Does TechBrot serve Florida businesses?
Yes. TechBrot delivers bookkeeping, QuickBooks ProAdvisor services, payroll management, sales tax compliance, and fractional CFO coordination to Florida businesses statewide — directly, remotely, in each client’s own QuickBooks file. All 67 Florida counties covered, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, and every metro and rural county in between.
Does Florida have a state income tax?
No. Florida has no state personal income tax — a primary reason businesses and owners relocate there. It does levy a 5.5% corporate income tax on C-corporations (with a $50,000 exemption); S-corporations, LLCs, and partnerships owe no Florida income tax. There is no franchise or margin tax. The trade-off is heavier reliance on sales tax.
What’s the Florida sales tax rate, and how does the county surtax work?
The state rate is 6%, plus a county discretionary surtax of 0.5%–2.5%, for a combined rate up to roughly 8.5%. Florida is destination-based — the rate follows where the customer receives the item. For a single taxable item, the surtax often applies only to the first $5,000. QuickBooks must carry correct per-county rates and the surtax cap.
Does Florida charge sales tax on services?
Yes — on more services than most states. Commercial cleaning, nonresidential pest control, certain repairs to tangible property, detective/security services, and commercial laundry are taxable in Florida. Many owners assume all services are exempt and under-collect. Correctly flagging taxable vs. exempt service lines in QuickBooks is one of the most common Florida corrections we make.
Did Florida really repeal the commercial-rent (business rent) tax?
Yes. Effective October 1, 2025, Florida repealed its sales tax on commercial real-property leases — it had been the only state to impose it. Landlords and tenants no longer collect or remit sales tax on commercial rent for periods on or after that date; earlier periods remain taxable. There is no automatic refund — overpayments must be claimed through the Florida DOR. If your books or lease invoices still charge it, that needs correcting.
What QuickBooks versions does TechBrot support for Florida businesses?
All current versions: QuickBooks Online, Desktop, Enterprise and Payroll — certified in Online (Level 2) and Payroll. QBO is dominant across Florida’s hospitality, home-services, and professional-services businesses. Enterprise shows up in larger contractors and multi-location operators. Per-location class tracking for restaurants and retail is a standard engagement component.
Does TechBrot file Florida or federal tax returns?
No. TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm — we do not file Florida or federal tax returns, and do not represent clients before the Florida Department of Revenue. We deliver clean, CPA-ready bookkeeping including sales-tax and county-surtax reconciliation and C-corp income-tax workpapers, and coordinate with your CPA or EA who files. The standard model: TechBrot handles QuickBooks operations; your Florida CPA handles filing.
How does a Florida engagement start, and how fast can we begin?
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We review your Florida operational context (industry, number of locations, county sales-tax footprint, multi-state activity), recommend the right engagement structure, and deliver a written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. Emergencies go to the front of the queue.
What is the Communications Services Tax, and does it apply to me?
Florida’s Communications Services Tax (CST) is a separate tax on telecommunications, cable, streaming, and certain digital communications — distinct from sales tax, with its own state and local rates. Businesses that resell connectivity, VoIP, or bundled communications can fall under CST without realizing it. Where it applies, CST must be tracked separately from sales tax in QuickBooks.
How do I handle hurricane insurance proceeds and casualty losses in my books?
Carefully — it affects your federal return. Insurance proceeds, casualty losses, and business-interruption recoveries each have specific treatment, and repairs must be distinguished from capital improvements. Clean records of pre-loss basis and recovery timing are essential for any disaster-relief claim. We structure QuickBooks so casualty events are captured correctly when they happen, then coordinate the tax treatment with your CPA.
How much does Florida bookkeeping or QuickBooks work cost?
Fixed fees against a written scope — no hourly billing. Starting ranges: monthly bookkeeping $400–$2,500+/mo; bookkeeping cleanup $1,500–$15,000+; catch-up $2,000–$20,000+; QuickBooks setup $750–$5,000+; Desktop→Online migration $2,500–$10,000+; payroll $150–$800+/mo; sales tax $250–$1,500+/mo; business tax support scoped as a fixed fee in writing; fractional CFO $3,000–$8,000+/mo.
Can I use my Florida CPA for taxes and TechBrot for bookkeeping?
Yes — that’s the standard model. TechBrot handles operational bookkeeping, QuickBooks configuration, and Florida-specific compliance (county-surtax sales tax, taxable-services flagging, sales-tax reconciliation); your Florida CPA handles federal and corporate returns and DOR/IRS representation. Year-end CPA handoff is included in every recurring Florida engagement. Most of our Florida clients operate this way.
