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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 2 · Massachusetts

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

If you want help with naming a registered agent in Massachusetts in 2026, phone Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), MA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), in that order. 6 quick stages cover the rule, who qualifies, the address test and the paperwork.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Do you need a resident agent?
Yes
sec.state.ma.us, seen in October 2026
Yearly cost of the agents we recommend
$99 to $149 a year
From company pricing pages
Limited Liability Company Annual Report
$500 a year
malegislature.gov, seen in August 2026
Stages
6
Each one explained

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • What Massachusetts requires of a resident agent
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • Recording the agent
  • How the picks compare

Who we would phone in Massachusetts

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. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for a low yearly agent fee

Top recommendation$99 a year, $99 when it renews

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co takes first place, and the reason is that $99 yearly, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

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

What you get

  • A physical address in Massachusetts
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • No help in other states
  • Limited Liability Company Annual Report is left out of the price
Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. MA Registered Agent.org: best for a second Massachusetts choice

Focused on Massachusetts$99 a year, $99 when it renews

Pick number 2 is MA Registered Agent.org, where $99 yearly, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

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

What you get

  • A physical address in Massachusetts
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • $99 a year, same at renewal
  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill

What to watch

  • No help in other states
  • Limited Liability Company Annual Report is left out of the price
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Mainstay Filing: best for owners planning to grow

Upkeep covered$149 a year, $149 when it renews

Our third call, Mainstay Filing: the price is $149 a year whichever of the fifty states you choose.

Three years here run $150 above Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, and cost is 32% of our ranking.

What you get

  • A Massachusetts street address for the record
  • 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

  • $149 a year, same at renewal
  • One price in all fifty states

What to watch

  • Costs $50 extra every year
  • It will not file your yearly report
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every price in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2MA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. The state bills the same no matter which agent you name.

How a Massachusetts agent gets set up

  1. Stage 1

    Know what Massachusetts requires

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

    Check it yourself: sec.state.ma.us, seen in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Who can do this

    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. Read M.G.L. c. 156C, § 5 for the wording.

  3. Stage 3

    Use an office address that qualifies

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

    A service keeps your home address off public records.

  4. Stage 4

    Go solo or hire out

    If you pass the tests above you can name yourself. Hiring one of our picks costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Stage 5

    Name the agent in the filing

    A Massachusetts LLC that is just being formed names its agent on the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization. Any later switch is its own filing at the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

    Check it yourself: sec.state.ma.us, seen in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Keep the agent record accurate

    Every year the Limited Liability Company Annual Report confirms who your agent is, for $500, by on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.

    Check it yourself: malegislature.gov, seen in August 2026

The bill

StagePaid toCost
Hiring an agentService$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterService$99 to $149 a year
Limited Liability Company Annual ReportState agency$500 every year
The state rows come from Massachusetts'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.

Why Massachusetts Registered Agent.co is first

Three-year bill settled first place in Massachusetts. It is 32% of the score, and the rest comes from work taken off your desk, year-two price, fit for where you operate and honest pricing.

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co wins the cost score at $297 over three years, against $150 more at Mainstay Filing.

Massachusetts questions answered

Will Massachusetts insist on a resident agent for your LLC?

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

Can I be my own resident agent?

Maybe. Stages 2 and 3 show whether both rules fit you.

Can I change my resident agent later?

You can. An existing LLC files a change with the Massachusetts Secretary of State; see stage 5.

What does a registered agent cost in Massachusetts?

The agents we recommend charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state's yearly line is the Limited Liability Company Annual Report at $500 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, MA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth advice comes from: sec.state.ma.us, viewed August 2026.
  2. Where the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth advice comes from: malegislature.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 advice comes from: sec.state.ma.us, viewed August 2026.
  4. Where the Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sec.state.ma.us, viewed October 2026.
  5. Where the Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sec.state.ma.us, viewed October 2026.
  6. Where the Massachusetts registered agent statute advice comes from: sec.state.ma.us, viewed October 2026.
  7. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. MA Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing: Massachusetts service page, opened November 13, 2026