A Florida sales associate or broker associate may work as an individual or use an authorized PA, LLC, or PLLC. If you choose an entity, use your legal name as it appears on your real estate license, add the appropriate entity designation, register it with Sunbiz, and have DBPR update your license before your broker begins paying the entity.
This is the naming principle taught in Course I. Forming an entity is optional; it does not create a separate brokerage or let an associate practice independently.
Use your licensed legal name
Section 475.161, Florida Statutes, permits an associate to be licensed as an individual, professional corporation, limited liability company, or professional limited liability company. The license must be issued in the licensee’s legal name and include the entity designation when applicable.
DBPR’s incorporation guidance specifically ties the business name to the legal name on the real estate license. A brand name, nickname, or team name is not a substitute.
Example: If the legal name on the license is Jordan Taylor Smith, these illustrate the naming format:
| Entity | Example name |
|---|---|
| Professional association / professional corporation | Jordan Taylor Smith, PA |
| Limited liability company | Jordan Taylor Smith, LLC |
| Professional limited liability company | Jordan Taylor Smith, PLLC |
Names such as Suncoast Dream Homes, LLC or Jordan Smith Real Estate Group, LLC do not follow this format for that associate’s license. Sunbiz accepting a business filing does not establish that DBPR can add it to your associate license. Confirm name availability and resolve any difference between your current legal name and your license before filing.
What PA, LLC, and PLLC mean
- PA: A professional association, which is a professional corporation.
- LLC: A limited liability company. Section 475.161 expressly permits this structure for associates.
- PLLC: A professional limited liability company.
People often call all three options “incorporating,” but an LLC or PLLC is organized as a limited liability company. The designation must match the entity actually formed; adding letters to your name alone does not form a business.
Why does DBPR’s form also list PL? Section 621.12(2), Florida Statutes, includes PL for professional limited liability companies formed before January 1, 2014. For a new professional LLC using an abbreviated designation, use PLLC rather than treating PL as another current formation option.
Set up the entity and update your license
- Choose the structure with appropriate advice. Discuss formation with a Florida attorney and tax treatment with a CPA. Coordinate the proposed name and payment setup with your employing broker.
- Register the entity through Sunbiz. Use your licensed legal name plus the correct designation. Follow the Sunbiz LLC/PLLC filing instructions if forming an LLC or PLLC. Keep the accepted filing and Department of State authorization.
- Apply to DBPR to add the designation. Use the RE 16 Add/Remove PA, LLC, PL, or PLLC checklist and its printable application. DBPR requires Department of State registration first. Follow the current application’s document and fee instructions; a Sunbiz filing does not automatically update your license.
- Verify DBPR’s completed update. Check your license record and updated license before changing the commission payee to the entity. Provide the approved licensed name and the payment/tax documents your broker requests.
DBPR Form RE 16 explains that DBPR notifies the applicant when the license has been updated. The form is incorporated under Rule 61-35.027, Florida Administrative Code, the department’s real estate forms rule.
Keep commission payments aligned with the license
For your broker’s payment of your earned commission to your entity, use the legal name and entity designation approved on your DBPR license. Do not redirect licensed commissions to a separately named, unlicensed company simply because you own it or it has a Sunbiz registration.
This payment guidance applies the naming requirement in section 475.161 together with section 475.25(1)(h), Florida Statutes, which provides for discipline for paying commissions or compensation to someone not properly licensed for covered real estate services or referrals. A business filing by itself is not a real estate license.
The entity also does not change your relationship with your employer. Under section 475.42(1)(b) and (d), Florida Statutes, a sales associate may not operate as a broker or for an unregistered employer, and may collect transaction money only in the employer’s name and with the employer’s express consent. Do not treat a personal PA, LLC, or PLLC as permission to independently collect customer commissions, deposits, or rent.
Already registered the wrong business name?
Resolve the mismatch before requesting payment to that entity. Ask DBPR what is needed for your license record and consult your attorney about correcting the entity filing. Sunbiz explains that changing an entity’s name requires an amendment and fee.
A fictitious-name registration does not replace the legal-name requirement for an associate. FREC Rule 61J2-10.034, Trade Names, addresses trade names for brokers and brokerage entities; it does not override section 475.161 for a sales associate or broker associate.
Related dictionary terms
Professional Association (PA) · Limited Liability Company (LLC) · Sales Associate · Broker Associate
Sources reviewed October 21, 2026. Use the current DBPR application and Sunbiz instructions when filing.
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