Free resource · Checked October 23, 2026 · Practical guidance, not legal advice

Florida Employer HR Checklist

For owner-led Florida businesses with 10–75 employees. Tick what you have in place. Anything left blank is a conversation worth having.

Pay

• ☐ Everyone earns at least $15.00/hour, the Florida minimum wage since Sept 30, 2026 and through Dec 31, 2027. Tipped employees get at least $11.98/hour cash wage, and tips make up the rest. FloridaCommerce
• ☐ Salaried "exempt" staff earn at least $684/week ($35,568/year) and pass the duties test. Otherwise they're owed overtime after 40 hours. U.S. DOL
• ☐ Overtime is 1.5× the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Florida has no daily overtime. U.S. DOL
• ☐ Contractors really are independent: they control how the work is done, have their own business, and so on. U.S. DOL

Hiring paperwork

• ☐ Form I-9 is completed for every hire. Section 2 is done within 3 business days of the start date. USCIS
• ☐ 25+ employees: E-Verify is used for every new hire within 3 business days and certified on the first RT-6 each year. Records are kept for 3 years. Fla. Stat. 448.095
• ☐ New hires are reported to the Florida New Hire Reporting Center within 20 days. FL Dept. of Revenue
• ☐ A written offer and job description exist for each role.

Taxes and insurance

• ☐ Reemployment tax RT-6 is filed quarterly, by the last day of the month after each quarter (e.g. Q3 by Oct 31). FL Dept. of Revenue
• ☐ Workers' comp is in place: required at 1+ employee in construction (including corporate officers/LLC members), 4+ in non-construction, and 6 regular or 12 seasonal in agriculture. FL DFS

Posters (current versions)

• ☐ Florida: the 2026–2027 Minimum Wage poster, the Reemployment Assistance poster, and the workers' comp "Broken Arm" notice. FloridaCommerce
• ☐ Federal: EEOC "Know Your Rights", FLSA minimum wage, OSHA, EPPA and USERRA, plus FMLA at 50+ employees. U.S. DOL poster advisor

What changes as you grow

• ☐ 15 employees: Title VII, the ADA and the Florida Civil Rights Act apply (anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, accommodations). EEOC
• ☐ 20 employees: the ADEA (age) and federal COBRA continuation for group health plans apply. Under 20, Florida's mini-COBRA applies through the insurer. U.S. DOL
• ☐ 25 employees: Florida E-Verify is mandatory (see above).
• ☐ 50 employees: FMLA applies (50 within 75 miles), and ACA employer mandate and reporting apply at 50 full-time equivalents. U.S. DOL · IRS

Records and exits

• ☐ Payroll records are kept 3 years and timecards 2 years (FLSA). I-9s are kept 3 years after hire or 1 year after termination, whichever is later. U.S. DOL
• ☐ Final pay: Florida has no specific final-paycheck statute. Pay by the next regular payday and keep it documented. (Practice standard; confirm with counsel for your situation.)
• ☐ Terminations are documented, and the reason is consistent with how you've treated others.

Handbook must-haves

• ☐ At-will statement, EEO and anti-harassment policy with a complaint path, pay and timekeeping, overtime approval, attendance, leave, safety, a technology/phone policy, discipline, and a signed acknowledgment.
• ☐ Reviewed in the last 12 months, and updated for the $15.00 wage.

Prepared by JD HR Solutions, Orlando · hello@jdhr.solutions · jdhr.solutions. This checklist is general HR information, not legal advice. Thresholds and rules change; check the linked sources.