ONE LAST REMINDER: FILE YOUR COMPANY’S 2026 ANNUAL REPORT BY MAY 1ST

There are only a few weeks left before the May 1st deadline for Florida companies to file their corporate Annual Report with the State of Florida. If you miss the May 1st deadline, the state will add a mandatory penalty of $400 in addition to the normal fee!

The state requires a yearly filing from all corporations and LLCs to keep the company in official active status.

If you do not file your Annual Report, your company’s status will go inactive and be dissolved by the state, which allows someone else to take over your company’s name. It also jeopardizes any workers’ comp exemptions your officers hold.

To file your company’s 2026 Annual Report, go to Sunbiz.org. Make sure the page says “An official State of Florida website” at the top. This is how you know you are on the official government web page. Under the Filing Services tab in blue, click on the Annual Report link that is highlighted in yellow.

ANNUAL REPORT SCAM ALERT

Please be cautious about emails you receive about this mandatory Annual Report filing. Because all companies in Florida must file it, private companies email solicitations each year offering to file the report on your behalf.

These solicitations may be from companies with names like “Florida Filing Services” or “Florida Business Renewal Center.” They may look like official government notices, but they are not from the State of Florida.

If you pay one of these companies to file your Annual Report, it could cost up to $100 more than if you filed the report yourself.

The only legitimate email is from the State of Florida’s Division of Corporations, whose email is FL_DOS_Corporations@dos.state.fl.us.

FIRST REEMPLOYMENT TAX FORM OF 2026 IS DUE APRIL 30TH

With a few exceptions, Florida employers are required to pay state reemployment tax (also called unemployment tax) on the wages it pays employees. The reemployment tax is paid quarterly to the Florida Department of Revenue by filing form RT-6 (Employer’s Quarterly Report).

Your business should have already received a notice in the mail from the Florida Department of Revenue with your company’s tax rate for calendar year 2026. Multiply this rate by your wages for the quarter to calculate how much reemployment tax you owe for the quarter.

Reemployment taxes are charged on the first $7,000 of wages paid to an employee in a year.

Reemployment taxes are due by the end of the month following each calendar quarter. The first tax form and payment for 2026 is due April 30th and will be for wages paid to your employees in the first quarter of 2026.

If your business has 10 or more employees, you must file these tax returns and pay the tax due online using the Florida Department of Revenue’s secure portal.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BUSINESS RECEIVES A COMPLAINT LETTER FROM OSHA

If your business receives a complaint letter from OSHA, it means that someone (either an employee or someone from the public) has contacted OSHA about a hazard in your workplace. OSHA is required to respond to all complaints and will evaluate the complaint to determine if an on-site inspection is needed.

You may receive a letter from OSHA explaining the hazard that was reported and asking you for information. You must respond in writing within five days addressing the hazards identified in OHSA’s letter and explaining any corrective actions you have already taken or plan to take.

Your response to OSHA should:

  • Provide as much information as you can about the conditions outlined in the letter.
  • Explain what you have done or will do to address the issue.
  • Provide proof of any written company policies addressing the issue.

Avoid saying that the hazard in the complaint is prevalent in your industry because “everybody does it this way.” Even if this is true, it has no bearing on the conditions in your specific workplace.

If the hazard identified in the complaint does not actually exist at your workplace, you can dispute the complaint by providing pictures of the work area, documentation of engineering controls, or proof that you provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees to mitigate the hazard. If you provide employees with PPE, your response to OSHA should include the part of your written safety policy or program that explains how to correctly use the PPE.

If the complaint was from an employee, you should not try to identify which employee made the complaint. Retaliating against an employee who has reported a workplace hazard is illegal and may trigger an investigation of your workplace by OSHA.

The USF SafetyFlorida Consultation Program offers free OSHA compliance assistance to Florida businesses. To request a consultation, visit their website at usfsafetyflorida.com or call them at 866-273-1105.

FREE WORKERS’ COMP WEBINAR

On April 8th, the State of Florida will host a free online seminar on workers’ compensation for Florida employers. Licensed contractors and electrical contractors can receive one hour of continuing education credit for taking the online seminar.

The online seminar explains which businesses are required to carry workers’ comp insurance­ in Florida, how business owners can exempt out of workers’ comp­ in Florida, and contractors’ responsibilities for their uninsured subcontractors.

The webinar is from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm eastern time. To register, email the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation at BOCSeminars@MyFloridaCFO.com or visit their website.