How to Form an LLC in Massachusetts
Dependable resident agent service throughout Massachusetts — $99 annually. That fee covers the office address, scanning of legal correspondence, and reminders for state filings.
Putting together a Massachusetts LLC is a fairly tight process: one formation filing, one ongoing agent, and a short list of annual tasks. The filing goes to the Secretary of the Commonwealth (Corporations Division), the paperwork is called a certificate rather than articles, and the fees are the steepest in the country. Below: the exact fee split, the formation document, the official steps, and where our service slots in.
Set Up Your Massachusetts LLC — $199
Pay $199 once and we handle everything: prep, review, submission to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Roughly a week from filing to active.
Why Form an LLC in Massachusetts
LLCs offer owners liability shielding similar to a corporation, paired with the tax simplicity of a partnership or sole proprietorship. Statewide in Massachusetts, owners pick LLCs over corporations whenever they want personal liability protection without the overhead of stock and board meetings.
Massachusetts LLC Filing Fee: $500 by Mail, $520 Online or Fax
The official Massachusetts filing fee for a new LLC is $500 when the certificate of organization arrives by mail or hand delivery. Choose fax or electronic filing and the state tacks on a mandatory $20 expedite fee, making those channels $520 flat. The $20 is not optional online, which is why you will see both numbers quoted.
The annual report that follows every year is priced the same way: $500 on paper, $520 filed electronically.
Every Fee to Form a Massachusetts LLC
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| State filing fee (Secretary of the Commonwealth) | $500 by mail, $520 online or fax |
| Registered agent (required for every Massachusetts LLC) | $99/year |
| State annual report | $500/year by mail, $520 online |
Our part is $199 for the filing service. The state fee goes to the Secretary of the Commonwealth directly. Agent service is its own line at $99/year.
The Certificate of Organization: Massachusetts's Version of Articles
Massachusetts does not use the phrase Articles of Organization. The formation document here is the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization, filed under M.G.L. c. 156C § 12. The state leaves it unnumbered, so there is no form number to hunt for; the official form name and the statute are how you identify it.
The certificate asks for your LLC's name, the address of its office in the Commonwealth, the registered agent's name and street address (the form says resident agent), whether managers run the company, and the organizer behind the filing.
How to Form an LLC in Massachusetts: The Official Steps
- Choose a name that passes the state's rules. It needs an LLC designator and must not conflict with an entity already on file. Run it through the Corporations Division's entity search before you print anything. Words like 'bank,' 'insurance,' and 'trust' are restricted unless you are actually in those businesses.
- Appoint a Massachusetts registered agent. Every LLC must continuously maintain an agent (statutorily, a resident agent) at a street address in the Commonwealth. The name and address you list become public record. Our agent service keeps your own address off that record.
- File the Certificate of Organization. Submit it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth with $500 by mail or hand delivery, or $520 by fax or online. Electronic filing is the standard route and usually the quicker one. Expect roughly a week from filing to approval.
- Write your operating agreement. The state never sees this document, but your bank will ask for it and your co-owners will need it. It sets ownership shares, money flows, decision rights, and exit terms. Skip it and the default rules of the Massachusetts LLC statute fill the gaps.
- Get your EIN from the IRS. Free at IRS.gov, takes about ten minutes, and required for banking, payroll, and federal taxes. Never pay a third party for one.
- Keep up the annual obligations. Maintain your registered agent at all times, file the annual report by your anniversary date each year ($500 by mail, $520 online), keep company and personal money separate, and stay current on taxes. Fall behind and the Corporations Division can administratively dissolve the LLC.
We'll handle the formation for $199, start to finish.
Why Massachusetts Makes You Keep a Registered Agent
The agent requirement has no exceptions and no workarounds. Your agent must:
- Keep a street address in Massachusetts (a PO box alone fails the rule)
- Be present during the business day to accept legal service
- Pass documents along promptly so response clocks do not run out
Founders who list themselves discover the address is public the moment it is filed. Anyone running an entity search can pull it up. Our service puts our address on the record instead.
Massachusetts LLC FAQ
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Massachusetts?
The state filing fee is $500 by mail or hand delivery, and $520 by fax or online because of a mandatory $20 expedite fee. After formation, the annual report runs $500 on paper or $520 electronically every year.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Massachusetts?
From submission to approval, expect around a week.
Does Massachusetts require an annual report?
Yes. It is due on or before your LLC's anniversary date every year, at $500 by mail or $520 online. That is the highest LLC annual report fee in the nation.
Do I need a registered agent for my Massachusetts LLC?
Yes. Every Massachusetts LLC must keep a registered agent (the statute's term is resident agent) at a street address in the Commonwealth for as long as the LLC exists.
Can I form an LLC in Massachusetts if I live in another state?
Yes. Massachusetts has no residency requirement for LLC owners. You will still need an agent with a Massachusetts street address, which is exactly the role we fill.
Start Your Massachusetts LLC the Right Way
You are welcome to file the certificate of organization yourself through the Corporations Division. However you file, the $500 state fee ($520 online) and the agent requirement remain.
List us as the agent on your certificate and our Massachusetts address goes on the public record, scans arrive the day documents do, and reminders land before every deadline.
Looking for the RA on its own? The standalone registered agent plan is $99 annually.
More questions about Massachusetts formation or the agent service? Visit the FAQ or contact us whenever suits you.
Ready to get started?
Begin coverage today for a year of dependable support — address, scanning, and proactive reminders.