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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Maryland

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

Here is the short answer for forming an LLC in Maryland in 2026: Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and MD Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked from first to last. The numbers to remember: 7 stages, $100 to the state, and the Business Entity Annual Report to follow every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

What the state charges to file
$100
Verify it at egov.maryland.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Business Entity Annual Report
$300 a year
Official timing, quoted: April 15
State fees over three years
$700
Service fees not counted
Walkthrough stages
7
In order

By the end you will know

  • The official Maryland fee and form
  • The resident agent requirement
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Our shortlist for 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 a no-frills formation

Best overall$199 in year one, $99 after

If you only phone one company, make it Maryland Registered Agent.co, because expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

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

The price does not reach the Business Entity Annual Report.

What you get

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

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 to form
  • $99 a year after that

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the Business Entity Annual Report
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one bill for filing and upkeep

All fifty statesYear one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

Second place goes to Mainstay Filing, since $199 a year hands you the formation, a resident agent and the annual report, with renewal at $199.

Across three years it trails Maryland Registered Agent.co by $200.

Hands off the Business Entity Annual Report: it is prepared for you, and the $300 state fee passes through untouched.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Resident agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • No markup on the state fee

What works

  • The EIN application is covered
  • The renewal stays at $199
  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the annual report

What to watch

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

Our call

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for owners happy to do their own reports

Local choice$199 in year one, $99 after

Pick number 3 is MD Registered Agent.org, where expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

The price does not reach the Business Entity Annual Report.

It lists the same prices as Maryland Registered Agent.co.

What you get

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

What works

  • $99 a year after that
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 to form

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the Business Entity Annual Report
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Maryland Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. The $100 state fee comes on top of each row.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Pick a name and make sure it is free

    Look your name up on the Maryland register at the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). It takes a few minutes and spares you a rejected filing.

    See whether the web address is open while you are at it.

  2. Stage 2

    Choose a resident agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Maryland resident, or a Maryland corporation, LLC or limited partnership.

    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.

    You can hire whichever recommended service you like for this.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Do it yourself or pay someone

    Either way you pay Maryland $100. The services we recommend charge $199 more to do the work.

  4. Stage 4

    Now deal with the Articles of Organization

    Fill out the Articles of Organization, add $100 and send it all to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). By the office's own account, expect Non-expedited review in the second calendar month after submission.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at egov.maryland.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    When Maryland approves the LLC, go to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; your bank and any payroll service will ask for it. Mainstay Filing prepares the EIN application inside its package.

  6. Stage 6

    Put your ownership deal on paper

    Ownership and decision rules go in the operating agreement, a document that lives apart from the Maryland filing.

  7. Stage 7

    Stay in good standing in Maryland

    Keep the LLC active by sending in the Business Entity Annual Report every year ($300) before April 15.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at dat.maryland.gov, which we opened in August 2026

The bill

EntryPaid toPrice
Setting up the LLCThe state$100
Business Entity Annual ReportThe state$300 every year
Optional serviceThe service$199 in year one
State total across three yearsThe state$700
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

Why the list runs this way

edged out on three-year bill, which counts for 32%.

Maryland Registered Agent.co wins the cost score at $397 over three years, against $200 more at Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

What should I budget for filing a new LLC in Maryland?

The state's fee is $100. Service fees on our list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The paper you want is the Articles of Organization; the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) receives it.

Is a resident agent required?

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

How long does Maryland take to process the filing?

Typically Non-expedited review in the second calendar month after submission.

What does Maryland require each year?

Circle the Business Entity Annual Report on your calendar: $300, every year, April 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $100 plus a resident agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Maryland Registered Agent.co: $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year. Then Mainstay Filing and MD Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation notes lean on dat.maryland.gov as of August 2026.
  2. Our Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation notes lean on dat.maryland.gov as of August 2026.
  3. Our Maryland report due date notes lean on dat.maryland.gov as of August 2026.
  4. Our Md notes lean on mgaleg.maryland.gov as of August 2026.
  5. Our Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source notes lean on mgaleg.maryland.gov as of October 2026.
  6. Our Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source notes lean on egov.maryland.gov as of October 2026.
  7. Our Maryland registered agent statute notes lean on mgaleg.maryland.gov as of October 2026.
  8. Our Processing, official source notes lean on egov.maryland.gov as of October 2026.
  9. We opened Maryland Registered Agent.co's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  10. We opened Mainstay Filing's Maryland service page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  11. We opened MD Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices