Skip to content
Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Maine

Maine LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

For forming an LLC in Maine in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), ME Registered Agent.org ($199) and Maine Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Maine charges $175 to form an LLC, and $85 for the annual report later; you can finish in 7 stages.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

What to know before you start

Charge at the state office
$175
We pulled this from legislature.maine.gov in October 2026
Annual report
$85 a year
Official timing, quoted: June 1
What the state collects in three years
$345
State charges only
Walkthrough stages
7
Each one explained

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • The Maine fee for a new LLC and the office that receives the filing
  • What the agent rule says
  • The state filing that repeats
  • The services at the top of the list

Our shortlist for Maine

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score), and three-year cost and work taken off your desk count most.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for handing off the annual report

Number one pick$199 a year, state fee on top ($424 due at checkout)

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because the one yearly fee, $199, takes three jobs off your plate: filing, registered agent and annual report.

Compared with ME Registered Agent.org, you spend $200 more over three years and file less yourself.

The annual report is part of the job, and Maine's $85 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • $199 every year
  • It prepares your EIN application as well
  • $199 per year for the whole package

What to watch

  • ME Registered Agent.org renews for $100 less
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. ME Registered Agent.org: best for owners who expect to remain in Maine

Maine specialist$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

Second place goes to ME Registered Agent.org, since the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

Expect to prepare the annual report yourself every year.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $99 a year after that
  • First agent year included
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • The annual report lands on your desk
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Maine Registered Agent.co: best for another Maine option

Maine specialist$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

Third place goes to Maine Registered Agent.co, since the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

Expect to prepare the annual report yourself every year.

Its prices are identical to ME Registered Agent.org's, so either is fine on cost.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • First agent year included
  • $199 above the state fee
  • $99 a year after that

What to watch

  • The annual report lands on your desk
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Scores and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2ME Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Maine Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Plan for $175 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Settle on the company name

    the Maine Secretary of State keeps the list of names in use, so check there before you spend time on forms; Maine may turn down a duplicate.

    Have a backup name written down.

  2. Stage 2

    Get a registered agent in place

    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 registered agent comes with every service on our list.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from legislature.maine.gov in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Do it yourself or pay someone

    The state takes $175 regardless. If you hire a service from our list, add $199.

  4. Stage 4

    Time to send in the Certificate of Formation

    Fill out the Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6), add $175 and send it all to the Maine Secretary of State. The state lists the wait as 10 to 15 business days (home page).

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from legislature.maine.gov in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    With approval in your hands, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts under its own name. Mainstay Filing prepares the EIN application inside its package.

  6. Stage 6

    Document how the company runs

    It spells out shares, voting and what happens if someone leaves. It stays private.

  7. Stage 7

    Keep the LLC active

    The filing that returns on schedule is the annual report ($85, every year, by June 1). A late one carries $50.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from maine.gov in August 2026

The bill

What forGoes toSum
The formation stageThe state$175
Annual reportThe state$85 every year
Late filingThe state$50
Optional serviceYour service$199 in the first year
State total across three yearsThe state$345
The state rows come from Maine's published fee schedules (the pages we opened are listed under the table), and each service row comes from that company's own price. Across three years the state row counts the filing, the report in year two, the report in year three and any minimum tax.

How we scored the Maine picks

edged out on work taken off your desk, which counts for 32%.

In Maine the annual report comes around every year, so a price that files it for you beat a cheaper one that does not.

Short answers

What does Maine charge to form an LLC?

The official schedule says $175. $199 more puts someone else in charge of the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

Mail or upload the Certificate of Formation (Form MLLC-6) to the Maine Secretary of State.

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?

Count on 10 to 15 business days (home page).

What does Maine require each year?

Once a year the LLC sends in its annual report and pays $85, due June 1.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. You pay $175, do the filing and line up a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Mainstay Filing: $199 a year hands you the formation, a registered agent and the annual report, with renewal at $199. Then ME Registered Agent.org and Maine Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for Maine Secretary of State: maine.gov, August 2026.
  2. Backing for Maine Secretary of State: maine.gov, August 2026.
  3. Backing for Maine report due date: maine.gov, August 2026.
  4. Backing for 31 M.R.S. sec. 1531: legislature.maine.gov, August 2026.
  5. Backing for Maine formation fee: Filing fee, official source: legislature.maine.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for Maine registered agent statute: legislature.maine.gov, October 2026.
  7. Backing for Processing time, official source: maine.gov, October 2026.
  8. The Maine service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at ME Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  10. The pricing page at Maine Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026