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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Massachusetts

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

Short answer for 2026: if you want help setting up an LLC in Massachusetts, go with Mainstay Filing ($199), Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199) and MA Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best first. By the numbers: 7 tasks, $500 to file, $500 for the Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Read this first

Cost at the state office
$500
Official page sec.state.ma.us, last read October 2026
Limited Liability Company Annual Report
$500 a year
Due date per the state: on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization
State cost, years 1 to 3
$1,500
Without any service fee
Tasks in this unit
7
From first to last

Unit goals

  • The Massachusetts formation paper, its price and where it goes
  • What the agent rule says
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Massachusetts

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who would rather hand off the work

Highest grade$199 per year

Start the list with Mainstay Filing, because for $199 each year you get the formation filed, a resident agent in place and the annual report sent in.

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

The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is part of the service, and the $500 state fee is passed through.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • No extra charge for the EIN application
  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • $199 yearly with everything in it

What to weigh

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for owners who stay in Massachusetts

In-state service$199 the first year, $99 after

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co is a solid second-place option: forming the Massachusetts LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

You still handle the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal
  • Agent covered in year one

What to weigh

  • It does not file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report for you
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
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 Massachusetts choice

In-state service$199 the first year, $99 after

MA Registered Agent.org is a solid third-place option: forming the Massachusetts LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

You still handle the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year.

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal
  • Agent covered in year one

What to weigh

  • It does not file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report for you
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All the prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. The $500 state fee is left out of the figures.

How a Massachusetts LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    Do the name search at the Massachusetts Secretary of State first and the rest of the unit goes smoothly in Massachusetts.

    While you are searching, see whether the web domain is open too.

  2. Task 2

    Line up a resident agent

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

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

    Every service we recommend here can be your resident agent.

    Source: Official page sec.state.ma.us, last read October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Decide who submits the filing

    You can file yourself for $500, or pay $199 more for a service. Our recommended services sit at the top of this unit.

  4. Task 4

    Prepare and sign the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization

    Send the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization to the Massachusetts Secretary of State along with $500 to bring the LLC into existence; the legal basis is M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12.

    Source: Official page sec.state.ma.us, last read October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Get an EIN

    After Massachusetts approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; banks and payroll companies want it. Mainstay Filing does this step for you at no added charge.

  6. Task 6

    Prepare the operating agreement

    Think of the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. Keep it with the company records; the state never asks for it.

  7. Task 7

    Keep the LLC active

    Once a year the LLC sends in the Limited Liability Company Annual Report with $500; it is due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.

    Source: Official page malegislature.gov, last read August 2026

What this unit costs

TaskPaid toCost
Forming the LLCGoes to the state$500
Limited Liability Company Annual ReportGoes to the state$500 every year
Paid helpThe service company$199 in year one
State fees for the first three yearsGoes to the state$1,500
The state numbers are official Massachusetts fees, sourced below. The three-year line combines the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

On assignments the price completes (31% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Massachusetts wants the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year, so a price that files it beat a lower price that leaves it to you.

Short answers

What does a Massachusetts LLC cost to start?

The state wants $500. Hire a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Massachusetts treats the LLC as formed when the Massachusetts Secretary of State accepts the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization.

Is a resident agent required?

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

What does Massachusetts require each year?

What repeats is the Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500, every year, due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you: the state asks $500, and you also have to name a resident agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Mainstay Filing: a flat $199 covers formation, the resident agent and the annual report, and renewal costs $199. Then Massachusetts Registered Agent.co and MA Registered Agent.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Each statement rests on sec.state.ma.us, last opened August 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Each statement rests on malegislature.gov, last opened August 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12. Each statement rests on sec.state.ma.us, last opened August 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on sec.state.ma.us, last opened October 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on sec.state.ma.us, last opened October 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Massachusetts registered agent statute. Each statement rests on sec.state.ma.us, last opened 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