How To Start A Nonprofit In Florida

To incorporate a Florida nonprofit, you must complete and file nonprofit articles of incorporation with the Florida Division of Corporations. See the document below and click on any number to see what information is required in the corresponding section.

How Much Does It Cost to Incorporate a Florida Nonprofit?

Florida charges a $70 in combined fees to file nonprofit articles of incorporation, a total that includes a $35 filing fee and a $35 designation of registered agent fee.

How Long Does It Take to Start a Florida Nonprofit?

If you file online, Florida will process your articles within about 10 business days (mailed filings, of course, may take a bit longer).

Does a Florida Nonprofit Need a Registered Agent?

Yes, Florida requires a nonprofit corporation to appoint and maintain a registered agent to receive service of process (legal notices) from the state, which is why your nonprofit’s articles of incorporation must list your registered agent’s Florida street address.

You’re allowed to list yourself as the registered agent, but we think it’s wiser to go with a registered agent service like Northwest. Why? Because most people can’t manage and grow a new nonprofit if they can’t leave the office during normal business hours, and “staying put” is exactly what the state expects of a registered agent. You would also have to deal with the fallout of listing your residential or office address on your articles of incorporation, a publicly available document. That fallout usually includes excessive junk mail, solicitors showing up at your door, and extra fees paid to the state if you ever need to change the location of your nonprofit’s registered office.

These problems disappear when you hire Northwest, where we do the waiting instead of you, where you get to list our Tampa office address on your nonprofit’s articles of incorporation (in place of your own), and where you get the comfort of knowing that a professional registered agent service is always there to receive legal notices and official state mail on your behalf. At Northwest, we have the infrastructure in place to scan and send any official state documents we receive on the day we receive them.

A federal employer identification number (a FEIN or EIN) is a must for any new nonprofit trying to navigate its finances, solicit donations, or apply for federal and state tax exemptions. Your Florida nonprofit can get an EIN from the IRS as soon as the state approves your Articles of Incorporation. Apply through the IRS website, or you can save yourself the trouble entirely by adding our EIN service for an additional fee when you hire Northwest.

Starting a successful nonprofit means getting everyone in the organization on the same page, and bylaws are what make that possible. Will your nonprofit have voting members? How long is a director’s tenure? What are the officers’ responsibilities? What if your nonprofit needs to suspend a director? Questions like these get addressed in your bylaws, and without them your nonprofit’s directors and officers can’t really guide the organization at all. Most nonprofits adopt their bylaws at the organizational meeting (the first meeting of the directors after incorporating) and before seeking 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS.

It’s tough to write bylaws, but Northwest can help. You can take a look at our Florida nonprofit bylaw guide, which includes access to our template for writing nonprofit bylaws. We also provide numerous other free nonprofit forms to help your nonprofit start successful and stay successful. Why? Because we want you to sign up for our registered agent service year after year, and that requires that your nonprofit stays in business and continues to grow. Your success is our success.

Your nonprofit will pay federal income taxes, like any business, unless it obtains federal tax-exempt status from the IRS. This involves submitting an Application for Recognition of Exemption to the IRS to demonstrate that your organization qualifies as one of around two dozen different types of exempt organizations described under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. Since most nonprofits get formed for charitable purposes, the majority of new nonprofits seek 501(c)(3) status for public charities and private foundations.

If your nonprofit intends to seek 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, make sure your articles of incorporation include the special tax-exempt language required by the IRS. This language, which includes a statement of purpose and a provision governing what happens to your nonprofit’s assets if it ever shuts down, is designed to make sure your nonprofit is dedicated exclusively to the pursuit of one or more tax-exempt purposes recognized by the IRS.

Things get more complicate at the state level. In general, your nonprofit will pay the Florida reemployment tax if it consistently has more than four employees, but 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, if already recognized by the IRS, are usually exempt from the state’s corporate income tax. It is also possible to get a sales and use tax exemption (at least on purchases) if the nonprofit obtains a Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption.

Does a Florida Nonprofit Need a Business License?

Florida’s equivalent of a business license is called the Business Tax Receipt, which typically gets granted by the county government, and most counties require businesses, including nonprofits, to get a business tax receipt. This is one of the more complicated elements of starting a nonprofit (or any business) in Florida, so it’s probably best to simply reach out to your local tax collector’s office to get clear about the requirements and fees specific to your nonprofit.

Should a Florida Nonprofit Register for State Tax Accounts?

If your nonprofit will have paid employees or make sales of any kind (among numerous other kinds of business-like transactions), you will likely need to submit a Business Tax Application (Form DR-1) to the Florida Department of Revenue. Register online at the Florida Department of Revenue’s website.

Should a Florida Nonprofit Register as a Charity?

If your Florida nonprofit intends to solicit charitable contributions from the public, you’re required to register as a charity with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and renew each year. However, the application process and costs differ depending on your nonprofit’s annual revenue. Check out our guide to Florida Charity Registration for details.

To open a bank account for your Florida nonprofit, you will need to bring the following items with you to the bank:

• A copy of your nonprofit’s articles of incorporation
• A copy of your nonprofit’s bylaws
• Your nonprofit’s EIN

It’s wise to call your ahead of time to check its requirements. Some banks may require you to bring a resolution authorizing you to open a bank account in your nonprofit’s name (particularly if your nonprofit has several directors and/or officers).

Florida requires nonprofits to file annual reports to keep the Department of State’s records current, including information about your nonprofit’s registered agent and the names and addresses of your officers and directors. The filing fee is $61.25, and you must file online at the Florida Department of State’s website. The deadline is May 1st each year.

Hire Northwest as your registered agent service, and we’ll send you a reminder when your annual report’s deadline approaches, but we can also complete and submit the report ourselves. Add our  Florida annual report service when you hire Northwest and we’ll file your report for $100 +the $61.25 state report fee.