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LLC 101 Guide

Course unit 2 · Maryland

The Maryland Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Short answer for 2026: if you want help naming a registered agent in Maryland, go with Maryland Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and MD Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), ranked best first. Work through the 6 tasks and your resident agent will be appointed the right way.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

The quick version

Must you have one?
Yes
Official page mgaleg.maryland.gov, last read October 2026
What recommended services charge
$99 to $149 a year
Posted prices
Business Entity Annual Report
$300 a year
Official page dat.maryland.gov, last read August 2026
Tasks
6
From first to last

Course objectives

  • The legal requirement
  • Who can act as agent
  • How an agent gets on record
  • The agents at the top of the class

Services we recommend in Maryland

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

Top of the class

1. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for owners watching the budget

Highest grade$99 a year, unchanged at renewal

Maryland Registered Agent.co comes out first, and the reason is that $99 a year with no bump at renewal, a good match for an LLC that stays in one state.

On three-year cost it beats Mainstay Filing, which is a big share of the grade.

What the price covers

  • A Maryland address for the registered office
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • $99 each year, no increase
  • Yearly price below the national pick

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
  • It does not file the Business Entity Annual Report
Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may grow into other states

All fifty states$149 a year, unchanged at renewal

Mainstay Filing is a solid second-place option: an agent for $149 a year who can follow the company wherever it registers next.

Maryland Registered Agent.co comes in $150 lower across three years, which holds this one back from first.

What the price covers

  • A real street address in the state
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 a year, same at renewal
  • Good in every state

What to weigh

  • $50 a year above Maryland Registered Agent.co
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for another Maryland option

Local choice$99 a year, unchanged at renewal

Pick number 3 is MD Registered Agent.org, where $99 a year with no bump at renewal, a good match for an LLC that stays in one state.

Its prices are the same as Maryland Registered Agent.co's, so either works.

What the price covers

  • A Maryland address for the registered office
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 each year, no increase

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
  • It does not file the Business Entity Annual Report
Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Maryland Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Switching agents does not change what the state charges.

The tasks

  1. Task 1

    What Maryland expects of an agent

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

    Source: Official page mgaleg.maryland.gov, last read October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Find out who is allowed to serve

    A Maryland resident, or a Maryland corporation, LLC or limited partnership. See Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-101(x) for the text.

  3. Task 3

    Pick an address that complies

    The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    Each service we recommend supplies the in-state address.

  4. Task 4

    Choose between acting alone and hiring

    Hiring from the recommended agents costs $99 to $149 a year; serving yourself is the option for those who qualify.

  5. Task 5

    Put the agent on the state's record

    The Articles of Organization asks for the agent's name and address, and the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) also takes change filings from LLCs switching agents.

    Source: Official page egov.maryland.gov, last read October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Track the recurring filing

    The Business Entity Annual Report costs $300 every year and is due April 15; any notice about it comes through the resident agent.

    Source: Official page dat.maryland.gov, last read August 2026

What the agent costs in Maryland

What forWho gets paidTotal
The agentThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Business Entity Annual ReportState office$300 every year
State amounts come from Maryland's official fee schedules (see the sources below); service prices come from each company's site. The three-year state total adds the filing, the reports for years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

Course fee across three years settled first place in Maryland. It is worth 34% of the grade, and the other 66% comes from assignments the price completes, second-year fee, match with the state syllabus and plain pricing.

Three years with Maryland Registered Agent.co add up to $297, which is $150 under Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

Does a Maryland LLC have to have a resident agent?

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

Can I be my own resident agent?

Maybe. Read tasks 2 and 3 and see whether you meet both rules.

Can I change my resident agent later?

Yes; the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) accepts change filings, and task 5 says what to send.

What does a registered agent cost in Maryland?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

$300 every year for the Business Entity Annual Report.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order is Maryland Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and MD Registered Agent.org, and Maryland Registered Agent.co is first since an in-state street address for the registered office at $99 a year.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Each statement rests on dat.maryland.gov, last opened August 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Each statement rests on dat.maryland.gov, last opened August 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for Maryland report due date. Each statement rests on dat.maryland.gov, last opened August 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for Md. Each statement rests on mgaleg.maryland.gov, last opened August 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on mgaleg.maryland.gov, last opened October 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on egov.maryland.gov, last opened October 2026.
  7. Hand-in notes for Maryland registered agent statute. Each statement rests on mgaleg.maryland.gov, last opened October 2026.
  8. Maryland Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing Maryland service page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. MD Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026