Faisal KhanFounderMintmasterBanking & Payments incumbent for 31+ yearsAnswered Oct 24, 2026The easiest way to understand this is to look at what your company owns and subtract what it owes.
Assets minus liabilities equals net worth.
If your company has US$150,000 in assets and US$50,000 in liabilities, its net worth is US$100,000. Florida requires that calculation to follow US generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP.
We are talking about the company applying for the money transmitter license. You might personally own a house worth US$2 million, but that does not automatically give your company US$100,000 in net worth.
Now, let us say you put US$100,000 into a new company. Does that satisfy the requirement? It depends on how you put it in.
If you contribute it as equity, and the company has no liabilities, you have US$100,000 in net worth.
If you lend the company US$100,000, the company has the cash, but it also owes you US$100,000. Its net worth is zero.
Same bank balance. Very different balance sheet.
You are not giving this money to the regulator. It belongs to the company, and the net worth requirement is separate from the surety bond requirement.
Can you spend it? Yes, but watch what happens.
You start with exactly US$100,000 and then incur US$20,000 in legal fees, salaries, and other expenses, with no income to offset them. Your net worth falls to US$80,000. You are now below the minimum.
Buying an asset can work differently because you are exchanging cash for another asset. The accounting treatment and subsequent depreciation matter.
Customer funds do not solve this either. If customers give you US$1 million to transmit, you also have an obligation to pay that money out. It does not become your equity.
The most important point is that Florida requires the applicable minimum to be maintained at all times. You cannot show it on application day and then let it disappear.
This is why I distinguish between the regulatory minimum and the money you need to operate. If the minimum is US$100,000 and you expect US$50,000 in expenses before revenue covers your costs, a simple starting calculation is US$150,000 in equity, assuming no other losses or adjustments. You would also want room for unexpected expenses.
Showing US$100,000 on day one is only the starting point. You need to maintain the required financial cushion while running the business.