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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Maine

Starting an LLC in Maine (2026): 7 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Mainstay Filing ($199), Maine Registered Agent.co ($199) and ME Registered Agent.org ($199): that is the order of the services we would hire in Maine in 2026 for setting up an LLC. By the numbers: 7 tasks, $175 to file, $85 for the annual report.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

The quick version

Formation fee
$175
legislature.maine.gov (page read October 2026)
Annual report
$85 a year
Due date per the state: June 1
State cost, years 1 to 3
$345
Filing plus the repeating state fees
Unit tasks
7
In order

Course objectives

  • What Maine charges to form an LLC and who takes the filing
  • What the registered agent rule asks for
  • What you file every year after that
  • Which services we recommend and why

Services we recommend in Maine

Graded on the grading page: three-year cost (34%), assignments completed (31%), renewal price, fit with Maine's rules and plain pricing.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little homework

Highest grade$199 per year, with $424 at checkout to cover the state fee

Mainstay Filing earns the top grade in Maine: $199 a year hands over three assignments at once: the filing, the registered agent and the annual report.

Against Maine Registered Agent.co the three-year premium is $200, outweighed by the 31% weight on assignments completed.

Each annual report is submitted for you, and the $85 state fee comes at cost.

What the price covers

  • We mean: the filing is done for you
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee passed through at cost

What works

  • The EIN application is in the price
  • A single $199 yearly price, annual report included
  • The renewal holds at $199

What to weigh

  • Renewal costs $100 above Maine Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Maine Registered Agent.co: best for a small first bill

Maine specialist$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Pick number 2 is Maine Registered Agent.co, where $199 above the state fee, agent included for year one, then $99 a year.

Set aside time for the annual report every year; the price does not cover it.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra

What to weigh

  • It does not file the annual report for you
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. ME Registered Agent.org: best for a small agent renewal

Maine specialist$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Pick number 3 is ME Registered Agent.org, where $199 above the state fee, agent included for year one, then $99 a year.

Set aside time for the annual report every year; the price does not cover it.

It charges exactly what Maine Registered Agent.co charges.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Then $99 per year
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to weigh

  • It does not file the annual report for you
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maine Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3ME Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. The $175 state fee is left out of the figures.

The tasks

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    If another Maine company already has your name, the filing can come back rejected, so run a search at the Maine Secretary of State first.

    Bring two backup names to the search.

  2. Task 2

    Settle who your registered agent will be

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: an individual or entity serving as agent in Maine, or the holder of a named position in the company.

    A noncommercial agent lists a physical street address in Maine, not a P.O. box. Commercial agents keep their address on file with the state.

    The services we rank all supply a registered agent.

    Source: legislature.maine.gov (page read October 2026)

  3. Task 3

    File on your own, or get help

    Skip the services and you pay the state $175. Use one of our picks and you pay $199 extra to skip the forms.

  4. Task 4

    File the Certificate of Formation

    Once the Maine Secretary of State accepts the Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6) and $175, the LLC exists. Expect, per the state, 10 to 15 business days (home page).

    Source: legislature.maine.gov (page read October 2026)

  5. Task 5

    Obtain an Employer Identification Number

    Wait for the state's approval, then request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts under its own name. If you hire Mainstay Filing, the EIN application is taken care of.

  6. Task 6

    Put the ownership rules on paper

    Even a Maine LLC with one owner is better off with a written operating agreement in the files.

  7. Task 7

    Stay in good standing in Maine

    The filing that repeats is the annual report ($85, every year, by June 1). Lateness adds $50.

    Source: maine.gov (page read August 2026)

The bill

Line itemGoes toPrice
Filing to form the LLCGoes to the state$175
Annual reportGoes to the state$85 every year
Missing the deadlineGoes to the state$50
Service, if you hire oneService$199 in year one
State fees over years one to threeGoes to the state$345
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

The reasoning behind the order

What decided it was assignments the price completes, which carries 31% of the grade.

Maine Registered Agent.co is cheaper, but you would still do the annual report yourself.

Questions students ask

What does a Maine LLC cost to start?

The fee on the official schedule is $175. Service fees among our picks go from $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Look for the Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6); the Maine Secretary of State is where it goes.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

How long does Maine take to process the filing?

Posted processing time: 10 to 15 business days (home page).

What does Maine require each year?

Calendar note on the annual report: $85, filed every year, timing as the state words it: June 1.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can send the papers in with the $175 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing is first, Maine Registered Agent.co and ME Registered Agent.org follow, and Mainstay Filing wins on assignments the price completes.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Maine Secretary of State. Each statement rests on maine.gov, last opened August 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Maine Secretary of State. Each statement rests on maine.gov, last opened August 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for Maine report due date. Each statement rests on maine.gov, last opened August 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for 31 M.R.S. sec. 1531. Each statement rests on legislature.maine.gov, last opened August 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Maine formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on legislature.maine.gov, last opened October 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Maine registered agent statute. Each statement rests on legislature.maine.gov, last opened October 2026.
  7. Hand-in notes for Processing time, official source. Each statement rests on maine.gov, last opened October 2026.
  8. Maine service page of Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
  9. pricing page of Maine Registered Agent.co, taken on November 13, 2026
  10. pricing page of ME Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026