calendar ready for a company that files its own returns.
Incorporating A Florida Business In Homestead, FL
A C-Corporation is its own taxpayer. It files its own federal return, pays its own tax on profit and, in Florida, files a state corporate income tax return as well. For a company planning to bring in investors, issue shares or keep earnings inside the business, that separation can be the point.
To incorporate a business in Florida, Articles of Incorporation are filed with the Florida Division of Corporations on Sunbiz, with a registered agent named at a Florida street address. That filing is prepared and submitted for you, then followed by the EIN, the books and the tax calendar, all as part of our business formation services in Homestead, FL.
Owners across South Miami-Dade can start a corporation in Florida in person at the office. Owners elsewhere in Miami-Dade County and Broward County can do the whole thing virtually.
What A New Corporation Has In Place Before It Opens
C-Corp formation covers the filings and the setup a corporation needs in its first weeks, in this order.
- A name check against the Florida state record before anything is filed
- Articles of Incorporation prepared and filed with the Division of Corporations
- Your registered agent named at a Florida street address
- An EIN applied for in the corporation's exact legal name
- A QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop file with accounts for shareholder equity, shareholder loans and corporate tax
- Payroll set up in Gusto if you or anyone else will draw wages
- A tax calendar covering Form 1120, Florida Form F-1120 and the yearly annual report
C-Corp Or S-Corp: Choosing Before The First Tax Year
A new corporation is taxed as a C-Corporation unless it elects otherwise. If the owners would rather have the profit pass through to their personal returns, the corporation can file Form 2553, and that election has a deadline of its own. S-Corp election help covers that review before the window closes.
The choice depends on who owns the company, what it plans to do with its profit and how the owners want to be paid. You'll see how each option plays out in your own numbers. The legal side of corporate structure, including bylaws and shareholder agreements, is a question for your attorney.
Questions Owners Ask Before They Incorporate
Why would a small business choose a C-Corporation over an LLC?
Usually because of where the company is headed rather than this year's tax bill: outside investors, shares for future partners or profit the owners plan to keep in the business to grow it. For many owner-run shops, an LLC is simpler to keep up. You'll see the tax side of both, laid out with your numbers, before anything is filed.
Do you prepare corporate bylaws or shareholder agreements?
No. Bylaws and shareholder agreements are legal documents and should come from an attorney. The work here is the state filing, the federal tax ID, the books, payroll and the tax calendar. Once your attorney has those documents in place, the books are set up to reflect the ownership they describe.
When does a new corporation get its EIN?
Right after the state filing is accepted. The federal tax ID number application uses the exact legal name and entity type on the Articles of Incorporation, so the IRS record matches the state record. The bank account, payroll and both tax returns all run on that number.
Does a corporation have to file anything with the state every year?
Yes. Every Florida corporation files an annual report between January 1 and May 1, starting the year after it's formed. A late report brings a fee, and a corporation that never files is administratively dissolved later that year. The date goes on your tax calendar next to Form 1120 and Form F-1120.
Filings That Sit Next To Incorporation
Prefer profit to pass through to the owners? An honest review of whether the corporation should file Form 2553.
Read about it EIN & Federal Tax ID ApplicationThe federal number a new corporation needs for its bank account, payroll and returns, in its exact legal name.
Read about it Annual Report FilingThe yearly Sunbiz report that keeps a Florida corporation active, filed between January 1 and May 1.
Read about it Return To Business Formation & RegistrationEvery business formation & registration service we offer in Homestead, FL, on one page.
Back to Business Formation & RegistrationTalk Through The Corporation Before It's Filed
Bring your plans for ownership, investors and pay, and you'll leave knowing what the filings involve, which returns the corporation will owe and when each one is due.