Change registered agent in Florida: the $25 LLC filing and the easier annual report option
Florida gives LLC owners two common ways to update the registered agent. You can file a standalone statement of change and pay $25, or you can make the change on the LLC annual report if that filing window is already coming up. The trick is knowing when to use which path and not forgetting the new agent's written acceptance.
The basic Florida rule
Florida law says an LLC or foreign LLC may deliver a statement of change to change its registered agent or registered office address. If the registered agent is changed, the written acceptance of the successor registered agent must also be included in or attached to the statement of change.
That means Florida is more formal than Texas on this point. In Florida, the new agent's acceptance is not just something you keep in your files. It is part of the filing when you use the standalone change form.
The standalone LLC filing
| Florida registered agent change item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Main LLC form | Statement of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both for Limited Liability Company |
| Form code | INHS18 |
| Filing fee | $25 |
| Optional certified copy total | $55 |
| Agent-address rule | Florida street address required for the registered office |
| When effective | When filed by the department, unless otherwise authorized |
The cheaper mental shortcut: use the annual report when timing works
Florida's statute also says changes to the registered agent or registered office may be made on the LLC's annual report. That can be the easier route if you were already about to file the annual report anyway.
But this is only a shortcut when the timing lines up. If the current agent is no longer valid, or you do not want to leave stale information on the public record, waiting for the next annual report is a bad idea.
Florida lets you update the registered agent on the annual report, but that is a convenience option, not a reason to leave bad agent information sitting on file.
What Florida wants on the change form
The official INHS18 form asks for the LLC name, principal office address, mailing address, date of filing or registration in Florida, document number, the current registered agent and office shown on state records, and the new registered agent and or new registered office address.
The form is also very clear that the registered office must be a Florida street address. A post office box does not work for that part. The mailing address can be different, but the registered office itself must be a real physical address in Florida.
Who can serve as the agent
Florida requires a registered agent and registered office. The annual report help materials explain that the registered office must have a Florida street address, and if the registered agent is a business entity, that entity must have an active registration on file with the state. The LLC itself cannot serve as its own registered agent.
So if you are switching from yourself to a service, or from one service to another, make sure the new agent actually qualifies before you send anything in.
Why the written acceptance matters
Section 605.0114 of the Florida statutes says that if the registered agent is changed, the written acceptance of the successor registered agent described in section 605.0113(2) must also be included in or attached to the statement of change.
That is not filler language. If the new agent has not actually accepted the appointment, you are filing an incomplete switch.
Where owners get tripped up
The usual mistakes are simple: using a mailing address instead of a Florida street address, forgetting the new agent's acceptance, or assuming the annual report and change filing are the same thing in every situation.
There is also a practical cost issue. Florida charges $25 for the standalone change filing, while the annual report has its own separate filing fee. If your annual report is already due soon, combining the update there can reduce extra admin. If it is not due soon, paying $25 to fix the record now is often the cleaner move.
Mailing and filing details
The official form shows the mailing address as Division of Corporations, P.O. Box 6327, Tallahassee, FL 32314, and the street address as The Centre of Tallahassee, 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303. The fee box on the form confirms the $25 filing fee for the LLC change statement.
If you want proof for your records, keep a copy of the submitted form and any state acknowledgment once the filing is processed.
Bottom line
To change a Florida LLC registered agent, file the LLC statement of change form and pay the $25 fee, or update the agent on the annual report if the timing already makes sense. Use a Florida street address for the registered office, and do not forget the successor agent's written acceptance. In Florida, the cleanest filing is the one that gets stale agent information off the record fast.