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LLC 101 Guide

Section 2 · Massachusetts

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

Short answer for 2026: if you want help naming a registered agent in Massachusetts, go with Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and MA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), ranked best first. The 6 tasks below cover what Massachusetts requires of a resident agent, who may serve, which address counts and how to put the agent on record.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

The requirement
Yes
sec.state.ma.us (page read October 2026)
Cost of hiring an agent
$99 to $149 a year
As each company lists them
Limited Liability Company Annual Report
$500 a year
malegislature.gov (page read August 2026)
Tasks
6
Listed below

You will leave able to

  • The legal requirement
  • Who is eligible and the address test
  • Recording the agent
  • The agents at the top of the class

If you want someone else to file

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

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent under one price

Our first pickFirst year $149; renewal $149

Start the list with Mainstay Filing, because $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and the same plan works in every other state.

Over three years it costs $150 above Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, and in return more of the work is handled.

What the price covers

  • A Massachusetts street address for the record
  • 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

  • Works in all fifty states
  • A flat $149 yearly

What to weigh

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • Report filing needs the formation package
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for owners watching the budget

Massachusetts specialistFirst year $99; renewal $99

Second goes to Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, since a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

What the price covers

  • A Massachusetts street address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • A smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
  • No help with the Limited Liability Company Annual Report
Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. MA Registered Agent.org: best for a second local choice

Massachusetts specialistFirst year $99; renewal $99

Third goes to MA Registered Agent.org, since a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

It charges exactly what Massachusetts Registered Agent.co charges.

What the price covers

  • A Massachusetts street address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • A smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
  • No help with the Limited Liability Company Annual Report
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Massachusetts charges the same either way.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Start with the legal rule

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

    Source: sec.state.ma.us (page read October 2026)

  2. Task 2

    Who counts as an agent

    A Massachusetts resident, a Massachusetts corporation, or a corporation from another state authorized to do business in Massachusetts. State regulations (950 CMR 112.13) also allow other business entities authorized in Massachusetts. Legal source: M.G.L. c. 156C, § 5.

  3. Task 3

    Pass the address test

    The address has to be a street address in Massachusetts. A post office address is not sufficient.

    A service gives you a Massachusetts street address so yours stays off the filing.

  4. Task 4

    Settle on the person or company

    Qualify and you can serve yourself. A professional from the list runs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Task 5

    Record the appointment

    A new company names its agent when it files the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization; to replace the agent later, file again with the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

    Source: sec.state.ma.us (page read October 2026)

  6. Task 6

    Keep the agent record accurate

    The Limited Liability Company Annual Report costs $500 every year and is due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization; any notice about it comes through the resident agent.

    Source: malegislature.gov (page read August 2026)

What the agent costs in Massachusetts

Line itemPayeeTotal
A professional agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
RenewalThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Limited Liability Company Annual ReportThe state$500 every year
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.

How we ordered the Massachusetts picks

pulled ahead of on assignments the price completes, a criterion worth 31%.

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co costs less, but reach across states earned the higher grade.

Check your Massachusetts answers

Can a Massachusetts LLC go without a resident agent?

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

Can I be my own resident agent?

Often. Test yourself against the two rules in tasks 2 and 3.

Can I change my resident agent later?

Change whenever you like, through the Massachusetts Secretary of State, as task 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Massachusetts?

Our recommended agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The LLC sends in the Limited Liability Company Annual Report for $500 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Go with Mainstay Filing: an agent for $149 a year who can follow the company wherever it registers next. Then Massachusetts Registered Agent.co and MA Registered Agent.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth above traces to sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in August 2026.
  2. Everything about Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth above traces to malegislature.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  3. Everything about M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 above traces to sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in August 2026.
  4. Everything about Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  5. Everything about Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  6. Everything about Massachusetts registered agent statute above traces to sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  7. Mainstay Filing: Massachusetts service page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  8. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  9. MA Registered Agent.org: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026