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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 2 · Maryland

Maryland Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

For naming a registered agent in Maryland in 2026, our mentors would send you to Maryland Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and MD Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. In 6 stages you will know what Maryland wants from a resident agent, who can do the job, which address works and how to make the appointment official.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

The requirement
Yes
Official page: mgaleg.maryland.gov (viewed October 2026)
Yearly cost of the agents we recommend
$99 to $149 a year
Pulled from each company's price page
Business Entity Annual Report
$300 a year
Official page: dat.maryland.gov (viewed August 2026)
How many stages
6
One at a time

You will walk away able to

  • What Maryland requires of a resident agent
  • Who can act as agent
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • How the picks compare

Who we would phone in Maryland

Cost over three years leads, then work taken off your desk, year-two price, Maryland fit and honest pricing (scoring page).

Our call

1. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for one-state companies

Our first call$99 a year, $99 when it renews

If you only phone one company, make it Maryland Registered Agent.co, because $99 a year and no jump at renewal, if your LLC is staying in the state.

It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, and cost is a big slice of how we rank.

What you get

  • A registered office address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • Only works in Maryland; any other state needs its own agent
  • Filing the Business Entity Annual Report is not part of its service
Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Does the most for you$149 a year, $149 when it renews

Mainstay Filing comes in second: a steady $149 per year, with nothing to change if you move into another state.

Total up three years and it comes to $150 more than Maryland Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • A street address for the registered office
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Goes with you to any state
  • $149 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • Costs $50 extra every year
  • Report filing needs the formation package
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for a local backup

Maryland specialist$99 a year, $99 when it renews

Pick number 3 is MD Registered Agent.org, where $99 a year and no jump at renewal, if your LLC is staying in the state.

It charges exactly what Maryland Registered Agent.co charges.

What you get

  • A registered office address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • Only works in Maryland; any other state needs its own agent
  • Filing the Business Entity Annual Report is not part of its service
Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Maryland picks side by side

#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.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. Your choice of agent leaves the state fees untouched.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Understand the requirement

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

    Check it yourself: Official page: mgaleg.maryland.gov (viewed October 2026)

  2. Stage 2

    Who counts as an agent

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

  3. Stage 3

    Use an office address that qualifies

    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.

    Hire a service and its Maryland street address goes on the record, not yours.

  4. Stage 4

    Choose the person or company

    Owners who meet the tests can name themselves, and for the rest the recommended agents start at $99 to $149 each year.

  5. Stage 5

    Report the agent's details

    The Articles of Organization asks for the agent's name and address, and the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) also handles the change filing when you switch.

    Check it yourself: Official page: egov.maryland.gov (viewed October 2026)

  6. Stage 6

    Keep the agent record accurate

    Maryland checks the agent's details through the Business Entity Annual Report ($300, every year, due April 15); letters about it go to your resident agent.

    Check it yourself: Official page: dat.maryland.gov (viewed August 2026)

What this walkthrough costs

Line itemGoes toCost
A professional agentService$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agentService$99 to $149 a year
Business Entity Annual ReportState agency$300 every year
Whatever goes to Maryland is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

The thinking behind the order

Three-year bill makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in Maryland.

Add up three years and Maryland Registered Agent.co lands on $297, $150 below Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

Is a resident agent required in Maryland?

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

Can I be my own resident agent?

You can, once you clear the who-qualifies and address rules in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my resident agent later?

Change it whenever you like through the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), as stage 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Maryland?

Prices here run $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?

Maryland Registered Agent.co ranks first and Mainstay Filing and MD Registered Agent.org follow; Maryland Registered Agent.co wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation advice comes from: dat.maryland.gov, viewed August 2026.
  2. Where the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation advice comes from: dat.maryland.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the Maryland report due date advice comes from: dat.maryland.gov, viewed August 2026.
  4. Where the Md advice comes from: mgaleg.maryland.gov, viewed August 2026.
  5. Where the Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: mgaleg.maryland.gov, viewed October 2026.
  6. Where the Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: egov.maryland.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the Maryland registered agent statute advice comes from: mgaleg.maryland.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. The pricing page at Maryland Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The Maryland service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  10. The pricing page at MD Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026